The John McNamara Foundation - Asbestos Information

People ask me daily who represented us in our case, of course we all know that my attorney for life is none other than Peter Kraus, of the law offices of Waters & Kraus. Peter is a giant among men, not only for my family but literally he is 6'7" of Texan!! Peter is truly a gentle giant, his compassion is measured by his passion he has for justice and that shows from the minute you meet him. Peter is probably ONE OF THE BEST LAWYERS for asbestos knowledge, and his ability to make the world listen is amazing!! Peter is one of the first we call for help well after our case is gone, because after you meet Peter, you certainly don't want to loose contact with this man, he is a friend or life! Below is Peters bio: read for yourself, but call him and you will be conveinced, Peter is the man to represent you also.

Peter A. Kraus
Founding Partner
P 214-357-6244

Peter Kraus is a founding partner of Waters and Kraus, LLP, as well as the firm's managing partner. A native of Dallas, Texas, Peter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and his law degree from the University of Texas. He began his career as a commercial litigator in Washington, D.C., but has focused his practice on toxic torts and pharmaceutical injury litigation. He has tried numerous asbestos and pharmaceutical cases to verdict in state and federal courts across the country, and has many multi-million dollar verdicts. He is an ardent supporter of plaintiffs' rights, and has frequently lobbied Congress on behalf of asbestos litigants. He has testified before the Texas Legislature on behalf of asbestos victims. He serves on several asbestos bankruptcy creditor committees and asbestos bankruptcy trustee advisory committees. He is also a member of both the Federal and Texas Asbestos multi-district litigation steering committees, and has served on the ABA Commission on Asbestos litigation. Licensed to practice law in Texas and Virginia, Peter has been elected for membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates by his peers. He has been recognized on the Best Lawyers in Dallas list by D Magazine and as well as the Texas Super Lawyers® list in Texas Monthly magazine. He is also a board member in the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, a former board member of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, as well as a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice and the Dallas Bar Association.

Areas of Practice

Toxic Tort
Pharmaceutical Liability
Bar Admissions

Virginia, 1985
Texas, 1992
U.S. Supreme Court, 1994
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1986
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, 1986
U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 2001
Education

University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas J.D., 1985
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, B.A., 1982
Professional Associations & Memberships

American Board of Trial Advocates
Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Executive Committee, Board of Directors
Dallas Bar Association
State Bar of Texas Association
Virginia Bar Association
American Bar Association
Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Texas Bar Foundation
Awards & Honors

Recognized on Texas Super Lawyers list, 2003-2007
Pro Bono Activities

Board of Directors, Public Justice, 2004-present
Member, Leader's Forum, American Association for Justice
Lead Donor, Dallas Area Volunteer Program, 2001, 2003

This months Doctor of the month is another one of our heroes, Dr. Richard Lemen.
The Asbestos KING. When Dr. Lemen speaks we should all listen, he has more information on the tip of his tongue than all
of our, or at least most, of our government officials. This man has dedicated his life to making this a better place for all of us, especially those effected by the magical mineral, asbestos. Besides for the fact he is an amazing human being, you need only to look at his BIO to be overwhelmed and in awe, of this man. My family will never be able to express our sincere gratitude towards Richard, so read for yourself about Dr. Lemen, and you will be in awe also.
Thank you Dr. Lemen, YOUR AMAZING!!

Richard Lemen retired as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States and Deputy Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1996. NIOSH is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research on work-related disease and injury and making recommendations to improve safety and health. In his role as a senior public health administrator, Dr. Lemen testified regularly before Congress on issues related to toxic substances.

In an earlier position with the NIOSH Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation and Field Studies, Dr. Lemen supervised industry-wide epidemiological studies of workers exposed to chemicals such as bis(chloromethyl)ether, benzidine, methyl ethyl ketone, and styrene-butadiene rubber. Previously, Dr. Lemen held specialist positions in Preventive Health with the U.S. Army and the Missouri Division of Health.

Dr. Lemen holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati. He also studied occupational medicine, toxicology and epidemiology at the University of Illinois, the University of Minnesota and the University of Missouri. In 1994 he was a scholar with the Consortium for Public Health at the University of California, Berkley; University of California, Los Angeles; and San Diego State University.

In 1991, Dr. Lemen was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award of the US Public Health Service, and in 1991 he was awarded the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Medal. He has published dozens of scientific papers and has served on a multitude of national and international panels and committees, including World Health Organization workgroups to evaluate the cancer risks of chemicals to humans.

Currently, Dr. Lemen is a private consultant and teaches in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Emory University in Atlanta. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Environmental Health of Kettering Laboratories at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine.

I have had the pleasure to sit in a room several times with our next Doctor of the month, he is truly one of the, “Meso Kings” he is a gentle giant among men, and his compassion for his patients and all Meso victims, is why we have chosen to feature this phenomenal man.

Michael R. Harbut, MD MPH, FCCP is Chief of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine: Clinical Assistant Professor, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan. An Internationally known expert in the diagnosis and of environmental and workplace disease Dr. Harbut has been named Co-Director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos Related Cancers. He is the co-author of the American Thoracic Society’s 2004 Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Non- Malignant Disease Caused by Asbestos Exposure. Dr Harbut is a past chair of the occupational and environmental health section of the American Collage of Chest Physicians and has served on the Board of Directors of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. Dr. Harbut brings his expertise to the address the need for early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of asbestos related diseases.

Many of you follow the ACOR website; we all lurk and watch from our private rooms, but all of us are inspired by her words......Jill Vaughn, Meso warrior extraordinaire!! She is the light to our candle. I will never be able to express in words what this human being means to my family. When we lost our way, she brought us back on track. Now she keeps me on the same road with so many other wonderful human beings that I am honored to call her my friend. She is truly the inspiration that every Meso victim has to aspire to she is beyond words with her strength and her dignity. You’re our inspiration to continue this fight, together we will keep going strong!!

What can be said, about an attorney that doesn't start out with, "have you heard the one about the attorney........."

John and I used to have fights all the time about attorneys, in general, he used to have a name for them, which was not so flattering. One day he came home, with shock, he met an attorney, he really liked! Little did I know, that attorney would, capture our hearts and become so much more to the entire family, was it possible that an attorney could be more? If you only new, our John C.

John Caron, partner, and better half of the the Law offices of Roger Worthington is so much more. His compassion is what captures you, his patience is like none other, and his uncanny ability to make it better, if just for the day, is over the top. John is,and was there for us 24/7, he walked us through every step of our battles, never waivered in his opinion, and shared our outrage. He spoke to my boy,"just like a regular guy" my Johns favorite quality about John C.

What shocked me was he answered, re-answered, and answered again the same questions, always with a smile, and attempt to explain it easier for my John. Could he be an attorney, and Saint?? I know the two do not go together, maybe the picture will capture his true spirit.

Whenever people ask me who WAS your lawyer, I have to smile, and say my lawyer IS OUR JOHN, he is amazing...............

If you want someone truly special call John Caron at The Law OFFICES OF ROGER WORTHINGTON, or call me I always look for an excuse to call John C.

Once again our hearts are filled with gratitude to Peter Kraus of the Law firm Waters and Kraus. Peter joined our voice to say only zero tolerance on asbestos is acceptable.

Not only does Peter defend Mesothelioma victims, he stands beside them and fights for and with us. He is an example to all others in his field. My family will forever have a special place in our hearts for Peter. But we will always be grateful for the continued support he and his, law firm have shown to the Mesothelioma community.

Our hats are off to you Peter, Thank you!

You can always reach Peter at:

Peter A. Kraus
Partner
3219 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204
800.226.9880 | Toll Free
214.357.6244 | Phone
214.357.7252 | Fax
www.waterskraus.com

Our Featured Doctor - Dr. Robert Cameron

It is our goal to feature a Mesothelioma specialist each month, to provide the Meso community with as much information about each specialist as we can. Hopefully we will provide you, the new comer to this family with additional information about each doctor that you may not know, and hopefully we will also learn of the many new doctors out there that have provided excellent care, hope, and skill to this understaffed nightmare.

So with much gratitude, respect, and love we honor Dr. Robert Cameron at UCLA as our first doctor. Besides for giving my family so much support and extended time with John, our hero we so appreciate his care and devotion, he showed and continues to show our family.

As you have or will find, most doctors ask, why is the surgeon still involved?
We found that Dr. Cameron, followed us through every step he guided us as to what our next step was, and offered more hope than we could have imagined. His compassion to help meso patients and their families is so overwhelming, that when you meet him you find the man behind the title is a caring gentle sole.

Dr. Robert Cameron has been at the forefront of developing innovative therapies to extend the lives of hundreds of mesothelioma patientsfor over a decade. His “less is more” philosophy guides his treatment approach while his resolve and compassion leads him to continue treating patients long after surgery.

Technique

A tedious surgery known as a pleurectomy with decortication can save the lungs of mesothelioma patients. For eight hours, Dr. Cameron slowly peels tumor from the lung, diaphragm, and if necessary, pericardium, using mostly his fingers. He performs this longer, technically more involved surgery and is less compensated for the work financially than surgeons who sacrifice the lung in an extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Why?
Because he strongly believes this is the best option for mesothelioma patients. Because less is more in this case, because the lung is usually healthy, because people live better with both lungs, because no clinic trial has proven that removing the lung gives more life, and because it leaves doors open to seek further aggressive treatment when necessary.

Resolve
As Director of the Mesothelioma Program at the University of California at Los Angeles, Dr. Cameron advises patients on more than their surgical options, he continues to guide treatment for the rest of their lives. He developed a protocol for patients to successfully undergo radiation when their lung remains. He discusses the best chemotherapy protocols with oncologists and always tailors treatment to the individual. Most importantly, he recognizes the need to understand the mechanisms of mesothelioma so that treatment for the disease can improve. Dr. Cameron’s approach to commute mesothelioma from a fatal disease to a disease that can be maintained much like high blood pressure or diabetes has had promising results. No cure yet exists for any of these diseases, but continued research provides more options for patients. So when Dr. Cameron is not operating, he works in the laboratory to develop treatment such as interferon-alpha, a natural immune enhancement that helps prevent future recurrences. The John McNamara Foundation along with The Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute is honored to support Dr. Cameron’s research aimed at developing more options and better treatment. His dedication is what ultimately provides hope for current patients and the generations of patients to come.

If you have any questions about Dr. Cameron, please contact Jessica Like at:

Pacific Heart Lung and Blood Institute
11818 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310)622-4960
e-mail: jlike@phlbi.org or just check out there website at www.phlbi.org