An injured worker called our office after a serious injury to her neck. She was freaking out a bit because her employer hadn’t turned in the accident to their insurance carrier. She was also worried because the employer doesn’t offer short or long term disability (“STD”, “LTD”) and she doesn’t have medical insurance. So basically … Continue Reading
I don’t want to paint a picture that everything Illinois work comp adjusters say isn’t true. I do, however, want you to realize that their goals aren’t the same as yours and it’s their job to try and not pay money on your case. So you should be wary of them even when they seem … Continue Reading
One thing that happens from handling workers comp cases for 23 years is that you learn medical terms and injuries you had never heard of. Some you start to hear about once you learn they exist. I never thought of the ulnar nerve until I became a lawyer and now I hear about ulnar injuries … Continue Reading
Back in 2015 the idea of the Cubs winning the World Series was a pipe dream. It was unimaginable that a global health pandemic could exist. And nobody thought that marijuana would be legal in Illinois. Yet here we are. Now that we are six months in to the new marijuana laws in IL, it’s … Continue Reading
I feel that usually when someone calls with a question and gets an honest answer from us, they leave satisfied. They might not like what we have to say, but usually appreciate that we told them the truth and explained what our legal opinion is and did it all for free. We do that for … Continue Reading
When you are injured on the job in Illinois and need ongoing medical care, you aren’t expected to wrap yourself in bubble wrap and live the life of a hermit until you all better. You live your life within your medical restrictions. If you have a knee injury you don’t play flag football. But you … Continue Reading
We are unique lawyers in that we talk in plain English and don’t tell you what you want to hear, but instead tell you what you need to hear. If you want a free consultation call us any time at 312-346-5578. We cover all of Illinois. A concerned mother called me for her son. He … Continue Reading
When decisions are made based around money versus what’s best and safest for a worker, it’s more likely that worker will get injured. I see this principle in play a lot when it comes to injured Illinois workers who have been given job restrictions by their doctor. Employers and insurance companies don’t want to continue … Continue Reading
If you follow the news, and lord knows I wish I did a little less than I do, you’ve heard the term Covid waiver. The President had a rally in Tulsa and required people to waive their right to sue if they got Covid 19 from attending. Ohio State is making their athletes sign a … Continue Reading
Most Illinois workers’ compensation cases don’t go to trial. They usually settle well before that is a possibility and in some cases they settle right before the case is going to go to hearing. While this is usual for 90%+ of cases, some do go to arbitration. That happens because there is a real disagreement … Continue Reading
Over the 23 years I’ve been a workers comp attorney in Chicago, I’ve heard some crazy stories of people getting injured on the job. One person fell on a wet bathroom floor thanks to a co-worker who had clogged the toilet and kept flushing it to make their mistake go away. Another was making a … Continue Reading
I talk all of the time about how Illinois workers compensation laws change constantly. Nothing can demonstrate that better than the fact that Coronavirus cases didn’t even exist until a few months ago. Now they are the most common call we get. With our partners throughout the State, we have been filing cases for COVID … Continue Reading
There is more going on in the news right now than any time I can remember in my life. Because of this, some news can slip through the cracks or not get discussed enough. One such issue is that Hertz filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 22nd. This is a work comp blog so … Continue Reading
One strange twist in Illinois workers’ compensation law right now is that marijuana is legal, but you still get drug tested for it if you are hurt on the job. And if you test positive, not only could your claim be denied (although in most cases we can still win for you), you could also … Continue Reading
Over the last few weeks I’ve had some injured Illinois workers ask similar questions about being released back to work. “How do I tell my doctor I’m not ready to go back to work?” asked one of them. “Can my doctor make me return to work if I don’t feel ready?” asked another. First off, … Continue Reading
The majority of cases we get involved with are fairly straightforward. Someone hurts their back lifting a patient or a box, or they get carpal tunnel from typing too much. or they have their foot run over by a forklift. Something along those lines is pretty common. They doesn’t mean the case is a good … Continue Reading
A very nice, very panicked injured worker called me the other day. He had hurt his back on the job and a couple of days later got furloughed due to Coronavirus. He was having trouble getting in to see a doctor and then received word that his company was going out of business because of … Continue Reading
We are experienced Chicago work comp attorneys who talk and act like normal human beings. We help with cases everywhere in Illinois. Call or email for a free consultation with an attorney any time. Every couple of months we do a post that answers some questions that we don’t want to make in to a … Continue Reading
The number of people who have died from Coronavirus is staggering. We have passed 90,000 total deaths including more than 4,000 in Illinois. Some of these people who have died were elderly and had pre-existing conditions. Others were younger and healthy before they got sick. Whether you pass away or simply get infected, if you … Continue Reading
When people call us looking for a new Illinois work comp attorney for their case, we want to know why they aren’t happy with their lawyer. While it costs you nothing to switch lawyers, we want to make sure that we can do a better job than your current attorney if we are going to … Continue Reading
I try not to write too overly lawyerly on here, but some things are legal issues that have no plain English explanation. So bear with me on this one. When you are hurt on the job in Illinois, you have to prove that your injury arose out of, and in the course of, your employment. … Continue Reading
One of the first things every employee in Illinois should know about workers’ compensation law is that it’s a no fault law. If you want to sue a doctor you have to prove the doctor was negligent. But to claim work comp benefits you don’t need to show anyone was negligent and you can still … Continue Reading
Some of the ways insurance companies try to defraud you are in plain sight. They tell you your case is under investigation when it’s really not. They send a nurse to talk to your doctor when it’s against the law. These are things that shouldn’t happen under Illinois work comp law, but they do. Whatever … Continue Reading
Some Illinois work comp legal terms make total sense and need no explanation. Others for whatever reason are very confusing and if you’ve never been involved in a work injury case before they seem like a foreign language. One such term that comes to mind right away is “man as a whole.” When you settle … Continue Reading
An injured worker called our office after a serious injury to her neck. She was freaking out a bit because her employer hadn’t turned in the accident to their insurance carrier. She was also worried because the employer doesn’t offer short or long term disability (“STD”, “LTD”) and she doesn’t have medical insurance. So basically … Continue Reading
