Free advice from a Chicago workers compensation attorney on what to do if injured on the job in Illinois. Help all over including Wheaton, Peoria, Decatur, Quad Cities, all of IL for job accidents.
I had the pleasure recently of talking to a really nice guy who appreciated my direct and blunt approach. Not everybody does. He was a smart guy who investigated a little bit after his attorney told him something that didn’t make sense. The average weekly wage they were using to calculate his benefits was too … Continue Reading
Here is a fairly common scenario: You are at work and lift something. You feel a pain in your back like you’ve never felt before. You report it immediately to your supervisor and try to treat the problem with rest and pain pills. Five days later it’s not better, it’s getting worse and you go … Continue Reading
We are Chicago based workers’ compensation attorneys who help with job injury cases all over. If you have any questions, fill out our contact form, call us or click on the chat button. We will always talk to you for free and do whatever we can to help you. We talk to people in plain … Continue Reading
I pride myself in being an attorney who is direct, honest and speaks in plain English. If someone asks me a question and I know the answer, I don’t tiptoe around it if it’s something they don’t want to hear. I’m also willing to tell you that your lawyer sucks if they suck, and of … Continue Reading
A caller to my office told me that he was hurt at work and receiving benefits for a knee injury. His doctor wants to do surgery, but before the insurance company would approve it, they want him to see an IME (independent medical examination) doctor. He’s heard stories about how many of these physicians are … Continue Reading
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s unethical (and gross) for an attorney to be in a romantic relationship with a client. But that doesn’t mean your lawyer shouldn’t give you love. By “give you love” I mean your attorney should care about you. How can they do that? Do they return your phone calls? Are they talking … Continue Reading
A reader of my blog got in touch and asked a really good question: “My case isn’t going very well. What should I do?” Now as you can imagine, we had a longer conversation because I needed to know specifics, but the fact that this worker even asked at all is a good sign. Too … Continue Reading
Someone who recently clicked on my chat button (which I assume you’ve seen already) and asked a really good question. She wanted to know how long it would take to get her IME report. An IME report is an “independent medical exam” finding. Basically, the insurance company gets to pick a doctor to examine you … Continue Reading
Per the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, you have the right to two medical opinions when it comes to your care. As long as the medical care is “reasonable” the insurance company has to pay for it. This comes up a lot from clients/callers who want to know how to get a second opinion and more … Continue Reading
After Thanksgiving last year we had a crazy snow storm and got 13 inches of snow in one day or as those of us who have lived most of our lives in Chicago call it, a Tuesday. It was a mess for sure, but nothing you haven’t seen before. It was later that week when … Continue Reading
I don’t want to say that the people who run insurance companies are cartoon villains, but sometimes their minions sure act like there is a crazy evil hand controlling all of their moves. At the start of the case you are likely to get a request for medical record authorization form. It’s usually a broad … Continue Reading
I’ve written before about the Illinois work comp law principle that says the insurance company can’t make you have surgery if you don’t want to. Having something like a spine surgery is a big decision and it’s your decision. If not having the surgery leaves you with permanent restrictions and costs the insurance company more … Continue Reading
I’m an attorney and the times I’ve had to hire an attorney and pay them up front I haven’t been happy about it. Their service was great, but just like anyone else, if I don’t have to spend money for an attorney I don’t want to. Once every other week or so, someone calls me … Continue Reading
A lot of different problems can come up in an Illinois workers’ compensation case. Most of them stem from the fact that the insurance company is looking for any way possible to not pay money on your claim, even at times if doing so is against the law. As a result the number one question … Continue Reading
I’m able to see which searches lead people to our blog and one of the leading ones is, “Who is the top workers’ compensation lawyer in Chicago?” I chuckle at this because it reminds me of relatives talking about their doctor being “the best” there is. It feels good to believe you have the top … Continue Reading
I’ve been an Illinois workers’ compensation attorney for 21 years. I like to say that I’ve heard it all, but recently I heard something new. A woman called me looking for a lawyer. I looked up her case and discovered that she had hired an attorney who had filed the case just one week prior. … Continue Reading
Attorneys are required to do 30 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) every two years. I’m listening to one right now about time management and attorneys and it brings up a great point. In a nutshell, there are a lot of lawyers who are late. They miss deadlines to email you, to call you, they … Continue Reading
I’m not a fan of Walmart and have long refused to shop at their stores. This is based on their terrible history of how they have treated their employees. I realize that this doesn’t make a dent in their bottom line, but I can’t support a company has a history of making employees skip meal … Continue Reading
If you have a suffered a work injury in Illinois, the best-case scenario is to receive excellent medical care and recover well enough to return to work without restrictions. Unfortunately not every case works that way. Sometimes you get “better” but aren’t nearly as healthy as you used to be and can’t do your old … Continue Reading
A caller to my office had a unique case. She had hurt her shoulder a while ago while working for a municipality in Illinois. The medical bills have been accepted and paid. Compensation was provided for all the time off work. The case has been ready to settle for almost a year and her lawyer … Continue Reading
I firmly believe that EVERY Illinois employee should exercise their right to claim workers’ compensation benefits if they are hurt on the job. This includes people who make a ton of money because often when you are injured and don’t have any income, the next thing that happens is you are broke. This point was … Continue Reading
I recently got a call from a woman with a bad shoulder injury. It turned out not to be an Illinois case, she just stumbled upon my blog while researching her issues. She actually needed a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation attorney and since I know a great firm there I recommended she call them. They hit … Continue Reading
Every day across Illinois, hundreds of people get hurt while working. Most of those injuries are minor and require little to no treatment. Some of those accidents are of course more serious and require significant medical treatment. Because you don’t have to pay a penny for medical care when you are hurt at work and … Continue Reading
While I always encourage people to work things out with their lawyer if they can, when you have a crappy one and know it, it’s best to switch before it’s too late. It doesn’t cost anything to switch work comp lawyers in Illinois and if it can you on the right track it’s worth it. … Continue Reading
I had the pleasure recently of talking to a really nice guy who appreciated my direct and blunt approach. Not everybody does. He was a smart guy who investigated a little bit after his attorney told him something that didn’t make sense. The average weekly wage they were using to calculate his benefits was too … Continue Reading
