When a family is hit with a mesothelioma diagnosis, the lawyer they choose matters as much as almost any decision ahead of them. These cases turn on details that are decades old, on work histories that have to be rebuilt one job at a time, and on the specific asbestos products that passed through a person’s hands long ago. The attorney handling that work needs both the technical grounding to understand how an exposure happened and the courtroom experience to hold the responsible companies accountable. Michael Throneberry built his career around exactly that combination.
We are Throneberry Law Group, and Michael leads every case the firm accepts. He came to asbestos law after losing his own father-in-law to mesothelioma, and that loss reshaped his practice and his priorities. You can get a fuller picture of our firm and how it works, but the short version is this. We help mesothelioma victims and their families across the country pursue the compensation they are owed, and Michael stays personally involved from the first conversation through the final negotiation.
Before he ever set foot in a courtroom, Michael trained as an engineer. He earned a civil engineering degree from Purdue University, served with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and went on to complete a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at Marshall University. He then earned his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
That technical background is not just a line on a resume. Reading how asbestos was built into boilers, pipes, gaskets, and insulation, and understanding how fibers were released during occupational work, sits at the center of proving a mesothelioma claim. Michael’s engineering training lets him trace a diagnosis back through an industrial setting and connect it to the products and companies responsible, which is often where these cases are won or lost.
Michael began his legal career at a large St. Louis firm, handling commercial litigation for individuals, small businesses, and multinational companies. Since 2003 he has handled asbestos cases and nothing else. He served as a trial team leader at a nationally recognized plaintiff’s asbestos firm, where he worked on cases for hundreds of clients that produced hundreds of millions of dollars in recovery.
His peers recognized that focus in a concrete way. The National Trial Lawyers Asbestos and Mesothelioma Bar, known as the Top 10 Asbestos/Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers Association, is an invitation-only group limited to the ten leading asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys in each state or region. A lawyer earns a place based on reputation among peers, the judiciary, and the public, on a track record of results in asbestos and mesothelioma claims, and on nominations from current members and the group’s executive committee. Michael’s colleagues did not just admit him, they elected him President of the association for 2025 and 2026. Day to day, he directs discovery, prepares clients for their depositions, and leads the negotiations himself rather than handing those tasks to staff.
Clients work with Michael on a focused set of claims, which can include the following:
Each client’s plan is built around their own work history and goals, not a standard template that treats every case the same way.
Michael’s move into asbestos law was not a business calculation. After his father-in-law died of mesothelioma, he saw up close what the disease does to a family and how much the legal side can either ease or add to that weight. That experience is the reason the firm keeps its caseload personal and its communication direct, and it is why Michael answers to clients himself.
It also shapes how he measures a good outcome. The goal is not simply to file a mesothelioma lawsuit and move on, but to give each family a clear path and a result that reflects the full harm they have suffered.
We take cases across the country from offices in Phoenix, Kansas City, and Chicago, and we travel to clients wherever they are. If a diagnosis has made travel hard, we meet people at home or in the hospital. We also serve Spanish-speaking families, so language is never a barrier to strong representation.
Every case is handled on a contingency basis, which means no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover for you. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,669 new mesothelioma cases were reported in the United States in 2022, and most trace back to asbestos exposure. You can review the firm’s track record on our case results page, and see how the broader mesothelioma legal process works before you ever commit to anything.
A mesothelioma diagnosis leaves families with enough to carry, and the legal side should lighten that load rather than add to it. When you work with our firm, Michael personally reviews your history, explains what your case may be worth, and lays out the strongest path forward, drawing on an engineer’s eye, two decades of asbestos trial work, and a loss he has lived through in his own family.
There is never a fee unless we win, and your first conversation is always free. When you are ready to talk, reach Michael and our team through our online contact form.
Get the Help You Deserve
To schedule your initial consultation, please fill out the form or call 888.506.1131
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Get the Help You Deserve
To schedule your initial consultation, please fill out the form or call 888.506.1131
"*" indicates required fields
