Joanne Wade

I’m a Practice Group Leader at Slater and Gordon, and my clients are everyday people who have worked hard all their lives and deserve justice.

I specialise in asbestos and dust diseases claims, and since I began practising law in 1996 I have acted for hundreds of people suffering from:

• Mesothelioma
• Silicosis
• Silicosis related auto-immune diseases
• Lung cancer
• Asbestosis
• Asbestos-related pleural disease
• Progressive Massive Fibrosis

I work closely with my clients and their families during what is a very stressful time. My goal is to take the stress out of dealing with the legal system so they can move forward together.

My clients are generally people who have worked hard all their lives, and are lovely people who deserve justice. I am glad to fight for that justice and to make a difference to their lives.

When I meet someone suffering from an asbestos-related disease I want to hear their story—every story is different and important. It’s important to me to look after these cases and see people get justice for themselves and the families they will leave behind.

One of my proudest achievements was acting for an employee of BHP Billiton Limited in the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales. My client suffered from malignant pleural mesothelioma and, in a landmark decision, the court awarded him the highest amount for damages for pain and suffering in New South Wales.