Why should you talk with an Illinois Workers’ Compensation lawyer before you settle?
You need to make sure that you are not settling for below your case’s value.
But won’t a lawyer cost you money?
No, in Illinois you do not have to pay a lawyer to review your settlement and any written offer you receive before talking with a lawyer is protected from the 20 percent attorney fee. Of course, if the lawyer gets you additional money then it is subject to the fee agreement.
Many Work Comp insurance companies are taking advantage of the change in the law effective September 2011 and giving injured workers wrong information.
They either tell the injured worker that their injury is not worth any settlement. This is incorrect. Most work injuries have value.
Or the insurance company tells the injured worker that the value of their work injury is very low due to the change in the law. This is also incorrect.
The value of the injury may be lower after September 2011 but it is usually not as low as the insurance company tells you.
Another insurance company trick is to forget to offer you a settlement. If you wait too long to get your settlement, then you may lose it completely.
It is always worth running your work injury case past an experienced Workers’ Compensation Attorney.
Questions about your settlement offer? Feel free to contact Illinois Workmans Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.