When you hire a lawyer in Illinois for a work injury case, the goal should be to work with that lawyer from the beginning of the case until the end. You expect they will do their best for you which includes: communicating with you, explaining your options, making legal maneuvers to secure your benefits, and generally giving you a sense that they are fighting for you and on your side.
Sadly, this is not always the case. Some firms don’t return phone calls, don’t do anything to solve legal problems, yell at their clients, constantly change the attorney who is in charge of your case, don’t answer legal questions, and generally make you feel like they don’t have your back.
Under Illinois workers compensation law, you are allowed to switch law firms and it doesn’t cost you a penny to do so. The total amount of lawyer fees you pay will not ever exceed 20% whether you have one firm or switch firms. And you don’t have to pay the first firm any money if you fire them. Many firms will lie and say that you have to pay them when you fire them and that’s simply not true.
What I encourage anyone to do if they feel bad about their representation is seek out a second opinion and then make an educated decision before switching. You don’t have to switch, but if you do, you want to make sure it’s done right.
Sometimes you will talk to a new lawyer and they can explain that while your attorney is a poor communicator, it appears that they are doing everything correctly. Other times you might just want someone to confirm things look like they are going in the right direction. In some cases, you might learn you have a crappy lawyer from getting a second opinion, but discover it’s too late because of the age of the case or a significant settlement offer having been made.
And sometimes of course you confirm that you are getting terrible representation and can discuss having a new firm take over the case.
We are always happy to give a free, confidential second opinion phone call with you to discuss your claim. We won’t tell your current lawyer about the call and would give an honest assessment based on the information we have available. I’d say half the time we get these calls we either discover the attorney is doing a great job or it’s too late and the other half we talk with the injured worker about getting them new and better representation.
Whatever your situation, if you want a second opinion about any Illinois workers compensation case, you can call us any time at 312-346-5578. We promise to be direct and honest and to do what we can to help you make the right decision.
