Hiring an Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney

People often ask us how they can hire the best lawyer in Illinois. We don’t believe that there is such thing as the best lawyer in Illinois, however we do believe that there is the best lawyer in Illinois for you. If you would like us to help you figure that out or just have questions, please contact us for a free consult. For more information on what we consider in recommending a lawyer please read on.

In order to find the lawyer in Illinois for your specific needs, we begin by looking for attorneys who focus their practice on one specific area of law. By focusing on one specific area, those attorneys gain more experience and knowledge in a specific area that in turn enables them to better address all issues surrounding your case. This is true for all areas of law, especially workers’ compensation.

In our opinion, in Illinois, workers’ compensation attorneys who regularly appear before Illinois Workers’ Compensation Arbitrators (the judges) are more successful than other attorneys who sometimes appear before them. Although this doesn’t guarantee a favorable result, we have seen that these “regulars” have developed a rapport with these judges. Simply put, success or failure can hinge on a lawyer’s familiarity with the procedures and people of the court.

Equally important when searching for the best workers’ compensation lawyer is that you look for one who has handled your type of case before. Not all workers’ compensation cases are the same and you want your lawyer to have handled your type of injury before with a good track record of success. For example, if you hurt you neck and need a cervical fusion, you ant a lawyer in your corner that understands the medicine involved with that treatment and how problems from such a serious injury can affect a worker both now and in the future.

When you are injured on the job and formally file a case (called an application for adjustment of claim) your case will be assigned to an Arbitrator near where the accident took place. We think it’s a good idea to hire a law firm that regularly appears before that Arbitrator. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are in the same town as some Arbitrators only hear cases a few days a month, but does mean that they have a significant caseload there.

Experience wise there is no minimum requirement for how long an attorney has been in practice for them to take your case. That said, we almost never recommend a workers’ compensation lawyer who hasn’t handled cases for at least seven years and doesn’t have at least 500 claims under his belt. The cost of a lawyer doesn’t change for work injuries so you should always hire the best you can find. Simply put if they don’t have real experience they are not right for you.

Another important aspect is to find a lawyer who treats you the client with the utmost respect. Communication between your lawyer and you the client is very important. Your lawyer should promptly return your phone calls and keep you up to date on any and all developments in your case. It’s amazing how may attorneys yell at their clients, don’t answer questions and in general just treat them lousy. There are plenty of good choices and you don’t need to take that lousy treatment.

Remember, there is not one “best” workers compensation lawyer in Illinois, but rather you need to find the best one for you. If you have any questions about Illinois workers’ compensation laws or would like a referral, please do not hesitate to contact us.