It is bad enough to deal with a work-related injury that has forced you off the job. However, things take a turn for the worse when your employer violates one or more provisions of California’s worker compensation statutes.
If your employer has violated a California workers’ comp law, you have the right to hire a lawyer to fight for your rights. The question is not should you seek legal counsel.
Instead, the question is what are the factors for choosing the best workers’ compensation attorney in California?
Specializes in Workers’ Compensation Cases
You would not ask a podiatrist to perform a root canal. If you want to fight your employer about a workers’ comp claim, you cannot simply hire any type of lawyer.
You first want to find an employment law attorney, but since employment law is such a broad legal category, you have to narrow your search to an employment lawyer who specializes in handling workers’ compensation cases.
The best workers’ comp attorneys have developed relationships with medical practices that accept patients that were hurt on the job. They also have developed professional relationships with opposing legal counsel, as well as judges that preside over workers’ compensation claims.
More Than Experience
You might have learned that experience matters to lawyers, and it does, However, it is the type of experience that matters, not the number of years an attorney has practiced law. You can find an attorney who claims to have more than 10 years of experience litigating California workers’ compensation cases. That is great, except the lawyer claiming the more than 10 years of experience has conveniently left out one fact.
The attorney is experienced in losing worker’s comp cases.
They often say quality matters more than quantity and in the case of your workers’ compensation claim, you want to work with an attorney who has compiled a record of successfully litigating workers’ compensation claims.
Research. Research, Research
It is not like you have to be the most gifted detective to research the professional credentials of California workers’ compensation lawyers. All you have to do is input a few different search terms into Google’s powerful system to review the credentials of attorneys in California that represent clients in workers’ comp cases. However, Google should be just the tip of the legal iceberg when it comes to performing research.
You should take your research to the next level by accessing every attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB not only presents client feedback, but the organization also helps resolve disputes between attorneys and their clients. Never consider hiring a workers’ compensation attorney who has a BBB rating below A.
Networking Can Save You Time
Sometimes, all it takes to choose the best workers’ compensation lawyer is to ask one simple question to your friends, family members, and professional peers.
Can you recommend a workers’ compensation attorney?
Accessing your broad network of connections might land you a workers’ comp attorney who can get you the compensation you deserve for suffering from a work-related illness or injury. Even if you receive a helpful recommendation, still follow the other tips listed in this article to choose the best workers’ compensation lawyer to handle your claim.
Focused Attention is the Best Attention
Going with a big law firm that specializes in handling workers’ compensation cases can be the way to go. Nonetheless, you do not want to work with a big law firm where attorneys hand off most of the work to the support staff. Workers’ compensation cases are too important for a junior-level legal professional to handle. You want the undivided attention of an experienced workers’ comp lawyer who has a proven record of getting clients the financial benefits that they deserve.
It is All About You…
…not the pot at the end of the legal rainbow.
You want to work with a workers’ compensation attorney who is more concerned about you, rather than chasing the financial windfall of a lawsuit. When you sit down for the free case evaluation, you want to determine whether the attorney on the other end of the conference room table expresses concern for your predicament.
Empathy goes a long way towards reaching the pot of gold at the end of the legal rainbow.
Contact a California workers compensation attorney today to schedule a free case evaluation.
