Practice Areas

Harrell & Nowak handles cases that need experience trial lawyers that involve serious injuries, important business claims, medical errors, medical malpractice, and toxic exposures – any personal injury or business claim where someone or some company has acted improperly or irresponsibly. Our lawyers have also successfully prosecuted insurance disputes, environmental cases, and mesothelioma cases in relation to asbestos exposure.

Vehicle Accidents

Each year, thousands of Americans are injured in motor vehicle accidents. These motor vehicle accidents can cause serious spinal cord, traumatic brain, and other types of personal injury. The auto and car accident attorneys at Harrell & Nowak have helped many victims in New Orleans, Kenner, Metairie, and throughout Louisiana obtain financial compensation for their injuries. Our car and auto accident lawyers will work to ensure that your rights are protected and that your financial needs are met if you’ve been injured in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident case.

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Personal Injury

While car accidents lead to many hospital visits each year, statistics show that for over 20 years falls have been the leading cause of unintentional-injury related emergency room visits. Each year, thousands of Americans are severely injured for falls on property that could or should have been maintained properly. Falls and other premise injuries can cause broken bones, serious knee injuries and hip injuries, horrific spinal cord and brain injuries. Personal injuries happen all the time simply because some else was careless in what they did or how they acted. And many of these personal injuries could have been prevented by the wrongdoer simply taking reasonable and common sense steps. The personal injury attorneys at Harrell & Nowak have helped many victims in New Orleans, Kenner, Metairie, and throughout Louisiana obtain financial compensation for their injuries. Our accident lawyers will work to ensure that your rights are protected and that you receive a fair recovery if your injury has been caused by some else not being responsible.

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Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice occurs when a patient is harmed because of a negligent act or omission by a doctor or other medical professional. Negligence by a medical professional may include errors in diagnosis, treatment, or illness management. According to a recent report by HealthGrades, medical errors in hospitals harm up to one in 25 patients admitted to the hospital. This number would be even higher if researchers at HealthGrades factored in mistakes at nursing homes, outpatient settings and doctors’ offices. As Dr. Samantha Collier, vice president of medical affairs at HealthGrades puts it, “the equivalent of 390 jumbo jets full of people are dying each year due to likely preventable, in-hospital medical errors, making this one of the leading killers in the United States.” Our New Orleans medical malpractice attorneys are dedicated to ensuring that victims receive the compensation they deserve.

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Mesothelioma and Cancer

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The disease develops in the tissue that covers the internal organs, called the mesothelium. In a landmark 1972 case, an asbestos manufacturer was found to have withheld knowledge of the harmful asbestos side effects. Since then, many individuals and their families have filed successful mesothelioma lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers, securing compensation for the immense physical and emotional devastation that can result from a mesothelioma prognosis and other asbestos-related diseases. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with this deadly and aggressive disease, a Louisiana mesothelioma lawyer with Harrell & Nowak, serving New Orleans and surrounding communities, can help you secure the compensation you deserve. Contact an asbestos exposure attorney with Harrell & Nowak today to learn how you and your loved ones can receive maximum compensation in the wake of a mesothelioma diagnosis.

History and Applications

During much of the 19th and 20th centuries, a variety of asbestos in construction and industrial applications was used due to its heat resistance and durability. The carcinogenic properties of asbestos were discovered in the 1960s, yet it remained a commonly used material throughout the 1990s. As a result, construction workers, iron workers, shipyard workers, miners, and many other professionals continued to be exposed to its harmful effects.

Who Is at Risk?

Mesothelioma cancer most commonly develops as a result of on-the-job asbestos exposure. The history of asbestos use in construction and industry is well-known, but other professions carried a significant risk of asbestos exposure as well. For instance, nearly one-third of all mesothelioma victims are United States Navy veterans who served between the early 1930s and late 1970s. Many teachers with a mesothelioma diagnosis developed the disease as a result of exposure in buildings with damaged asbestos reinforcement and cork board that contained asbestos. Many mechanics were exposed to asbestos used in certain brands of brake pads manufactured through the late 1990s. Sadly, many of these workers’ families were exposed to asbestos through the workers’ clothes. The worker would wear his work clothes home unknowingly carrying the dangerous asbestos fibers home. When wives and children washed and dried the clothes they could be exposed in large enough quantities to cause mesotheolia. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, there is a chance that you were exposed to asbestos at work or at home, even if you were not working in a construction or manufacturing environment. Occupations that carry a risk of asbestos exposure include:

  • Longshoremen
  • Firefighters
  • Oil refinery workers
  • Sheet metal workers
  • Painters
  • Electricians
  • Demolition workers
  • Janitors
  • Telephone repair workers
  • Welders
  • Railroad workers
  • Plumbers

Our Louisiana Mesothelioma Attorneys Are Here to Help

There is no known cure for mesothelioma. The disease develops at a very gradual rate, and the prognosis for mesothelioma is grim: sufferers are often given a projected six to eighteen months to live. Needless to say, the repercussions of a mesothelioma diagnosis are devastating and far-reaching. We firmly believe that mesothelioma victims and their loved ones deserve the greatest possible compensation to cope with the effects of asbestos exposure.

Our New Orleans mesothelioma attorneys can help you to accomplish this objective by building a powerful case on your behalf. We will discuss your history of asbestos exposure, as well as your mesothelioma diagnosis, in great detail. Bring all documentation, including medical records, pay stubs, and other work records, to your consultation. This process will help us to determine who is responsible for your asbestos exposure, and to create a case that will clearly substantiate that responsibility in court.

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Premises Liability

If you are injured while on property that belongs to someone else, the property owner can be held responsible if the accident was caused by his own negligence. Property owners have a legal responsibility to ensure that their premises are safe for guests, customers, clients, employees, and other visitors. Under premises liability law, victims can seek compensation for their hospital bills, lost wages, and other expenses. A personal injury accident attorney at our New Orleans practice can guide you through every step of the judicial process.

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Environmental Hazards

Companies and landowners in Louisiana sometimes violate federal, state and local environmental laws that regulate the discharge of toxic wastes and other pollutants into the environment. Sometimes  the company or person in charge decides that it’s cheaper to pollute than to prevent toxic and chemical exposure to innocent people. Having spent years litigating against these bad actors and negligent parties, the environmental attorneys of Harrell & Nowak can be your environmental hazards lawyer in New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, and other areas throughout Louisiana.

Dangerous Pollutants Identified by the EPA

Air pollution and cancer have a serious link. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified 188 separate toxic air pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects. In addition to toxic chemicals released into the air, there are harmful chemicals that companies illegally release into the water or soil.

The EPA works with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to safeguard the environment, but it cannot always police the hundreds of illegal chemical releases that occur annually. Exposure to toxic chemicals can cause respiratory illness and injury, neurological disorders and many forms of cancer. If you have fallen ill because of toxic chemical exposure, contact the lawyers at our New Orleans firm, also serving Metairie, Kenner, and nearby communities.

Legal Representation in Toxic and Chemical Exposure Cases

Harrell & Nowak represents people who have been injured by the pollution and release of toxic chemicals in the air, soil, and water. These releases can be from explosions, leaks, spills, or fires. Eric Nowak and Shirin Harrell have been appointed by the Court as class counsel in a large environmental class action case in Orleans Parish involving the release of a toxic chemical.

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Insurance, Investment, and Business Disputes

Over ten years ago, Shirin Harrell and Eric Nowak saw a need in Louisiana – that Louisiana families and businesses needed top-notch attorneys to represent them at court. But most people and local businesses do not a lawyer on hand, especially one to handle an important lawsuit. So Shirin and Eric founded the firm with one goal — to give local families and businesses great representation when they need it most. They proudly call themselves Louisiana trial lawyers. Day in and day out, they represent families and local businesses in courthouses throughout Louisiana.

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