There is a general rule that you can’t sue your employer for negligence if you are injured on the job. That rule was what created the whole workers’ compensation system in Illinois way back when. As far as I know, that’s how it is in every state. The trade off is that you don’t have … Continue Reading
There are some things that lawyers do to benefit your case that require a brain or experience or the willingness to really grind. Those qualities are really important in a lawyer. In some cases though, the way to get the biggest settlement possible is to do something simple. So what should your work comp attorney … Continue Reading
Under Illinois workers’ compensation law, lawyer fees are set by state law and through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. In general, if you ask any lawyer what they charge, the answer will be 20%. A recent case of ours that is on the verge of being complete is going to settle for $300,000.00. If we … Continue Reading
We are lawyers with over 20 years of experience and cover all of Illinois. If you have any questions, call us for a free consult or fill out our contact form and we will call you right away. Your feet work tirelessly day in and day out and are often times one of the most … Continue Reading
Some Illinois work comp attorneys will say anything in order to get a client to hire them. There’s one that tells you the value of your case right away even though they are making it up and say outrageous numbers that will never happen. There is another who likes to talk about how they’ve never … Continue Reading
I checked the search terms that lead to clicks on my blog. The most popular search from the last month was something along the lines of “The IME says I can work, but I don’t feel I can.” It’s not surprising that people want to learn about how to handle that. We get a variation … Continue Reading
There’s a famous Illinois workers comp case where an employee from Illinois went to Hawaii on business. During that business trip they went on a bike ride through a volcano and were injured. Nothing about that bike ride was part of the job duties of this worker. It was purely a side trip and had … Continue Reading
Happy new year! I thought to start off the year I’d write down a lot of tips and legal advice for people who may have an Illinois workers’ compensation claim. In no particular order here are 99 things we think you should know: 1. Illinois work comp is a no fault law. You don’t have … Continue Reading
One of the biggest reasons insurance companies deny Illinois workers’ compensation claims is by saying that your problem is “pre-existing.” If you hurt your back ten years ago and haven’t been to a doctor in five years, they’ll still say your back problems aren’t from lifting heavy boxes all day at work. The bad news … Continue Reading
Every month or so I get the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law Bulletin. This is a must have publication for any Illinois work comp attorney. It provides an update on the law as well as noteworthy cases decided at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. In one of the recent publications it highlighted two cases where injured … Continue Reading
I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday. While nobody is in our office today, we return calls and answer emails right away every day of the year. So if you have a question about Illinois workers’ compensation law, and want an answer today or New Year’s Day or any other day, just call … Continue Reading
This was a southern Illinois work comp case we didn’t handle, but read about. To me it’s interesting. A supervisor at a prison hurt his shoulder and hand when he fell forward while going up the stairs at the start of his work day. He was carrying a drink in one hand and his keys … Continue Reading
We are Chicago work comp attorneys who handle cases all over Illinois. For a free consultation, give us a call, start a live chat or fill out our contact form and we will call you. When people think of the shoulder they generally just think of a ball-and-socket joint made up of the arm bone … Continue Reading
Here’s an unusual occurrence. Insurance companies that handle Illinois workers’ compensation claims are doing something that makes some cases worth more money. That’s right, they are putting more money in your pocket. In the last few years a trend has developed. Office space, especially in Chicago, is really expensive. Since most claims are handled electronically, … Continue Reading
A reader emailed me and asked if her injury was even big enough to file an Illinois workers’ compensation case. In this case it clearly was as she had 20 stitches to her face. A case like that will ultimately have some decent settlement value. It will also likely require some significant medical treatment. The … Continue Reading
We have a live chat feature on our site and a recent chatter stunned me. She was injured at work and her case was accepted. When she hired a lawyer she was receiving TTD benefits and those benefits never stopped. The lawyer took on the case and started taking 20% of the TTD checks. When … Continue Reading
No attorney can guarantee anything, but we can certainly say what is 99% likely based on years and years of experience. I thought of this the other day when I read about an injured worker who took his case to trial. He was lifting a case of product when he felt a pop in his … Continue Reading
A caller to my office had a shameful Illinois workers’ compensation story. She works in the Quad Cities and was injured there, but hired a (in my strong opinion) shady Chicago work comp firm that does a lot of TV advertising to represent her. These are lawyers that seem to try and sign up as … Continue Reading
A nice, somewhat naive, Illinois woman called me recently. She had hurt her back at her job and had quite the serious injury. What she told me was that she had a lawyer and he never called her back and was rude when he did so she wanted a new firm. That’s a good reason … Continue Reading
A caller to my office had an unusual, but not unheard of situation. He injured his back at work in Chicago and reported the accident right away. The accident was on a Tuesday. He, as required by law, took a drug test and failed. He admits he had been partying the previous Saturday. Normally these … Continue Reading
If you’ve never had a hernia before, you may not know exactly what it is or may just think of it as a pulled muscle. But a hernia is a bit more serious than that. Put simply, a hernia is a hole in the muscle layer of the abdominal wall. Through that hole, tissue, fat … Continue Reading
We are Illinois workers compensation attorneys who have a state wide network of lawyers that can help you with your case. Fill out our contact form or give us a call for a free, confidential consultation. Bankruptcy laws when used well can help individuals get out of massive debt and get a fresh start. Unfortunately, … Continue Reading
A reader of our blog contacted us and asked the following: I hurt my back the other day while working in Chicago. I reported it to my boss and went to the doctor. Do I wait to hear from the insurance company or should I do something else? That’s a good question. There is no … Continue Reading
In every Illinois workers’ compensation case, when you are all better and back to work, you want a settlement. Getting an offer is exciting, but the lure of money in your pocket can often lead to mistakes. If you get a settlement offer, these are things you shouldn’t do in most cases. 1. Don’t say … Continue Reading
There is a general rule that you can’t sue your employer for negligence if you are injured on the job. That rule was what created the whole workers’ compensation system in Illinois way back when. As far as I know, that’s how it is in every state. The trade off is that you don’t have … Continue Reading
