EAST ALTON, Ill., Sept. 16 The Simmons firm, a leading national law firm in the fight against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases and headquartered in East Alton, Ill., will host the first HarrisMartin's Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference on Friday, September 25, at the Westin St. Louis.
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Simmons' managing partner Michael Angelides will serve as a conference chair. Over the last decade, Angelides has helped recover millions of dollars on behalf of hundreds of clients suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers. He has extensive experience litigating personal injury and commercial cases in both federal and state courts.
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The conference will bring together plaintiff and defendant experts from across the Midwest, plus researchers, pathologists, and others from the medical community, to discuss the growing need in the heartland and across the country to better understand recent advances in diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases and treatments, new landmark cases, and today's asbestos litigation arena as a whole.
"This is the first regional conference in the Midwest, and it's an important step," Angelides said. "Asbestos is a national problem, not something unique to geographical regions but the entire country."
He added, "Almost four decades since the Environmental Protection Agency listed asbestos as a hazardous air pollutant, the known poison continues to kill approximately 10,000 Americans each year. That's more than those who die from skin cancer and nearly the number who are slain in assaults with firearms.
"And the pace is only picking up. Just as the country spends billions on asbestos cleanup, our nation continues to import and consume almost 5 million pounds for use in everyday products. Asbestos use is responsible for the greatest occupational health crisis in world history. Now, because of its presence in homes, workplaces, schools, and products used every day, innocent women and younger people are being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases."
Since 1999, the Simmons firm has helped thousands of families from every state in the country, including obtaining a $250 million verdict on behalf of a U.S. steel worker - the single largest asbestos verdict in the United States.
"The Simmons firm began with a focus to provide representation to victims suffering from what were and are preventable, life-ending illnesses," Angelides said.
The Simmons firm also is a leading national advocate in raising public awareness and funds for research to find better care, and, ultimately, a cure, for mesothelioma. The firm has pledged more than $20 million to charitable causes, including $15 million to cancer research, $10 million of which helped build the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University in Springfield.
"We will continue to fight for the rights of victims of asbestos-related diseases and their families, as well as generate awareness, increase education, and help raise funds for research to find better care and hopefully a cure for mesothelioma."
About Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC
The Simmons firm is a leading national law firm in the fight against mesothelioma. With offices in Illinois and California, the firm has represented thousands of patients and families affected by mesothelioma from all across the country. The Simmons firm is passionate about improving the lives of victims of mesothelioma and asbestos-related illnesses and has pledged over $15 million to cancer research. The firm also has practice areas in intellectual property, pharmaceutical litigation, and business litigation.
SOURCE Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC
