Attorney Network

Purpose

People diagnosed with mesothelioma face time-sensitive legal decisions. Asbestos litigation is a specialized area of law, and the difference between firms with decades of mesothelioma trial experience and those without can be measured in outcomes: verdict amounts, settlement values, and the speed at which families receive compensation.

MesoWatch maintains a vetted attorney network to connect people with mesothelioma to firms that have demonstrated, verifiable records in asbestos litigation. We do not list every firm that handles asbestos cases. We select firms that meet specific criteria based on their litigation history, trial results, and standing within the asbestos legal community.

Selection Criteria

Firms in the MesoWatch attorney network must meet all of the following criteria:

Litigation Track Record

• Documented verdicts and settlements in mesothelioma and asbestos cases, verified through court records and public filings
• Minimum 20 years of active asbestos litigation experience at the firm level
• Trial capability. While most mesothelioma cases resolve through settlement, network firms must have taken highly specific asbestos exposure cases to trial, demonstrating the ability and willingness to go to verdict when necessary

Professional Standing

• Active bar membership in good standing in all jurisdictions where the firm practices
• No unresolved disciplinary actions against the firm or its principal attorneys in asbestos practice
• Leadership roles in asbestos litigation, such as serving as lead counsel, liaison counsel, or members of plaintiffs' steering committees in multidistrict litigation (MDL) or consolidated proceedings

Client Service Standards

• Confidential case reviews with no cost and no obligation to the claimant
• Contingency fee arrangements, meaning families pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation
• Nationwide representation or clear disclosure of geographic limitations
• Dedicated mesothelioma practice, not a general personal injury firm that occasionally handles asbestos cases

Vetting Process

Before a firm is accepted into the MesoWatch attorney network, we conduct the following review:

1. Public record verification. We review court records, verdict databases, and public filings to confirm the firm's claimed results in asbestos and mesothelioma cases.
2. Bar standing confirmation. We verify active bar membership and check for disciplinary history through state bar association records.
3. Litigation history review. We review the firm's history as trial counsel in mesothelioma cases, including their role in significant asbestos proceedings, MDL participation, and appellate work.
4. Client outcome assessment. We evaluate the firm's documented outcomes, including verdict amounts, settlement ranges, and trust fund recovery rates, where this information is publicly available.
5. Peer standing. We assess the firm's reputation within the asbestos litigation community, including judicial appointments to leadership positions, professional association involvement, and recognition by peers.

This process is repeated periodically. Firms that no longer meet our criteria, or that receive adverse disciplinary actions, are removed from the network.

Sponsorship Disclosure

Attorney listings on MesoWatch are paid sponsorships. Firms in our network pay for placement on the site. This is how MesoWatch funds its operations, including editorial staff, research, and the publication of free mesothelioma information.

What sponsorship includes:

• Firm profile and contact information displayed on qualifying pages
• Geo-targeted presentation based on the firm's licensed jurisdictions
• Case review form submissions routed to the appropriate firm based on the visitor's location
• Firm name and phone number in the attorney showcase modal

What sponsorship does not include:

• Influence over editorial content, news coverage, or research articles
• The ability to review, approve, or modify any MesoWatch content
• Preferential coverage in news articles or legal reporting
• Guaranteed placement on editorial pages (news, research, clinical trials)

Every page that displays a sponsored attorney includes the label "Attorney Advertising" and identifies the sponsoring firm by name and principal office address.

Current Sponsor

Aaron Heckaman

Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC

1360 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 2300, Houston, TX 77056

(888) 512-4040

• Bar admission: Texas
• State coverage: Nationwide via co-counsel with locally licensed trial counsel
• Recognitions: Super Lawyers 2023, 2021; Rising Star 2010, 2019, 2020; Rue Ratings Best Attorneys of America 2016; Member, NADC, AATA, Texas Bar College

Attorney Advertising. Aaron Heckaman is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Cases outside Texas are handled in association with attorneys licensed in those jurisdictions.

Editorial Independence

MesoWatch editorial operations are completely separate from attorney sponsorship. Our editorial team does not consult with, report to, or take direction from any sponsored firm. Sponsoring firms have no advance knowledge of editorial content and no ability to influence what we publish.

This separation is structural, not just a policy statement. News articles, research coverage, clinical trial reporting, and all other editorial content are produced by MesoWatch staff without input from any outside legal entity.

If a sponsored firm is involved in a newsworthy event (a verdict, a regulatory action, a case development), we cover it the same way we cover any other firm: based on the facts, attributed to public sources, without editorial favor or suppression.

Attorney Advertising Disclosure

Attorney sponsorship content on MesoWatch constitutes attorney advertising under applicable state rules of professional conduct. The following disclosures apply to all sponsored attorney content on this site:

Compliance with State and Federal Rules

Attorney advertising is regulated at the state level across the United States. Each state's rules of professional conduct govern how attorneys may advertise, what disclosures are required, and what claims are prohibited. MesoWatch sponsors attorneys licensed in jurisdictions throughout the country, and all sponsored content is designed to comply with applicable rules in every state where a network firm practices.

Baseline rules every sponsored listing follows

All sponsored attorney content on MesoWatch adheres to the following principles, which are common across state bar rules nationwide:

• No false, misleading, or deceptive communications about legal services
• Clear identification of all content as attorney advertising
• Disclosure of the responsible attorney and principal office address
• No use of terms such as "specialist" or "expert" where prohibited by state bar rules
• No guarantees of outcomes or misleading statements about prior results
• Compliance with solicitation restrictions in all jurisdictions

Extra rules by state

Some states impose additional disclosure requirements beyond the general standards. Where a network firm is licensed in a state with specific advertising rules, those requirements are reflected in the firm's sponsored content. Examples include:

• States that require a disclaimer that attorney advertising has not been approved by the state's highest court
• States that require identification of a responsible attorney by name
• States with specific rules on testimonials, endorsements, or portrayals of results
• States that require retention of advertising materials for a specified period

Each sponsored listing on MesoWatch includes the disclosures required by the jurisdictions in which that firm is admitted to practice. Visitors from jurisdictions not covered by a particular firm's licensure will not be shown that firm's sponsored content.