So here’s an interesting story, at least as far as Illinois work comp law goes. This really nice guy called me after getting a back injury at work. He’s done EVERYTHING right. He reported the accident right away. He got medical treatment right away. He told the doctor he was hurt at work. He has … Continue Reading
Hearing loss cases are unique because we all are exposed to loud noises at various times of the day. If you live in Chicago it’s probably worse for you than if you live in a more rural area like Champaign or Belleville, but no matter where you are, there are likely cars honking, people yelling, … Continue Reading
A common call for us to get goes something like this: “I was injured at work in Chicago two years ago. I went to the ER and told them I was hurt at work. The other day I get a collection notice as it turns out my employer never paid the bill. I don’t work … Continue Reading
I recently had an online chat with a very seriously injured worker. He was upfront that he had a lawyer and wanted to know my opinion as to what his case was worth. I explained that I couldn’t answer it because I didn’t have a copy of his medical records or know about his job … Continue Reading
You’ve reached an Illinois work injury law firm who are happy to talk to you for free and in confidence about your case. You can fill out our contact form, start a chat or call us at 888-705-1766 to speak with an attorney. I had an online chat with someone recently who asked a good … Continue Reading
We are Illinois work comp attorneys for injured workers. Every few months we put together a list of questions we’ve received that aren’t worthy of a full blog post. In a twist, I thought I’d give a list of some questions we get, some of them often, that we can’t/won’t answer. I own a company … Continue Reading
Most of the injured Illinois workers we talk to want to work. They want the medical care they need, to get better and then get back to life as they know it. Insurance companies on the other hand, also want injured workers to work, but don’t always want them to get the medical care that … Continue Reading
We are Illinois workers compensation attorneys who will talk to you for free. Call us at 888-705-1766 or fill out our contact form and we’ll call you. I like direct people. I’m very blunt when people ask me questions. I’ll talk to anyone about an Illinois work injury, but the best calls are when people … Continue Reading
My last post was about an Illinois work comp attorney who did a terrible job in preparing their client for trial on a claim of injury from repetitive work. On the flip side, I read a case summary of an Illinois Department of Corrections supervisor whose attorney appears to have done a tremendous job in … Continue Reading
There are a lot of Illinois attorneys who say that they handle workers’ compensation cases. There are not as many who are actually trying cases all the time and going to the mat for their clients. If you take cases to trial, you won’t win them all. Quite often, attorneys will take cases with big … Continue Reading
If you are injured at work, your workers’ compensation doctor will have a very big impact on your workers’ compensation claim. Your doctor will greatly influence: What kind of treatment you should receive. How long you should be off of work. How your injury will affect you for years down the road. Now, remember that … Continue Reading
When it comes to Illinois workers’ compensation law, one thing we notice is that when you see a weird defense to cases going on, if you see it one case, you’ll see it on a lot of others. Essentially, insurance companies throw strategies against the wall and hope that it sticks. There is one defense … Continue Reading
It’s been a month for getting asked questions I’d never heard in 20 plus years of being an Illinois workers’ compensation attorney. The latest was from a nurse who got Covid working in a Chicago hospital. She unfortunately has a bad case and appears to have some long term heart damage. The twist, in this … Continue Reading
I’m in my 24th year of being a lawyer. One thing that makes me a huge lawyer nerd is that I get excited by new fact patterns or scenarios. It’s not as fun as helping someone, but it’s refreshing to know that you haven’t heard/seen it all. I thought of this on a recent call … Continue Reading
I really don’t like smug people who think they are better than others. The phrase “he’s qualified to flip burgers” pisses me off. It’s so elitist and truth be told, the best life training you can get is working in a restaurant where you have to deal with the general public on a regular basis. … Continue Reading
Under Illinois workers’ compensation law, you need to report your injury to your employer within 45 days of when you knew, or reasonably should have known, a work injury occurred. This is a very common sense law. I say that because if you are lifting a box and feel a tweak in your back, most … Continue Reading
It’s a felony under Illinois law not to have workers’ compensation insurance. A lot of employers try to be “smart” and look for ways around calling their employees actual employees. The most common “smart guy” thing to do is to call them independent contractors. They act as if they’ve come up with some genius way … Continue Reading
I love getting great questions from readers. One contacted me and was very to the point which I also appreciate. He right away asked, “How do you know when to change lawyers?” Couple of points first. 1. It costs nothing to change law firms. Attorney fees can never exceed 20% total. 2. While the ideal … Continue Reading
If you are injured on the job in Illinois, your employer has the right to send you for a drug test. It’s one of the biggest bullshit rights that employers and insurance companies have. I say that because what often happens, is a worker tests positive, gets their benefits denied, and then is forced into … Continue Reading
We are work injury lawyers in Chicago who will talk to you for free about any Illinois workers’ compensation case. You can call, fill out our form or as many people do, start a live chat to speak with an attorney. A recent chatter asked the following question: I work at a school and spend … Continue Reading
A while ago, I spoke to a great guy who has been a prison guard for quite some time in Illinois. He has multiple injuries that are clearly related to his job activities. He’s in tremendous pain every day and can barely pick up his grandchild anymore. Years ago some Illinois prison guards were given … Continue Reading
One of the biggest mistakes an attorney can make is to think that they’ve seen it all or heard it all. I’m heading in to my 24th year of practice and while I’ve heard most of it, I still hear crazy stories every week. And of course the law is constantly changing from court decisions. … Continue Reading
To qualify for a mental stress injury under Illnois workers’ compensation law, if you aren’t physically injured or touched too, you have to show that you experienced a severe and sudden emotional shock. Usually this means something happens to you like being robbed or something happens to a co-worker like seeing them get badly injured … Continue Reading
It’s 11-11. My wish would be that injured workers in Illinois don’t get jerked around when there is no good reason to deny or delay their benefits. Since I can’t wish that away, here are 11 tips for injured workers in Illinois that will hopefully help you. If you are drug tested after a work … Continue Reading
So here’s an interesting story, at least as far as Illinois work comp law goes. This really nice guy called me after getting a back injury at work. He’s done EVERYTHING right. He reported the accident right away. He got medical treatment right away. He told the doctor he was hurt at work. He has … Continue Reading
