Andrew S. Wainwright – Partner Attorney
Boston, Massachusetts Attorney
Well, it’s actually kind of interesting. I have never done anything else. I got out of college in 1985 and I had actually done some work with asbestos during summers. I built houses for a while and I moved to Boston and two days after I moved to Boston thinking I that I might want to go to law school I got a job as a paralegal here. About a year later I started law school at night, worked here full time while I went to law school at night, and when I became a lawyer in 1991 I stayed on and have never looked back.
Thornton Law Firm represents people primarily who have been wronged by companies or other entities to make sure that we are able to address the wrongs that have been done to them. That can be either individuals who have been affected by asbestos disease which is primarily what I do or even by governmental agencies like municipalities or pension funds that have been fleeced by banks or other entities. We have been at this for considerably longer than any other firm who does any sort of asbestos litigation. We are considerably larger. We have a great deal more resources and experience in handling these types of cases than anybody else around here.
Although that involves a certain amount of management making sure that all of our cases are looked after carefully and prepared to the best extent possible. What I really love to do and what I think I’m best at is getting to know the clients, spending time in their kitchen with them, talking with them, understanding how their case gets put together, doing the investigation, and overseeing the investigation of the different defendants, the different companies that we filed lawsuits against, and making sure that all the pieces to the puzzle are put together in the best way possible so that the client is best represented and get the best recovery that we can for them.
There is one case in particular that I can think off the top of my head, a gentleman that I represented who was exposed to asbestos both at the Fore River Shipyard, not far from here in Quincy, Massachusetts. as well as in various power plants all over the country. He gave several days of deposition testimony. We were able to get a very significant recovery for him. He was able to have a large house built, about eight or nine bedrooms. And his idea was to build a house that his family, his children, his grandchildren and I think he even had a couple of great grandchildren, would want to come and spend with him and his wife that made his life much easier and much more pleasurable for him.
Well, I’m one of these very lucky people that I have found something to do that I would be doing anyway. I am very gratified that I can represent people who have been harmed by other people’s greed or other companies greed and shortsightedness and that we’re able to help them out in a time that is very very difficult for them. That’s one of the real benefits that being in the law has given to me, that I can do that and go home and sleep well at night and feel really good about what I do.