Lawyers are set to mount a bid to win compensation for thousands of workers who have been struck down by an asbestos-related health condition.

If successful, solicitors believe up to £1bn could be paid to people with pleural plaques - scarring on the lung lining due to asbestos exposure.
Ian McFall, of Thompsons law firm, said most asbestos-related disease was due to "negligent" employers.

The insurance industry is keen to end compensation claims for the condition. It hopes to do so by taking a case to the Court of Appeal in London.
Mr McFall said:

For over 20 years the courts have accepted that pleural plaques, together with the increased risk of future disease and related anxiety, constitutes an injury and should therefore be compensated.

"The majority of people who develop any type of asbestos-related disease, including pleural plaques, do so because their employers were negligent in failing to protect them from exposure to asbestos.

"This case is about the right of those people to continue to receive awards of compensation for the injury they have suffered.

Who is Ian McFall and what does he do?
Ian McFall is head of the national asbestos team for The Claim Line Lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors. He has established Thompsons reputation as the leading firm of claimants Solicitors in the North East by aggressively pursuing claims for clients who suffer from asbestos related disease. He has overall responsibility for supervising teams of specialist lawyers who deal with asbestos cases in Thompsons 18 other offices throughout England and Wales.


His specialist asbestos litigation team in Newcastle act for clients who have developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure from employment across a wide range of occupations. He has acquired extensive experience from dealing personally with numerous clients and their families in mesothelioma cases over the past 15 years. Currently Ian is involved in an appeal, which will be heard by the House of Lords in 2006, where his legal team will object to another attempt by employers and their insurers to reduce compensation payments in mesothelioma cases. He has pursued a fast track approach to mesothelioma claims which now results in many successful cases being concluded within the clients lifetime.


Ian's reputation as one of the leading experts in asbestos litigation has been acknowledged in "The Legal 500" directory where he is described by insurance company solicitors as "a formidable opponent" . The services of his specialist asbestos litigation team at Thompsons Solicitors are retained by major trade unions and asbestos victim support groups as well as individuals who are represented on "no win - no fee" agreements.