Why You Need A Lawyer
There are a number of reasons people do not hire a lawyer when they are injured on the job:
- they do not want to make waves at work,
- they are being treated OK by the insurance company,
- they are just not the “suing type”,
- they are afraid of losing their job,
- they cannot afford to pay an attorney
As much as you would like to trust the insurance company, you have to keep in mind that the insurance company’s best interest is not your best interest. The insurance company adjuster has a job to do and that is to minimize the total cost of every claim, that means less for you. The fundamental truth is that the insurance company cares about its financial bottom line and not about your health and well-being.
Why you need an Atlanta Workers’ Compensation Attorney
The Georgia Worker’s Compensation Act is a detailed Statute that outlines your rights. You must know your rights to get the benefits you deserve. Are you receiving the correct weekly compensation? Are you seeing the best doctor? Do you have a right to see another doctor or to have an independent examination by a doctor you choose? A lawyer will explain your rights so you are never in the dark.
Your rights need to be protected
When you are dealing directly with the adjuster yourself, you may not be aware of what your rights. For example, you may be told that you cannot claim a back injury because you had a pre-existing condition which is not true, or you may be sent to the company doctor for multiple “independent” medical exams, or have a nurse case manager assigned to your case who interferes with your relationship with your doctor. Having a lawyer in your corner helps prevent the insurance company from treating you unfairly and violating your rights. You have rights. You must protect them!
Problems need to be resolved
Many people decide to hire a lawyer only after a serious problem has arisen in their case. Don’t wait until a problem arises before you hire a lawyer. A good lawyer is working to assure that problems never arise.
Advice and Guidance is invaluable
Your benefits have been cut off, the insurance company is trying to return you to work prematurely or needed medical care has been denied. A lawyer can prevent these problems from ever arising or can resolve them quickly through litigation.
For almost everyone who goes through it, being involved in a worker’s compensation case is a strange situation to find yourself in. You may be receiving advice from friends, family members, co-workers, or even supervisors, some of which may seem strange, confusing, and even contradictory. You cannot count on the insurance company to give you straight advice as to what your rights are because their best interest is served by minimizing the amount of compensation and benefits that they have to pay to you. You need to have the advice and guidance of someone who really understands how the system works and what your rights really are.
Settlements can be maximized
One question that almost every client asks us is, “What is my case worth?” One of the real benefits of hiring a lawyer is that they bring their experience and knowledge to bear on this issue. No two cases are alike, and relying on the advice of friends, neighbors, or even co-workers (“My neighbor’s sister-in law had a worker’s comp case and she get $________”) on this point is foolish. Skilled Atlanta worker’s compensation lawyers draw on their skills and experience, their knowledge of how worker’s compensation cases are settled. If you do not have that kind of background, you are flying blind.
Hiring a worker’s compensation lawyer is not expensive
Atlanta Worker’s compensation lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning that they are paid a percentage of the settlement or award. These fees are capped at 25% of the settlement. There is no retainer fee, there are no upfront charges, no fees for phone calls or letters – fees get paid only at the end of the case, and only if you get a settlement or award. Moreover, since the fee is based on how much the recovery is, you will never end up in a situation where “the lawyer takes everything, and I get nothing.” Also, since the lawyer makes more money when you get a larger settlement, it creates a powerful incentive to work hard on your behalf.
Before you contact a lawyer, ask yourself, ” What qualities do I want in a workers’ compensation lawyer.”
You want a Tough Advocate:
An attorney with experience who works with you directly and offers a results-oriented strategy specific to the circumstances surrounding your injury.
You want a Compassionate Counselor:
An attorney whose advice and judgment you can trust, who can be frank with you about the amount of benefits you will likely see from your claim and who does not carry so many cases that he/she does not have time to listen and counsel.
You want someone who cares:
- An attorney who listens well and fights hard, who sees you as more than just another claim.
- An attorney who will talk to you when you call and will be compassionate about the difficulty you are experiencing.
- Someone you can easily see yourself working side-by-side with for many months.