Workers are entitled to compensation if they get injured on the job. The likelihood of getting that compensation will depend on your case, your state’s laws about workers’ compensation, and your lawyer’s expertise.
A good workplace injury lawyer can get you the compensation you deserve bases on your unique case. For this reason, it is important to consider several factors when choosing a lawyer for you or your loved one.
Local Office
It is extremely important to hire only a local lawyer aware of the state’s laws about workers compensation. In the USA, laws regarding workers compensation differ as per each state’s legislation. So, it is best to hire an attorney with experience in handling local cases. For instance, in the US state of Arizona, you are entitled to receive workers’ compensation irrespective of the cause or the nature of your workplace injury.
You can use online searches to locate local law firms. Use search terms such as workplace injury lawyer Phoenix or something similar to find lawyers for your case. Such searches will yield names of different lawyers and law firms specializing in workplace injury cases.
Reputed lawyers maintain up-to-date business websites for the benefit of their prospective clients. You can review the information present on these websites to know more about the lawyers and their work. You can read about their education, credentials, and cases. Many lawyers mention a bit about the type of cases they have handled and the kind of compensation they were able to get to their clients. You can also read client testimonials on these websites to know more about the success rates of the lawyers.
Areas of Expertise
Lawyers specializing in workers’ compensation can focus on specific kinds of injuries such as construction accidents. Some may focus more on brain injuries, slips, and falls.
Then there are the matters third-party claims, which means your injury is due to a third party. Such cases may require a different kind of handling. Some attorneys also handle the matter of immigration issues related to workers’ compensation. Not all the workers’ compensation lawyers may specialize in all these areas.
So, you need to look carefully at the practice areas of the lawyer when choosing a workplace injury lawyer.
Experience
It is best to hire a workplace injury lawyer with a great deal of experience serving one state or locality. If your case is critical or more complicated due to the nature of your injury, it is even more important to choose a lawyer with extensive experience to help you.
Most workplace injury lawyers offer free consulting sessions to their prospective clients. You can schedule one such session with the lawyers of your choice and use this time to learn more about their experience in dealing with cases similar to that of your own.
Response Time and Availability
When dealing with workplace injury cases, time is of great essence. Even a slight delay can mean losing key evidence from the injury site. Even the insurers and the lawyers of the employer can misuse your lack of representation to get you to agree on a small amount of compensation, if any at all.
So, before you hire a lawyer, inquire if they can handle your case on a priority basis. Professional lawyers know the significance of the urgency required for workplace injury cases. They will always take on cases only if they can handle it on a priority basis.
Also, consider the response time of the lawyers. Did it take you long to schedule a consulting sessions? Also, was the lawyer clear in responding to your queries? When it comes to dealing with workplace injury cases, it is best if the lawyers respond with clear answers to your questions. The lawyer should provide you with realistic scenarios and responses only.
Community Presence
You can get an idea about a lawyer’s dedication to causes by their community presence. If you like a lawyer based on all the above categories, it is a good idea to spend some time to read about their community initiatives. Lawyers’ good community presence can also mean that they can quickly hire resources such as medical experts to help your case.