"When is the right time to hire an Illinois workers' compensation lawyer"
"When is the right time to hire an Illinois workers' compensation lawyer?" We got this very good question from a recent caller who was in a car accident about one year ago on the job.
The answer is the right time depends on the facts of your case, but since you pay the same amount for a lawyer no matter when you hire them, there is no reason to do it later rather than sooner.
In this case, the client was hit by a police car and also may have a case against that driver. The time limits to sue a Government employee are usually one year and some times even six months. This caller got to us just in time.
His case is not contested right now, but it would have been helpful if we could have interviewed any witnesses when the accident happened. We also could have provided help with getting his initial bills paid as that was trouble for him.
The biggest reason to hire an attorney right away is to have your case formally on file with the State. That prevents the insurance company from arguing that you didn't notify anyone in time about your injury and also gets your case assigned to an Arbitrator. That means that if your benefits are improperly terminated or denied, you will be able to get a hearing much quicker because you will already be assigned to a Judge, your attorney will be (should be) prepared with all of the relevant information about your claim and it allows your lawyer to schedule depositions in a faster fashion.
Often hiring a lawyer is really just like a security blanket at first in case something goes wrong.
As a FYI, a lot of people that call us are worried about their jobs. Not to say that someone hasn't ever been fired for having a work injury in Illinois, but if they are going to fire you, we think the chances are less if you are in fact represented. Also please know that we almost never deal directly with the employer, but rather deal with the insurance company as we don't want to make waves that could hurt your career.
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.
