If I Was Hurt on the Job in D.C. Should I Get a Lawyer?
Is It Worth Getting A Workers Comp Lawyer in DC? An experienced DC workers compensation attorney will make sure the insurance company doesn’t take advantage of you after a serious injury.
Let’s face it, if you have a serious injury at work in the DC area, you’re now in an unfamiliar, confusing workers comp system – one that favors insurance companies. And you can’t rely on the worker’s comp insurance company to protect you – that’s not their job.
If you’ve worked hard for everything you’ve gotten your whole life, and you’re now worried about losing everything after a serious injury because you can’t work, call us at (202) 393-3320.
The insurance company will never tell you about the benefits you are really entitled to. They will take advantage of people who do not have a DC workers comp lawyer (or who hired a lawyer who does not specialize in DC workers comp).
As nationally recognized attorneys, authors, and advocates for people with serious injuries and disabilities, we understand what you and your family are going through – and what you’re up against.
How Much Does A DC Workers Comp Attorney Cost?
First, all attorneys fees and costs in DC workers comp have to be approved by the Office of Workers Comp or an Administrative Law Judge. Attorneys’ fees are limited to 20% of the benefits the lawyer gets for you in a lump sum, after a hearing, or in a settlement – so if a new lawyer charges 20% and one who has 27 years experience, wrote a book on workers comp law and is a nationally Board Certified Trial Lawyer, charges the same amount, why would you go with the new, inexperienced lawyer?
Insurance company studies have shown that injured workers without a lawyer receive lower settlements and benefit amounts (I know because I used to be an insurance lawyer so I know how the other side works)
The best DC attorney for you and your family will guide you through the entire legal process and be with you every step of the way – to help you get the financial and medical benefits you need to be secure, in control, and independent after a serious injury – at least that’s the way we do it.
Plus, the attorney’s fees are contingent – so the lawyer has to win or settle or resolve your case successfully.
Are There DC Workers Comp Cases Where You Don’t Need A Lawyer?
Absolutely.
If you have a minor injury and are back to work without any problems or only saw a doctor once or twice, you can probably handle that case yourself (we actually give away a package of resources to help you do just that – including all the forms you need to file to start your worker’s comp case.
But if you are a high-wage earner, have more than one job, need surgery or ongoing medical care and can’t work, or have a permanent injury, you should at least talk to a lawyer about your case (we have a list of interview questions you can ask any DC workers, comp lawyer you’re considering – because unless you’ve been through the worker’s comp process in DC, how do you know what to ask?)
Call Our Experienced DC Workers Comp Lawyers Today.
We’ll be honest with you – if we don’t think you need a lawyer, we’ll tell you that and give you a packet of resources you can use to help yourself, so there is no risk or obligation to call, and it’s completely confidential.
If you do need a lawyer, we can help. We make it easy on you. We do everything for you.
Call us today at 202-393-3320 to get started.
A lot of people who are hurt at work in Washington, D.C. are worried about losing their job or having to sue the company they’ve worked for many years because they got hurt at work. Here’s how it works:
An experienced DC workers comp attorney will file your claim for workers comp benefits, not sue your employer.
When you get hurt at work in Washington, D.C., you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under D.C. law. Workers comp benefits include payment for your lost income while you can’t work and payment of all of your medical expenses.
You can’t sue your employer for an injury that happened while you were working – that’s the law in D.C. So be very careful if any attorney tells you otherwise – it just isn’t true. And there are a lot of attorneys out there who claim to be specialists or experts in D.C. workers comp cases, so don’t get fooled, especially if you have a severe injury.
We even have a guide of questions to ask any attorney you are thinking about hiring for your D.C. workers comp case and a checklist of what to look for to make sure you get the best lawyer for your D.C. workers comp case.
Our experienced lawyers deal with the worker’s comp insurance company, not your job
We do this for a lot of reasons. First, all private employers in D.C. are required to have workers’ compensation insurance, and the insurance company calls the shots – not your employer.
Our attorneys and staff intentionally don’t contact your job – everything we do is through the worker’s comp insurance company. Again, this is very intentional. We want to make sure you preserve your good relationship with your company and let’s face it, most companies freak out when they get a letter or phone call from a law firm.
Third – while you should keep your job up to date about whether you can return to work after the injury, the details of your medical treatment and workers comp claim are really none of their business.
You need someone to guide you through the complicated worker’s comp system in D.C. and we can help with that.
After a work injury in D.C., you don’t sue your employer, you file a workers comp claim
Our experienced worker’s comp attorneys make it easy on you after you get hurt at work. We file all of the claim forms and paperwork you need to get workers comp benefits in D.C.
We talk to the insurance company so you don’t have to. We deal with their adjusters, nurses, case managers, claims representatives, and law firms so you don’t have to. All you have to do is focus on your recovery and rehab and getting better.
But if another company or person causes your injury in DC, you can sue them
If you’re on the job injury was caused by another person or company, you also have a case against that person or company – and we can help you with that as well. It’s important that your lawyer understand how to use both cases to make sure you are fully compensated.
We see this a lot on construction sites when a construction worker is hurt because another subcontractor or general contractor didn’t follow the safety rules, but it can happen to any worker in any type of job – for example, slipping and falling on a wet floor because a cleaning crew didn’t put out the warning signs, getting into a car accident traveling from one job location to another or a pedestrian accident going to pick up office supplies.
The key is getting the right attorney and the best information – that’s what we do
Call the best D.C. workers comp attorneys for your case today
Call us today at 202-393-3320 and we will listen to what happened and give you a plan to maximize your worker’s comp case, to make it less stressful for you and your family.
Your DC Workers Comp Case is Important to Your Health and Finances
Let’s face it, after an injury at work, everything changes.
You now have to deal with the effects of the injury – hospitalization, surgery, rehab, pain, medical appointments, doctor’s visits, and all of the things you How to Get the Highest Workers Comp Settlement in DCneed to do medically to recover from your work injury.
But once you’re in the worker’s comp system, it’s a lot more than that.
You’re now dealing with insurance adjusters, nurse case managers, investigators, insurance doctors, workers comp insurance lawyers, and everything else a big insurance company can throw at you. Plus the worker’s comp law and regulations are confusing – sometimes what you read in the statute has been changed but not updated online – and there are 58 chapters of D.C. regulations that go along with the DC Workers Comp Act.
And your insurance adjuster has probably handled thousands of cases just like yours for the insurance company.
How are you supposed to keep up with that?
Don’t let the worker’s comp insurance adjuster take advantage of you.
Because if you have a serious on-the-job injury, can’t work, and need medical treatment, it’s not a fight you want to take on alone. You could lose everything you’ve worked hard for by making a critical mistake with your worker’s comp case (and you won’t even know it’s a mistake).
How Does the Best Workers Comp Lawyer Get You a Better Settlement?
It all starts with experience – real experience helping people and families with life-changing injuries – not making TV commercials.
You need someone who not only understands the worker’s comp system and has the experience of helping thousands of people, you need someone who knows the medicine and can work with your doctors or other medical experts and specialists to develop the evidence you need to prove your injury keeps you from working.
Our work for patients harmed by the medical system in medical malpractice and on behalf of people denied long-term disability benefits gives us a real advantage in a serious injury workers comp case because we know the medicine, have access to medical experts and specialists, nurses, and medical researchers.
And we begin with the end in mind.
From the first day we meet, we work to maximize your case – to set up your financial and medical recovery, so you can focus on getting better. That is always our goal – to support you with what you want from your life after a serious injury. It will be different, but in many cases, we’ve helped people turn a serious work injury into an opportunity.
Honestly, it also helps to know how insurance companies work. One of our attorneys started his career representing workers comp insurance companies in DC, so he knows how they work.
There are a lot of factors that go into getting you and your family the best workers comp settlement for your case – these are just a few examples.
Our clients get a much more detailed road map of their case and what to expect every step of the way – you’ll love our communication and how we do things, it’s much different than any other law firm. Just check out some of our reviews to see what we mean!
Look, we’ve had a lot of clients who couldn’t go back to work after an injury – it is a tough process to go through. But we go through it with you. And many of our clients have turned their worker’s comp settlement into something they always wanted to do, a new career, a move, or an early retirement.
We plan your case for your life, not the other way around.
How to Get the Lawyer Who Literally Wrote the Book on DC Workers Comp Working for You
We’re happy to help you if you have a serious job injury that keeps you from working. But please note, that we intentionally limit the number of cases we take at any one time so we can focus on the people who need us the most – people with serious injuries facing surgeries, rehab, and a long recovery.
That’s where we can do the most good. So if that’s you, we’re probably a good fit.
Not only is DC Workers Comp Attorney Frank R. Kearney an experienced, nationally recognized, award-winning advocate for workers, who is Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, he literally wrote the book on Workers Compensation in DC.
Call us today at (202) 393 – 3320 and tell us what happened and see how we can help. The call is free, confidential, and absolutely without any obligation.
We promise we will listen, help you if we can, and even send you a free copy of Mr. Kearney’s book (while supplies last).
But don’t wait – even if you’re receiving benefits, you can bet the worker’s comp insurance company is working against you right now.
Why You Need An Experienced DC Workers Comp Lawyer To Evaluate Your SettlementSettling A Workers Comp Case in Washington, DC
Like the answer to so many questions – it’s possible, but is it the right thing to do? It is possible to settle your DC workers comp case without a lawyer, and for a very minor injury when you’re settling for just a few thousand dollars, that may be the right thing to do.
Otherwise, you would have to trust the worker’s comp insurance company and the insurance company lawyer to look out for your interests. Neither one has any duty to you.
So, you may be seriously undervaluing the case, or not aware of additional workers comp benefits you could get that would increase the value of the settlement, or may have had a minor injury in a different state before and done it all yourself (DC workers comp is much different than Maryland or Virginia).
First of all, with any serious injury or if you are a high-wage earner, you need the right DC workers comp lawyer to evaluate your entire case to make sure you are getting everything you and your family are entitled to.
DC workers comp is a confusing, complicated system – you have to know the worker’s comp statute, 58 chapters of workers comp regulations, and decisions from the DC Court of Appeals and the Compensation Review, Board. Unless you really study all of this (like insurance companies do) and have the experience and expertise to negotiate a settlement on your own, you could be leaving serious money on the table.
To Get A Great Workers Comp Settlement In DC You Have To Know The System
Fact is, the worker’s comp insurance company and their lawyers won’t tell you about the benefits you could be getting for your serious injury in the future, and why would they? They don’t work for you and they don’t have any duty to you.
So don’t let them take advantage of you. But how do you know?
You Need Someone To Guide You Through The Process.
We do this every day. We’ve taught workers comp law to other lawyers. And we literally wrote the book on DC Workers Compensation (it’s been called “the book the insurance company doesn’t want you to read”).
But don’t just take our word, check out our google reviews.
Get The Best DC Workers Comp Lawyer For You and Your Family
We make it really easy on you.
You won’t need to talk to the insurance company adjuster, the nurse case manager, or their lawyer again. We do all that (and a lot more) for you, so you can focus on getting better and making the best financial and legal decisions for you and your family.
Call us today at (202) 393 – 3320. We’ll make the call quick and easy, confidential, absolutely no obligation, and totally free.
But don’t wait – we have to turn people with legitimate injuries because they waited too long and made too many mistakes (the insurance company took advantage of them) – and we don’t want that to happen to you.
