Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance
Your First Meeting With a Work Injury Attorney
Findgreatlawyers.com helps people who need Illinois attorney referrals and legal guidance for all areas of Illinois law including workers compensation. We let you speak with our lawyers for free, ask questions and if needed get a recommendation to the right attorney for your situation. If you would like our help please contact us at (312) 346-5320. We are based out of Cook County, but are not just a resource for finding a workers’ compensation law firm in Chicago. Rather, we help people find work injury attorneys throughout Illinois and who we recommend will be based on who we truly feel is best for you.
The most successful attorney-client relationships are when each person works with the other as a team. As a client the best thing you can do is provide information that makes the job of the lawyer easier. There are several things that you should write down and know in advance before meeting with an attorney or soon after you hire the lawyer. Here are some suggestions:
- Have the contact information of the doctors who have treated you. An attorney would need this to determine if you are going to the right kind of doctor for your injury, as well as to contact that doctor to obtain your medical records. This can be a real time saver.
- Have the date your work injury happened. There is a time limit for filing your claim called a statute of limitations, and the clock typically begins running on the day that your injury occurred. This is also why it’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after a work injury. Your lawyer will need this information to prepare your paperwork.
- Know your medical diagnosis. If you aren’t sure, ask your doctor what your diagnosis is and what the prognosis is.
- Know whether you have any history of prior injuries to the same body part because this may have an impact on your case. While aggravations to pre-existing conditions are covered under Illinois work injury law, your attorney will want the full story of your health background.
- Document in writing how the accident occurred. This will benefit you if your case ever goes to trial and is a nice document for your attorney to have by his side.
- Know who was with you when the injury happened. Witnesses can back up and vouch for your story. An attorney may need to contact these witnesses to strengthen your case.
- Know who you told about your workplace injury and what exactly you told them. In order to file a claim, the other party must be notified of what happened. This is the notice requirement, and it is very important in any workers’ compensation case. If you can’t prove that your employer was notified within 45 days of the accident your case could be dismissed.
- Find out who your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier is. These cases aren’t lawsuits and your lawyer will not be dealing directly with your employer. Most experienced Illinois job injury law firms regularly deal with these companies and can often straighten out problems right away if they know who to call.
- Have the correct name and address of your employer. A lawyer will need to properly file your claim, and this requires basic contact information of important parties.
This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but it contains some fairly simple and straightforward factual information that you should know ahead of time when meeting with a lawyer to discuss your case and file a claim. If you don’t know some of these things (e.g., your doctor’s contact information), it is a good idea to make a reasonable effort, if possible, to find out. If for any reason you can’t obtain some of this information, then your attorney will work to obtain it.
Beyond all of this, you have to decide if you want to even hire the lawyer at all. We suggest some of the following questions:
- How many cases have you handled in your career?
- When did you become an attorney?
- Based on what I told you about my case, what can you do for me?
- What percentage of your practice is representing injured workers?
- Have you handled similar cases to mine?
Again, this is not an exhaustive list. If you have questions about hiring an Illinois work injury attorney or would like a recommendation to a lawyer we know that best fits your needs, please contact us at (312) 346-5320.
Since 2001 findgreatlawyers.com has helped thousands of people who were looking for the right Illinois work injury attorney for their case. From workers’ compensation law firms in Chicago to southern Illinois and the Quad Cities we have a state-wide network of many attorneys that fight for their clients and have a track record of success. See for yourself why access to our site is like having a lawyer in the family.