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Phoenix, Arizona 

By Appointment Only 

Practice Limited to Federal Law

Practice Areas

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestos
• Veteran Representation

When a family faces a mesothelioma diagnosis, the lawyer they choose can matter as much as almost any decision ahead of them. These cases turn on facts 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 years ago. Handling that work takes both the technical grounding to see how an exposure happened and the courtroom experience to hold the responsible companies accountable. Michael Throneberry has built his career around that exact combination.

We are Throneberry Law Group, and Michael leads every case the firm takes on. He came to asbestos law after losing his own father-in-law to mesothelioma, and that loss reshaped his practice. We help mesothelioma and asbestos victims and their families across Arizona and the country pursue the compensation they are owed, and Michael stays personally involved from the first phone call through the final negotiation.

An Engineer's Path to Asbestos Law

Before he ever stood 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 completed a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at Marshall University. He then earned his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

That background is more than a line on a resume. Knowing how asbestos was built into boilers, pipes, gaskets, and insulation, and how the fibers were released during everyday 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. Our list of Arizona sites with known asbestos exposure shows the kinds of workplaces that come up again and again.

Two Decades Focused on Asbestos Cases

Michael began his legal career at a large St. Louis firm, handling commercial litigation for individuals, small businesses, and large 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 record of results in asbestos and mesothelioma claims, and on nominations from current members. Michael's colleagues did not just admit him. They elected him President of the association for 2025 and 2026.

Michael handles a focused set of claims, which can include:

• Product lawsuits: cases against the manufacturers that made or sold the asbestos products behind an exposure, the core of any Arizona mesothelioma lawsuit
• Trust fund claims: filings against the funds that bankrupt asbestos companies were ordered to set up
• Wrongful death cases: claims brought by families who have lost a loved one to mesothelioma
• Veterans' matters: civil claims that run alongside VA benefits for service members exposed during their service

Day to day, he directs discovery, prepares clients for their depositions, and leads the negotiations himself instead of handing those tasks to staff.

A Personal Reason to Take On This Fight

Michael's move into asbestos law was not a business decision. 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 is the reason the firm keeps its caseload personal and its communication plain, and it is why Michael answers to clients himself. It also shapes how he measures a good result. The goal is not just to file a case and move on, but to give each family a clear path and a recovery that reflects the full harm they have suffered. There is a deadline to file in Arizona, so it helps to reach out early.

How We Help Arizona Families

We take cases 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 cost up front and no fee unless we recover for you. You can review the firm's case results to see the kind of outcomes this work has produced.

Education

• J.D., Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri, 2000
• M.S., Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, 1997, Environmental Engineering
• B.S., Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1994, Civil Engineering

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

• Illinois, 2000
• Missouri, 2001
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, 2001

Honors and Awards

• President, National Trial Lawyers Asbestos & Mesothelioma Bar (Top 10 Asbestos/Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers Association), 2025 and 2026
• Super Lawyers, 2025 and 2026
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2003
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2003
• Top 10 Asbestos/Mesothelioma Trial Lawyer, Asbestos Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers Association
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers
• Lifetime Charter Member, Rue Ratings' Best Attorneys in America
• Lifetime Achievement Member, America's Top 100 Attorneys

Talk With Arizona Mesothelioma Attorney Michael Throneberry at Throneberry Law Group

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.