Since 1997 we have been helping injured workers in Illinois get the best result possible for their case. We have a state wide network of attorneys and would love to help you. Please call us for a free consult at 888-705-1766.

One unique thing about Illinois workers’ compensation law is that unlike almost every other area of law, each county does not have their own court system. For work comp, multiple cities/counties have their cases heard at the same spot.

In other words, if you live in Freeport and get a traffic ticket, there is a court location there. But if you are injured on the job in Freeport, Rockford, Galena, Machesney Park, Roscoe or about 70 other cities, your case will be heard in Rockford. That is the only hearing location for those areas. The actual address is the Zeke Giorgi Center at 200 S. Wyman.

Another unique thing is that there are not hearings every day. By that I mean unless it’s a holiday, regular Judges are in court every day. For Illinois work comp cases in Rockford, there are three Arbitrators total and they each have hearings or trials usually only seven days out of the month.

Unlike regular Judges, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Arbitrators rotate. The three that are currently assigned to hear cases in Rockford are all former defense attorneys. They are knowledgeable and fair, but I find it a little surprising that Governor Pritzker has not been more aggressive in appointing more Arbitrators who have a background in protecting workers instead of the insurance company. Of course they do rotate and have terms that expire so this could change at any point.

For you as an injured workers it’s important to know that the Arbitrators might have a slight leaning toward favoring the defense. They are fair, but will likely be more open to the defense side than you’d like. To level the playing field, we think it’s important that you have a lawyer in your corner that:

  1. Is experienced and is regularly before these Arbitrators. Above all us, Arbitrators generally are favorable to attorneys they know.
  2. Regularly takes cases to trial and is very thorough. A lot of work comp firms just want to sign the case up. Some firms that advertise a lot are signing up hundreds of cases a month, but won’t always do the hard work to get your case ready for trial and get you the best result. Before signing with an attorney, ask them how many cases they’ve taken to trial in the last year and what the results were.
  3. Has a good reputation. An attorney can be a fighter for their clients without being an asshole. And a great reason to be that way is you never know when the defense attorney will be a Judge some day. In other words, you don’t want to lose your trial because your lawyer treated the Arbitrator terribly a long time ago.

Insurance companies of course know that these Arbitrators are defense attorneys so they will fight cases even when they shouldn’t.

Illinois work comp laws apply to every employer big or small. We have helped a lot of injured workers from companies like Swedish American Hospital (UW Health), the Rockford School District, Bergstrom, Amazon, Ford Motor in Belvidere and UPS. But even at smaller employers like a daycare or mechanic have to provide the same work comp benefits that these billion dollar organizations do.

Benefit wise each case is different, but you generally get:

  • 100% of your medical care for the injury paid. You do not need your own insurance. No co-pays and no out of pocket expenses.
  • 2/3 of your wages, tax free for your time off work. This is known as temporary total disability benefits or TTD. There is no time limit on how long this can last.
  • A settlement. This is not required, but a good attorney can get you one.

There is no up front cost to hire an attorney. As work injury lawyers, we handle the case for free until a settlement is made. At that point our fee is 20% of what the settlement is. If you don’t get a settlement, you owe nothing.

We have helped hundreds of injured workers with claims that are heard in Rockford and we would love to help you find the best Rockford workers comp attorney for your case. We promise to give you the same advice we would provide a family member or friend. Please reach out any time.