One of the guiding principles of my law firm and this blog, as well as any call I have with an injured worker, is to remember that you can’t be expected to be knowledgeable about Illinois work injuries. For most people I talk to, they have very minimal, if any, experience with the Illinois Workers’ … Continue Reading
Because we are experienced Illinois workers compensation lawyers and because we have a state wide network of great attorneys, people come to us for all sorts of questions. One of the big ones isn’t just, “Who should I hire?” but also, “Should I get a work comp attorney at all?” The God’s honest truth is … Continue Reading
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission publishes a 25 page handbook. It’s a general guide that helps employees understand their rights if they get hurt at work. It has 11 sections, much of which is great information. Some of it is confusing and I’ve seen it cause some injured workers to make bad decisions. For today, … Continue Reading
I got a call the other day from a really funny injured worker who was hesitant to get a lawyer involved. I asked him why he called after having been dealing with it on his own for the prior months, and he said: “Travelers Insurance is driving me crazy!” I laughed out loud. He had … Continue Reading
I recently had a call with a Walmart worker in Illinois who told a nightmare story about their work injury. Sadly it’s a story we hear a lot with so many companies. Long story short is they had a knee injury a while back and couldn’t get in to see a doctor who could do … Continue Reading
One really disgusting truth about Illinois workers’ compensation law is that employers and insurance companies often try to take advantage of injured workers who may be less educated or originally from another country. This is especially true with injuries to housekeepers, maids and other cleaning workers in hotels and motels. These workers bust their butts. … Continue Reading
Can your Illinois work comp benefits get cut off or terminated for missing a doctor's appointment or physical therapy session? How do you get your benefits back if that happens?… Continue Reading
If you live in the northern part of Illinois, chances are you get your electricity through Commonwealth Edison, or ComEd for short. ComEd is the state’s largest electric utility. The company employs a significant number of people and is responsible for their safety while at work. There are inherent risks when working for an electric … Continue Reading
Illinois work comp law when the insurance company wants to send you for a second IME. Advice on if you should go and what it means when they do that.… Continue Reading
If you live in or near Chicago, you have probably used the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to get around. Their trains and buses take hundreds of thousands of people all over not just the City, but 35 suburbs as well. We have helped hundreds of injured CTA workers over the last 27 years and as … Continue Reading
Illinois workers’ compensation benefits are available to every injured worker from the moment they start on a job. Pretty much every employee is treated the same way on these cases. There are some exceptions such as firefighters and cops in Chicago having their own system. Another one has to do with traveling employees. Traveling employees … Continue Reading
Should you expect a settlement if you were hurt on the job in Illinois? Yes in most cases, but there's a catch to that. Almost every case is worth something, many are worth a lot.… Continue Reading
Marijuana is legal in Illinois, but that doesn’t mean your employer can’t drug test you and fire you for testing positive for marijuana or other drugs. Since it was made legal in Illinois, the number of recreational users has of course gone up. One side effect from that is about once a month someone calls … Continue Reading
Advice on major Illinois work injuries like TBI, fusion surgery and what you need to do to make the case have the best outcome as possible. Free consultation with a top work injury attorney.… Continue Reading
It appears that the Chicago Bears have finally found a quarterback and the team may actually be good. Check back in a month on that prediction of course. After the convincing 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, most people were in a celebratory mood. We’ve waited a while to have a good team. … Continue Reading
A caller to my office wanted to switch lawyers because her attorney yelled at her and called her dumb. That was in response to her asking about getting pain and suffering for her work related injury. She shattered her arm, had a very invasive surgery and has gone through a lot of pain for sure. … Continue Reading
This is a version of a blog post I write every year around this time. I do it because it’s really important. I’m a big believer that Illinois workers should maximize the benefits they get out of a workers compensation claim. This includes getting the biggest possible settlement for your case. One big caveat. This … Continue Reading
While I always encourage people to stay with their Illinois work comp attorney when it makes sense to, sometimes I talk to an injured worker who clearly has a terrible lawyer and they waffle about switching. It’s like Stockholm Syndrome where the kidnap victim becomes sympathetic to their prisoner. These are things I’ve heard from … Continue Reading
Here’s a really common fact pattern under Illinois workers’ compensation law. The names of the workers and the employer might change and the injuries might be different, but the way it plays out happens all the time. A worker gets hurt on the job. They report it to their employer and go to the doctor. … Continue Reading
A friend of mine who I consider to be an outstanding Illinois workers’ compensation attorney told me about a case he turned down. The potential client was seriously injured to the point where he’d already had two surgeries before he even called a lawyer. Even if he makes a great recovery and returns to work, … Continue Reading
When you have a repetitive use injury from your job activities, sometimes it’s obvious the cause and other times it’s not so clear. You aren’t a doctor and aren’t expected to be able to diagnose an injury or the cause of it. Your job is to work and seek medical treatment if you are in … Continue Reading
In my 27 years of being an Illinois attorney, I feel at times like I’ve heard it all. But then people come at me with questions I’ve never heard before or thought to discuss and it’s actually exciting in a way. A great example of that is a caller who recently called me about his … Continue Reading
How case expenses work in Illinois workers compensation claims. What to know about the attorney representation agreement and your obligations under that contract.… Continue Reading
How to win an Illinois workers compensation claim if no specific event causes your injury. Advice on getting a causal connection opinion and winning a case.… Continue Reading
One of the guiding principles of my law firm and this blog, as well as any call I have with an injured worker, is to remember that you can’t be expected to be knowledgeable about Illinois work injuries. For most people I talk to, they have very minimal, if any, experience with the Illinois Workers’ … Continue Reading
