Recently we’ve had calls from two people who had bad cases that no lawyer wanted to take on. They both believed in their hearts that they had a great case no matter what all of the attorneys they had spoken to had told them.
Sometimes an attorney doesn’t want to take on a hard case. We’ve had lots of success over the years by getting involved in cases that other firms declined. Earlier this year, a downstate lawyer in our network settled a case for $400,000 that had been rejected by two firms. But if we tell you that you don’t have a good case, we’ll tell you why. Sometimes there is no real injury. Other times the case is not covered under the law such as getting in to a car accident on the way to work. Whatever the situation, we’ll tell you the truth.
These two recent callers had their own theory as to why nobody would take their case. The first one worked at a small daycare and told me that “Chicago workers comp attorneys only want to take on cases against big companies so they can get a big pay day.” The second one told me, “Every firm I’ve talked to is chicken to take on a big store like Walmart.”
So either we only want to go after the big guys or we are afraid of the big guys. Or the truth which is that in Illinois work comp, none of that matters. All of these cases are handled by insurance adjusters. While some corporations have a say in how the cases are defended, the reality is that if you hurt your back lifting a box at a mom and pop hardware store or if you hurt your back lifting at Home Depot, it’s essentially the exact same case.
Beyond that, we deal with the same defense attorneys and same Arbitrators on all of these claims. Nothing about the size of an employer changes anything. Size does not matter in any way.
The reality is that these two callers are just frustrated and that is understandable. They went from healthy to injured and nobody can help them out. I’d be frustrated too if I were them. All I can tell you though is that no attorney makes money by turning away cases. If we think you have a good case, we will gladly take it on no matter who you worked for. It’s not tough talk to say this, it’s just the reality of how these cases are handled.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys who 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.
