My fiance has searched the net up and down, but has no referalls from friends and no lawyers have called her back. She's done most of the work for the lawyer already, the lawyer would be THRILLED to see how much documentation she can provide, and she's not a shady individual milking the government to stay home for free. She's the hardest working, most dedicated, MORAL individual I know who needs HELP. Any info you can give for IMMEDIATE contact is appreciated!
2007-12-12 10:34:06 · 4 answers · asked by obviously_uninformed 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
why does she need a lawyer?
was she hurt at work? did she report it? did she see the approved doctors? does the company carry workers comp insurance? she can deal with this herself and not waste money on a lawyer. this website will provide you with needed info:
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/iwguides.html
Richard- i don't advise anyone to go to a fight at all.
i was hurt at work and handled my case myself, that is in Tennessee and the state here has very strict guidelines as to what has to be paid and how it is determined. the whole idea is to keep cost down by eliminating the need for litigation when the injury is not in question. looking at California's guidelines they are much the same. there is no reason to retain a lawyer until the insurance company fails to make a legitimate offer. the guidelines are there the doctors use the blue-book to determine the percent of disability and the amount allowed is specified. as long as an employee was hurt at work and reported it and followed doctors orders there is no need for a lawyer at that point. so why pay a lawyer out of your settlement if you do not need to? let the state do their part first and then seek a lawyer if absolutely necessary. after workers comp you start the fight with disability (social security) and the fun really begins.
2007-12-12 10:44:45 · answer #1 · answered by michr 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The government of CA had the *wonderful* idea a few years ago to help out people who're on workers comp by capping the amount that a lawyer could charge for handling a workers comp case at no more than 15% of the total settlement, *including* anything the lawyer has to pay doctors or specialists to review and comment on reports, or to examine the patient himself.
Since most cases invlove Doctors testimony, medical records, review panels, etc etc, they get complicated, and since most are only for a few thousand dollars, the lawyer can ONLY make a living by running a LOT of cases at the same time.
Accordingly, calling back new potential clients tends to be low on the list of priorities, and you may have a long wait.
EDIT - to michr....
Right, sure, appealing a workers comp case is so easy that the average disabled worker can do it without a lawyers help.
That must be why the workers comp insurance companies don't use any lawyers to fight their side of the case when they're trying to get out of paying you. Oh, wait a minute.... those insurance companies use whole fleets of high priced specialist lawyers to get out of paying claims.
But, hey, I'm sure the average layman can fight a lawyer at his own game and win, right? Do you also advise people to go to a gunfight armed with a knife?
Richard
2007-12-12 10:43:18 · answer #2 · answered by rickinnocal 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-10-11 04:04:20 · answer #3 · answered by Erika 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try searching the yellow pages instead of the net. You will see lots of ads under "attorney" for folks specializing in the kinds of cases you have.
And of you are really calling people in the right line of work and not getting callbacks, consider what it is about the facts or your presentation that is getting such a uniform reaction and change it.
2007-12-12 10:47:58 · answer #4 · answered by Barry C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋