Illinois work comp, "don't want the lawyer to take it all."
We met someone the other day, not a potential client, but just someone we met at a social gathering. In the conversation they learned about my practice and said that their husband had a previous work injury, but didn't hire a lawyer because after thinking about it they decided that they "don't want the lawyer to take it all."
I'm not sure where this type of thinking comes from. Under Illinois law, attorney fees for work injuries are limited to 20% of what is recovered for the settlement or trial verdict. There are minor exceptions to this rule, but it applies in 99% of the cases.
This is true whether you hire one law firm or switch firms five times (don't do that); lawyer fees can never exceed 20% total. If you settle for $50,000.00, the lawyer gets $10,000. If you lose the case they get nothing.
I don't like to talk about personal business in a social setting so I don't know what this man got for his settlement. I do know that she said he wasn't happy with it. Whatever the case, I've never seen a time where someone did better in the end without a lawyer than they would with. And no matter what happens, there is no way you will hire an Illinois work injury attorney and feel like they "took it all."
We are workers' compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
