Workers compensation trials in Illinois
A caller the other day was freaked out because he thought his case was going to trial. At the last minute, his attorney called him and allegedly said that they were still going to trial, but the injured worker did not need to be there.
News flash, just as you can't have a baseball game without a pitcher, you can't have an Illinois workers' compensation arbitration (trial) without the injured worker present. It's simply not possible.
I'm guessing what happened is that the lawyer either wasn't honest or didn't communicate very well about what was really happening. Most likely the attorney was going to either try and have a settlement conference or was simply continuing the case as a courtesy to the defense lawyer.
Either way, I chuckle a bit when I get these calls because while I know of many great Illinois job injury law firms, so many of them are terrible at the customer service end of being an attorney. They are great with the case and things usually work out fine in the end, but they don't know how to speak with clients.
This caller was smart to investigate something that didn't make sense. I encouraged him to press his lawyer for a clarification and I believe things worked out between them. Remember, you are the client so if you aren't getting the answers you need or don't understand what you are being told, speak up! The lawyer should be direct and honest with you and you should be the same way with them.
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.
