Dear Craig:

. First of all, it is great to hear from you! I hope you are well.

. I put the following search into Google: “Attorneys representing veterans on Agent Orange claims.” There were half a dozen sponsored ads at the top of the search results. I fully concede that I am no longer in active practice-I’m restricting myself to alternative dispute resolution work-and I don’t know these firms or their attorneys personally or by repute. I do have two comments to make. First, basing a choice of counsel on an internet ad is not smart. But, if you see a firm that is interesting, you can go to Martindale.com, a legal directory that carries ratings based on polling of other attorneys and comments by clients. Also, lawyers in every state need a license to practice. In Pennsylvania, the state Department of State issues they license after the requirements of the state Supreme Court are satisfied. Our state Supreme Court has a Disciplinary Committee to whom complaints against lawyers are referred. You can check with the disciplinary committee of the state of any attorney in whom you are interested to check if there are claims against him or her.

. Second, don’t worry if the lawyer in whom you are interested is not in your state. Law firms that deal with national issues such as Agent Orange or other types of veteran disability generally have attorneys in all states to whom they refer cases. When that happens, the referring attorney retains an interest in the outcome of the case-the fee is normally split-which provides a reason for the referring attorney to monitor the work.

. I wish you the best of luck!

. Bob