If you sustained injury while at work and are thinking about hiring a workers compensation lawyer Atlanta, you’re probably seeking information about the process.
Your choice of lawyer to represent your workers compensation claim is very important. If you take your workers’ comp claim seriously, then it is only natural for you to choose a lawyer who can guarantee a win on your part.
Below are some of the most important questions you should ask before hiring a lawyer to represent your workers’ compensation claim.
15 Questions to Ask Before Hiring A Worker’s Comp Lawyer
1. How Successful Is the Lawyer in Settling Workers’ Compensation Cases?
There’s no need to spend an entire day interrogating a lawyer about their successes and failures in the past. However, you do need to get at least an understanding of their success rate in their job so far.
The higher a lawyer’s success rate is, the more you can be assured of their performance and capability to represent your case.
2. How Much Benefits Do I Quality For?
One of the most important questions you can ask during your free case evaluation and review is about the benefits and compensation you qualify for.
If you have a legit workers’ compensation claim, the lawyer will be able to give you a good estimate of the possible outcomes of your case, especially with regard to the kind of benefits you stand to receive.
3. Does It Matter Whose Fault the Accident Was?
Fault is hardly considered an important factor in workers compensation claims. If an employee sustains injury in the workplace, they immediately qualify for compensation benefits, even if the accident was their fault.
4. How Much Does a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Atlanta Charge?
Most workers compensation lawyers represent clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that you won’t have to shell out anything from your own pocket to hire a workers compensation lawyer to represent your claim.
The lawyer will, instead, receive a percentage of the money you receive from a negotiated settlement or for winning your case in a court trial.
5. Will You Be Working Directly with the Lawyer Throughout the Case?
Since your lawyer is your main point of contact throughout the entire process, it’s important to know whether you’ll be working with them directly for the duration of the case.
You won’t always be working together with the managing attorney as this can depend on factors such as the firm’s size and the number of staff they have.
It’s important to clarify your main point of contact before you start working together in a professional setting. Workers’ compensation cases can take weeks, months, or even years to settle. You owe it to yourself to ask who will be directly working with you through the process. This way you’ll have any workers compensation lawyer questions or concerns will be addressed right away.
6. Does the Lawyer Have Experience Taking Cases to Court?
Most workers’ compensation claims are usually resolved out of court with a settlement. However, if you deem the settlement value offer not quite according to your expectations or that it is unreasonable, it makes sense to file a lawsuit to receive the right amount of compensation.
If you believe there is a chance for your case to be tried in the court of law, then you want to make sure that your workers compensation lawyer Atlanta has court experience. Your lawyer doesn’t have to be a dedicated trial attorney, but at the very least, they must have enough experience and confidence in taking on court cases.
7. Does the Lawyer Have Experience Representing a Client with the Same Injuries as You?
Besides asking about the lawyer’s experience in workers’ compensation cases, it’s also helpful to ask if they have experience in representing clients with the same injuries as you. If yes, then that only means they’re capable of representing you well.
8. How Long Until You Receive Your Financial Compensation?
There is unfortunately no way to determine how long the process takes from start to finish. A good, experienced workers compensation lawyer Atlanta should be able to give you a rough estimate based on the details of your case.
The more detailed documentation you provide on the nature of your workers’ comp case, the more your lawyer will be able to predict the next steps, including a rough estimation of the time to see it through.
The more complicated the case, and the more details must be scrutinized and evaluated, the longer it can take to receive financial compensation. It also depends on whether the insurance company approves or denies the claim.
9. Is It Possible to Sue Your Employer? How About Suing a Third Party?
If you qualify for worker’s compensation, it’s most likely that you are not allowed to sue your employer, save for some very specific circumstances.
The minute you file a worker’s comp claim, you are basically starting a formal process with your employer for work-related injuries and accidents.
10. What Do You Tell Your Doctor?
Workers who are injured in the workplace must immediately seek medical attention to determine the extent and severity of injuries caused by the accident. If you consult with a potential lawyer about what information to share to your doctor during your initial consultation, there is only one thing you need: the truth.
Some lawyers may try to tell you to tweak some details of your case to bend the truth in your favor. Doing this not only goes against the laws surrounding workers’ compensation but changing the information on your medical records (such as your medical bills or degree of your impairment) can affect the validity of credibility of your claim.
Be honest and forthcoming about all the medical providers who treated you, the treatments you received, and everything that happened down to the last detail. When you talk to your doctor, only speak facts. Do not let them misunderstand or twist the details of your accident and/or injury.
The results of your medical evaluation will be included in your formal medical records. This could be used as evidence which can help or negatively impact your case.
