Personal Commitment. Proven Results. Compassionate Advocacy.
Personal Commitment. Proven Results. Compassionate Advocacy.
At The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC, we both represent clients and stand alongside them through the journey. Our mission is deeply personal, born from loss and shaped by experience.
Since founding our firm in Texas in 2014, we've recovered over $400 million through asbestos trust claims, lawsuits, and workers' compensation cases filed on behalf of families affected by asbestos-related illnesses. We've grown from a one-person practice started in a living room to a trusted national advocate with offices in Texas, Arizona, and California, serving clients across the United States.
Our success isn't measured just in dollars recovered. What truly sets us apart is the lived experience behind our advocacy. Justinian lost his father and both maternal grandparents to asbestos-related cancers. He's also a cancer survivor himself, giving him firsthand understanding of the fear, fatigue, and darkness that come with fighting this disease.
Learn more about Justinian's story
Starting from Scratch, Building with Purpose
Our firm’s story began in 2010, not in a prestigious law firm conference room, but in a living room. Fresh out of law school, Justinian faced a choice between two job offers: one at a firm handling car accidents, another specializing in asbestos cases. He chose asbestos litigation, a decision that would shape everything that followed.
But working for someone else meant following their policies, their methods, their vision. By 2014, Justinian knew he wanted something different: the ability to handle cases the way he believed they should be handled, with the thoroughness and personal attention that families facing cancer deserved.
So he left to start his own practice. One desk, one computer, and one mesothelioma case from a family friend. Eleven years later, that one-case practice has grown into a national firm that has recovered over $400 million for asbestos victims and their families. But we've never forgotten where we came from, or why we started.
Understanding Systems, Building Solutions
Before law school, Justinian spent nearly a decade in technology until the dot-com crash in the early 2000’s forced a career change. He was looking for work that couldn't be outsourced, something with clear right-and-wrong answers, something that would let him help injured people. That technology background turned out to be the secret weapon our clients never knew they needed.
While other lawyers were still thinking in terms of file cabinets and paper trails, we were building databases. While they were conducting the same investigations over and over, we were creating systems to capture and leverage every piece of evidence we'd ever found. While they were starting each case from scratch, we were building on more than a decade of accumulated knowledge.
Today, our proprietary research systems contain over 200,000 verified exposure sites, 50+ years of digitized court records, and detailed product identification catalogs that can often identify the exact asbestos-containing materials our clients worked with decades ago. This isn't just legal work: it's information science applied to seek justice.
When Loss Becomes Purpose
The numbers tell part of our story: over $400 million recovered and offices in four states is something we’re proud of. But the real story is more personal.
In 2009, while Justinian was still in law school, his father was diagnosed with multiple types of asbestos-related cancers, and had a tumor the size of a grapefruit that was inoperable. The doctors gave him three months. He fought for nine, but died weeks before Justinian got the news that he had passed the bar exam and was a licensed attorney.
This wasn't the first loss from cancer in his family. When Justinian was 19, his grandfather died just three days after being diagnosed with multiple asbestos-related cancers. There wasn't even time to say goodbye. Years later, his grandmother succumbed to lung cancer, another casualty of asbestos exposure.
His grandfather had served in World War II on naval ships, then worked for years as a mechanic, which were two of the highest-risk exposures of his generation. His grandmother had worked at silicon chip factories with asbestos ovens and spent decades washing her husband's contaminated work clothes, never knowing she was bringing deadly fibers into their home.
His father worked at a titanium foundry as a young man, breathing asbestos dust in an era when worker protection was an afterthought. Three generations. Three different types of exposure. Three preventable deaths.
Understanding Cancer from the Inside
But Justinian's connection to our clients goes beyond family loss. In his mid-forties, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He found it because a 4-centimeter mass that had been growing for years without his knowledge had gotten so large he couldn’t button a collar anymore without discomfort.
As the cancer progressed, he experienced symptoms he now recognizes in many of our clients: crushing fatigue, night sweats, and a darkness that settled over everything. He was ready to give up, had no fight left in him. It wasn't until the tumor was removed and he woke up from surgery that he realized how much the cancer had changed him.
"Literally the minute I woke up from having the whole thyroid removed, I thought 'I feel better,'" he recalls. "The darkness lifted, and that gave me a real insight into the mind of my clients. I never took it personally when my clients took a bad day out on me, but now I know that sometimes the tumor does the talking for you.”
While thyroid cancer is among the most treatable forms, the experience taught him something invaluable: cancer doesn't just attack your body, but also attacks your spirit, your hope, your will to fight. Even with "good" cancer and excellent treatment options, he was ready to surrender.
Our clients are fighting much harder battles, often with much worse odds. They need lawyers who understand not just the legal complexities of their cases, but the emotional and physical toll of the fight itself.
Empathy Based on Understanding, Not Assumption
Most lawyers will tell you they understand what you're going through. We actually do.
When we talk to clients about the exhaustion that comes with cancer treatment, we're not guessing. We know how it feels when you can barely get out of bed but still need to make legal decisions. When families describe the financial stress of mounting medical bills, we remember watching it happen to people we love. When clients talk about feeling overwhelmed by legal paperwork while trying to focus on treatment, we understand the impossible balance they're trying to maintain.
We've been where you are. We know what you're facing. And we know you deserve better than the companies that put you there ever gave you.
Our Comprehensive Approach to Asbestos Cases
Most asbestos law firms do a decent job gathering basic exposure history; where you worked, what products you remember, which companies might be responsible. But we believe "decent" isn't good enough when your family's financial future is at stake.
Our advantage comes from simply knowing more about where asbestos was used and how it was used across American industry. We understand the subtle differences between exposure at a Texas refinery versus a California shipyard. We know which products were common in 1960s construction versus 1970s automotive work. We can often identify exposure sources that other firms miss entirely.
But our most important advantage might be the simplest: we ALWAYS ask about what work your parents did.
Many of our clients were exposed through "take-home exposure" or “secondary exposure” that occurs when deadly fibers are carried home on a parent's work clothes, in their hair, or on their tools. We routinely represent clients whose diseases came from washing their father's contaminated coveralls or hugging him when he came home from the shipyard.
Other firms might discover this exposure eventually, but we look for it from day one. Because we know that some of the most tragic cases involve people who never worked a day around asbestos but got sick anyway. The most tragic cases for our firm are those for children who played in dust shaken from work clothes, spouses who handled contaminated laundry for decades, or family members who rode in cars with asbestos workers still wearing their dusty uniforms.
Reconstructing Decades-Old Evidence
Once we understand your exposure history, the real detective work begins. We help clients reconstruct work histories that span decades, often from jobs they held 40 or 50 years ago.
We order official records from every source that might exist, such as Social Security Administration, union records, employment files, and military service documents. But we go far beyond official paperwork.
Our firm maintains a massive database of thousands of workers from high-exposure industries. Many of our clients come from the same plants, refineries, shipyards, and construction sites, which means we can often connect you with former coworkers who remember the same products, the same working conditions, the same safety failures that caused your exposure.
Sometimes the best evidence comes from the most unexpected places. We've used 50-year-old trade magazine articles to prove which asbestos products were installed at specific job sites. We've tracked down corporate board meeting minutes to show how workers from different companies ended up exposed at the same facility. We've even found evidence in old newspaper archives and company newsletters that proved crucial to winning cases.
Going Where Others Won't
Our commitment to understanding asbestos exposure goes beyond legal research. Justinian is probably the only practicing asbestos attorney who has personally visited active asbestos mines, going deep inside both the Victory and El Dorado chrysotile mines in Arizona, collecting actual samples of raw asbestos still clinging to the mine chutes.
Why would a lawyer crawl into an abandoned asbestos mine? Let Justinian explain:
“I needed to understand how asbestos actually behaves to understand how secondhand exposures really happen. I wondered, how is it plausible that dust would cling so tightly? I found out when I first touched the raw material. Knowing the science behind it is different than seeing and experiencing it for yourself. Now, I get it.”
That hands-on understanding informs every case we handle. When we describe asbestos exposure we're speaking from direct experience handling a mineral that few people under 60 have ever seen in person.
Our Research Systems: 21st Century Analytics Applied to Ancient Evidence
52 Variables, Instant Results
While other firms start each case from scratch, we've spent over a decade building what we believe is the most comprehensive asbestos litigation database in the United States. Our system categorizes evidence across 52 different variables, allowing us to find exactly the right documents in moments rather than months.
Need to find internal company memos from 1960-1965 mentioning amosite exposure and peritoneal mesothelioma in women? Our system can pull those documents in seconds. Looking for evidence about specific asbestos products used at petroleum refineries during a particular time period? We've already digitized and categorized thousands of relevant documents.
This is 21st century data processing and analytics applied to evidence that's often 50+ years old.
Speed That Matters When Time Is Short
The difference our research systems make for clients is measured in weeks and months that many families don't have to spare. With our proprietary database and document categorization system, we can often file trust fund claims within 24 hours of receiving a client's medical records.
Other firms might take months to identify the same exposure sources and potential claims. For families facing terminal diagnoses, that time difference can be the difference between securing compensation and running out of time entirely.
Free Medical Testing for Families
In many areas of the country, we've established relationships with medical facilities that can provide chest X-rays and other testing for our clients at convenient locations. For clients with mesothelioma, we always offer free asbestos-related health testing to their immediate family members. That’s because spouses, children, and others may have been exposed through take-home contamination.
This testing is completely free with no strings attached. We don't get reimbursed when compensation comes in, and there's no obligation to hire us even if testing reveals exposure-related changes. We offer this service because early detection can save lives, and because we believe every family deserves to know the truth about their exposure risks.
Trust Claims vs. Litigation: Your Decision, Our Expertise
One of the biggest differences between our firm and others is simple: we don't twist arms to get clients to file lawsuits.
Some firms push litigation because lawsuits can generate higher attorney fees than trust claims. We take the opposite approach. We believe trust fund claims should always be pursued when available, but that litigation is entirely the client's decision.
We'll explain the pros and cons of filing a lawsuit, including the potential for higher compensation versus the time, stress, and uncertainty involved. We'll discuss the strength of your particular case and the track record of similar lawsuits in your jurisdiction. But ultimately, if you're not comfortable with litigation, we respect that choice completely.
Industry & Exposure Expertise
Petrochemical, Iron & Steel, and Shipyards: Our Core Specialties
While asbestos was used across virtually every American industry, our deepest expertise lies in three sectors that created some of the most devastating exposure scenarios: petrochemical refining, iron and steel production, and shipbuilding. This is the natural result of representing hundreds of workers from these industries and learning the intricate details of how asbestos was used in each setting.
Shipyards: Lessons from Six Brothers
One case taught us more about shipyard asbestos exposure than years of document review ever could. We represented a gentleman whose father and five brothers all worked at a major Louisiana shipyard. Tragically, all seven of them developed lung cancer.
That family's experience became a master class in shipyard exposure patterns. We learned exactly where asbestos insulation was installed on different types of vessels, which trades worked in the most dangerous areas, and how safety equipment was often missing.
More importantly, we learned how shipyard exposure affected entire families. When workers came home covered in asbestos dust, they unknowingly exposed spouses who handled contaminated clothing and children who greeted them with hugs before they could shower and change.
Understanding Asbestos Science to Predict Product Use
Our expertise goes beyond knowing that asbestos was dangerous. We understand why specific types of asbestos fibers were chosen for particular applications. This scientific knowledge helps us identify exposure sources that other firms might miss.
Working with stainless steel piping? Thermal shock was a major concern, so manufacturers typically used amosite-based insulation products that could handle rapid temperature changes. Dealing with acidic chemicals? Chrysotile asbestos dissolves in acid, so crocidolite was the fiber of choice for chemical-resistant applications. Naval insulation? Amosite fibers "fluff" better than other varieties, providing maximum insulation with minimum weight, which is crucial for ships where every pound matters.
By understanding the asbestos industry itself—why certain products were formulated with specific fiber types, which manufacturers supplied which markets, how product specifications evolved over time—we can apply that knowledge across every industry that used asbestos products.
Military Exposure: Finding Civilian Liability
Many of our clients were exposed to asbestos during military service, but federal law prevents lawsuits against the government for service-related exposure. That means we must identify every possible civilian exposure source to maximize compensation opportunities.
Understanding military asbestos use requires hands-on investigation. Justinian has personally visited decommissioned vessels like the USS Midway, documenting exactly where asbestos materials were installed and how service members would have encountered them during daily operations.
He's sat on bunks where asbestos-insulated piping ran directly overhead, walked through engine rooms where asbestos insulation covered every hot surface, and examined the cramped compartments where sailors worked surrounded by deadly materials. This firsthand knowledge of military exposure scenarios helps us identify the civilian companies that supplied asbestos products to military facilities. Those companies can still be held accountable in court.
Secondary Exposure: When Families Pay the Price
The majority of our "blue collar" clients had fathers who worked in similar high-risk trades, creating multi-generational exposure patterns that require careful legal analysis. Secondary exposure cases often involve complex timelines where precise dates can determine which companies bear liability.
Consider a worker exposed to Kaylo insulation from 1958 to 1960. If the exposure occurred after 1958, we can pursue claims against Owens Corning, which acquired the Kaylo product line that year. But if exposure occurred before 1958, we can file claims against Owens Illinois, the original manufacturer. If exposure spanned 1957-1959, we can pursue both companies.
These seemingly minor timing distinctions can mean the difference between one viable claim and multiple sources of compensation. But identifying these opportunities requires detailed knowledge of corporate acquisition histories, product line transfers, and manufacturing timelines that span decades.
We've also represented numerous wives who developed fatal asbestos-related diseases while their husbands suffered only mild asbestosis. These cases highlight the tragic irony of secondary exposure—sometimes the family members who never set foot in a dangerous workplace end up sicker than the workers themselves.
Who We Help & How We Help Them
We represent people facing life-changing illnesses caused by asbestos exposure, including:
Mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal, pericardial, and testicular)
Asbestosis (scarring of the lungs from asbestos fibers)
Lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure
Ovarian cancer and other illnesses related to asbestos-contaminated talcum powder
But understanding these diseases requires dispelling common misconceptions that prevent families from seeking help.
The Smoking Myth: Why Smokers Still Have Valid Claims
One of the most persistent myths we encounter is that smoking history disqualifies someone from pursuing asbestos claims. This simply isn't true.
Smoking history has no relevance to mesothelioma, asbestosis, or ovarian cancer claims because these diseases are caused exclusively by asbestos exposure, regardless of smoking status. For lung cancer cases, smoking actually creates what medical experts call a "synergistic effect" with asbestos exposure, meaning the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure dramatically increases lung cancer risk beyond what either factor would cause alone.
[Learn more about the diseases asbestos can cause →]
Comprehensive Legal Options: Multiple Paths to Justice
"I Don't Want to Sue—I'm Not That Kind of Person"
This is probably the most common concern we hear from potential clients. Many people have negative associations with lawsuits and don't see themselves as litigious.
We explain that asbestos cases are fundamentally different from typical personal injury lawsuits. These aren't cases about honest mistakes or accidents. They're about corporate lies that continued for decades after companies knew their products were killing workers.
Asbestos manufacturers conducted their own medical studies proving their products caused cancer, then hid those studies while continuing to market deadly products to unsuspecting workers. Going after companies for deliberate deception is morally different from suing someone for an honest mistake.
Still, at the end of the day, if clients don't want to file lawsuits, we respect that choice. Trust fund claims are completely confidential—no one will ever know you filed them. Many of our clients pursue only trust claims and never set foot in a courtroom.
"I Can't Remember Everywhere I Worked"
No problem. We routinely order Social Security Administration employment records that provide official documentation of every job where someone paid into the Social Security system. These records often remind clients of employers they'd completely forgotten about.
Our database also helps jog memories by providing context about what specific companies did and where they operated. When we can tell someone that XYZ Company was a construction contractor that worked on refinery turnarounds in the 1960s, it often triggers memories of specific job sites and working conditions.
Financial Relief When Families Need It Most
Almost every family we represent faces significant financial challenges. Cancer treatment is expensive, and many of our clients are retired with fixed incomes that don't account for mounting medical bills.
We can ethically advance costs for travel and lodging when clients need specialized cancer treatment far from home. Helping put a family up in a hotel near a major cancer center takes one burden off their shoulders during an already overwhelming time.
When litigation strategies allow, we also prioritize quick-paying trust claims to provide immediate financial relief. Getting $5,000 to $10,000 into a family's hands within 30 to 60 days can make the difference between keeping up with bills and falling behind during treatment.
[Learn more about the legal options families have after an asbestos diagnosis →]
Our Client-First Philosophy
No Fee Unless We Win: More Than Just a Slogan
Complete Financial Protection
We understand that a serious diagnosis comes with serious financial stress. That's why we work on a contingency fee basis with complete transparency about costs and expenses.
Here's exactly what that means for your family:
No out-of-pocket costs - We front all expenses associated with your case
No retainers or hourly rates - You never pay anything upfront
We only get paid if we win - If we don't recover compensation for you, you don't owe us a dime
Expense oversight - When we partner with litigation firms, we monitor their expenses to ensure they're appropriate and necessary
The cost difference between trust claims and litigation can be substantial. Trust fund cases rarely involve expenses exceeding a couple thousand dollars, while taking a case to trial can cost significantly more. We'll always discuss these considerations with you upfront so you can make informed decisions about your legal strategy.
Partnership Protection
When we work with litigation firms on your case, we don't just hand off your file and hope for the best. We maintain oversight of litigation expenses to ensure they're reasonable and necessary. Our goal is to maximize your recovery while protecting you from excessive costs that could eat into your compensation.
Individual Attention
Every client who comes to us has a unique story, unique exposure history, and unique needs. We take time to understand your specific situation and develop strategies tailored to your circumstances, not generic approaches that treat every case the same way.
Family-Centered Approach
We recognize that asbestos-related illnesses affect entire families, not just the diagnosed individual. That's why we consider family members' potential exposure history and offer free health testing when appropriate. We also understand that family members often play crucial roles in case development, helping to reconstruct work histories and exposure scenarios.
What to Expect from Your Free Consultation
Confirming Your Diagnosis
Our first step is always confirming that you have an asbestos-related disease. Sometimes people contact us with different types of illnesses, or because they suspect they might have an asbestos-related condition but haven't been formally diagnosed. We'll help you understand whether your diagnosis qualifies for asbestos-related compensation.
Comprehensive Exposure History
We'll walk through your entire exposure history, starting from childhood and covering every job, residence, and potential exposure source throughout your life. This includes examining possible secondary exposure through family members' work clothes, military service, and consumer product use.
We also review whether family members might be eligible to join legal actions, particularly spouses and children who may have been exposed through take-home contamination.
Resource Sharing and Expectation Setting
During your consultation, we'll provide educational resources to help you understand your diagnosis, explain your legal options in detail, and set realistic expectations about timelines and potential outcomes. We'll answer all your questions and make sure you understand every aspect of the legal process before making any decisions.
Understanding Timelines: What Happens When
Trust Fund Claims
Trust cases typically see first payments within six months of filing, with total case resolution taking 18 to 24 months. However, these timeframes can vary significantly depending on which trusts apply to your case and the type of disease involved.
Litigation
Lawsuit timelines vary dramatically based on jurisdiction, case complexity, and court schedules. However, mesothelioma cases often resolve within 12 months or less due to expedited court procedures designed to accommodate the urgent nature of terminal diagnoses.
Why Timing Matters
Statutes of limitations for asbestos cases range from one year to six years, depending on your state and specific circumstances. These deadlines are absolute: If missed, there's no way to recover lost opportunities for compensation.
But we're not high-pressure salespeople. We'll explain the relevant time factors and help you understand how they apply to your situation, then give you the space to make decisions that feel right for your family.
The Most Important Thing: Getting Started
The most important step is simply reaching out. We have systems and staff dedicated to gathering all necessary documentation. Don't delay seeking help because you're worried about missing paperwork. We can handle the administrative details while focusing on the legal strategy that's right for your family.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, we're ready to help you understand your options and develop a strategy that works for your unique situation.
Call us at 833-4-ASBESTOS (833-427-2378)
Or schedule your free consultation online using the form below.