Does your lawyer take every case that comes through the door?
No attorney can guarantee a client a result and there certainly is no such thing as the "best" lawyer for workers' compensation or any other area of law. The best workers compensation lawyer in Rockford isn't going to be right for you if you need a work injury attorney in Peoria.
Still though, there are characteristics that can increase your chances of success. If the attorney you are working with does workmans comp, but also DUI, divorce, bankruptcy, writes a few wills, etc., they are a jack of all trades lawyer. They might be able to succeed for you, but when you have one shot at a case your best bet is with a lawyer who does nothing other than represent someone who is hurt on the job in Illinois. When an attorney spreads themselves too thin they miss out on many developments, changes in the law or procedure as well as the opportunity to develop important relationships with Arbitrators, insurance adjusters and defense lawyers. If they are on trial for two weeks in a divorce it does nothing to help their work comp clients. Plain and simple, the right work injury attorneys for 99% of people are those who spend most if not all of their time on workers' compensation claims.
I thought of this point last week when the following memo was sent out by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission:
ATTENTION ALL CLERKS AND ATTORNEY’S
NEW STATUS CALL PROCEDURES
Please be advised that starting Monday, November 1st we are going to go back to the old 19B procedures. This means that 19B’s for that days call must be turned in no later than 12:15pm on the day of the call. They are to be placed in the box on the counter in the Arbitration Department marked 19B’s.
There will be no emails accepted for 19B’s.
19B’s can be dropped off on any day before the call but no later than 12:15 on the day of that call to make it on the listing. 19B’s will once again be posted to the internet immediately following that days call.
Now it's possible that a general practice lawyer would know of this change, but can you imagine if your benefits have been wrongly denied and you are expecting that you will get to go to trial, only to find out that the case is getting pushed back a couple of months because your law firm didn't know how to properly file a case? I'd be livid if I were you. That's at least two more months of no pay and many worries.
Mistakes happen all of the time. We do it. But missing something basic shouldn't happen. If you see that your attorney handles every case that comes through the door, don't be surprised when you have a bumpy ride.
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.
