Dean Omar Preserves the Dignity of Mesothelioma Victims
Mesothelioma is a deadly disease. But all too often, its victims are overlooked, undefended, and ignored. The law offices of Dean Omar Branham Shirley understand that blue-collar America needs somewhere to turn when employers have turned their backs on their sick and injured employees. The team’s primary focus at Dean Omar Branham Shirley is giving back to society and providing a voice for the voiceless. Those values come from the upbringing of partners such as Jessica Dean, who says she attributes much of her compassion and focus to her parents.
Jessica Dean Understands the Value of Family
When discussing her mom, Dean says: “I don’t think she sees socioeconomic background. I think she’s genuinely a unique human being.” She feels similarly about the values her father brought to her life, saying, “My dad is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. The older I get and realize his background and how much he went through, the fact that he is who he is, is a miracle.”
Dean and her seven siblings grew up in an economically-depressed area. While times were hard, the family always pulled together to make things work. She understands there was a difficulty, but she also sees how it shaped her into someone with empathy for others. About her childhood, she says, “I just think sometimes your hardest life lessons growing up become your greatest strengths.”
It wasn’t originally Dean’s plan to go to law school, but she was a good debater. Because of that, she was encouraged to pursue a career where she could use those skills. What better way to do that than to give a voice to the less fortunate, the overlooked, and the oppressed? Those are precisely the kinds of people who need Dean’s skills and the skills of her partners and team members at Dean Omar Branham Shirley.
Trey Branham Focuses on the Importance of Connection
One of those partners is Trey Branham, who shares Dean’s philosophy about caring for others. Branham says about what the law firm offers, “One of the things my mother has always said is that you can do well by doing good. And I think that as a firm, what we do for all of our clients is to take a system that is complicated, complex, and scary, at a time in their lives when they’re having the worst experiences of their lives, and guide them through that very scary process.”
Moving through a significant court case due to a mesothelioma diagnosis can be frightening. Working with Dean Omar Branham Shirley is one of the ways a mesothelioma victim can ease their mind. The security they receive from a trusted legal advocate on their side gives them more than just the chance at a fair and just settlement for the harm that’s come to themselves or their family.
According to Trey Branham, seeing clients like family is essential, as is seeing fellow attorneys and team members the same way. “I am crazy fortunate to work with partners that I also consider personal friends,” says Branham about his colleagues. “We all row in the same direction. We may not always agree, but the disagreements we have to make us better and stronger. And so getting a chance to work with those folks who are crazily talented in lots and lots of ways allows us to complement each other.”
That ability to complement one another is a significant area of value that the staff at Dean Omar brings to the table. With everyone working together, it’s much easier to give the very best to all the clients who come through the law firm’s doors. From the first contact by phone, online, or at the front desk, to the conclusion of a mesothelioma case, everyone at Dean Omar Branham Shirley is committed to making sure victims are appropriately represented.
The Pandemic Has Required Renewed Commitment
One of the most significant areas of recent struggle has been the pandemic, which Jessica Dean admits has been hard on her. Throughout the stress of it all, though, she has remained passionate about caring for others and helping them get the support they need. Now that in-person help is an option again, she says, “It has only been in the last two months that I’ve been able to see my clients again, as opposed to just talking to them by Zoom. That has been insanely helpful.”
She’s not the only one dealing with that sense of separation and loss caused by social distancing, work-from-home, and similar requirements. Mesothelioma victims were also seeing and feeling the separation. But they also experienced the ways they could still stay connected through support and care from a legal team who had their best interests at heart.
As clients start to meet with their attorneys in person and the team members of Dean Omar Branham Shirley return to their offices, the same focus on protecting and helping mesothelioma victims will continue. The goal has always been to make sure the underrepresented have their day in court and the undefended get the support and protection they deserve.
Many victims of mesothelioma have gotten sick at the hands of giant corporations. These victims and their families need legal advocates to help them and make sure what they have to say isn’t swept under the rug.