As you are reading this article, we can assume that you or any of your close ones have encountered an injury at the workplace.
If you encounter any accident and get any injury at work, you become eligible for worker’s compensation. This program is particularly designed for offering you financial support during the time when you are unable to work and also creating income.
When you are filing worker’s compensation benefits, you might be going through a dilemma about whether you should hire a worker’s compensation lawyer or not. Here we must say that both of them have their own benefits and disadvantages.
Here, in this article, we will talk about both the pros and cons of hiring a worker’s compensation lawyer for your worker’s compensation case.
Pros Of Hiring A Worker’s Compensation Lawyer:
In case you are thinking about hiring a worker’s compensation lawyer from the best Law Offices of William F. Underwood, III, P.C., You will be able to get the following benefits.
1. Puts An End To Your case
In some cases, the worker’s compensation dispute might take several months or even years. This long duration will always invite more financial problems when you are already losing your wage and carrying a treatment cost.
An experienced worker compensation lawyer will be able to handle things with their expertise, and the matter will get resolved efficiently.
2. Shortens The Wait
We all are a little aware of the court system and also know how much time it consumes to resolve a matter if we follow the same traditional way without any legal agent or lawyer.
As we have mentioned earlier, it will take a long time, especially in case your injury is more serious and you need a huge amount, as your employer’s insurance company will always want to delay the matter.
Here, having a lawyer will ensure that you are getting fair compensation as soon as possible.
3. Allows A Lump Sum Payment
Often judges feel hesitant when it comes to awarding a lump-sum amount of compensation at the trial. As per that, you might be limited to weekly or monthly payments for a period of a number of months or years.
In case you are carrying any major medical treatment, it becomes really difficult to pay for it. On the other hand, when you hire a lawyer, the professional will be able to manage a settlement and get you a considerably huge amount.
4. Eliminates The Risk
When you are thinking about an out-of-court settlement, it is really difficult to reach a settlement because both parties do not want to come to an agreement by making smaller compromises.
In this case, a lawyer will be able to bring both parties together at a common ground and that too out of court. Because when you are appealing to the court, there will always be a risk that you might come out empty-handed.
5. A Better Negotiation
During the settlement proceedings, an attorney can perform the negotiation on your behalf. The insurance company already has an attorney; when you are also hiring a legal professional, your worker’s compensation lawyer will be on equal footing with the other party.
When the insurance company gets to know that you have a legal professional to represent you, they will be more willing to respect your rights.
Cons Of Hiring A Worker’s Compensation Lawyer
Now you know the advantages of hiring a worker’s compensation lawyer. But when you are thinking of hiring one, you also should know the drawbacks that you might be inviting in order to get the good things.
So, here are the major disadvantages of hiring an attorney for your worker’s compensation claim.
1. Can Cause Give Up Your Right
When you are thinking of hiring a lawyer and getting the amount that you have claimed and willing to take the matter to court, the insurance company does not agree to pay you that.
In this case, ending the case with an out-of-court settlement means you are giving up on some particular benefits. There are a lot of insurance companies that come with a clause that when you are receiving a claimed compensation, you will not get worker’s compensation for the same injury.
2. Could Be Really Expensive.
Hiring a lawyer means you need to pay them. In order to ensure winning your worker’s compensation claim lawsuit, you must opt for the best one or at least a good one. And good lawyers always charge more.
Due to your injury, you are already paying a huge medical bill and also not getting paid enough as you are unable to work for a few days. In this situation affording a lawyer can cost you a lot of your savings, and you might run out of money.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
When you are going to deal with worker’s compensation, it is obvious that you will have a lot of queries and doubts. In order to handle a legal matter, you also need to know the basic and adequate knowledge of the laws.
So, here are some questions you might have in your head, along with their answers.
Q1: What Are The Disadvantages Of Worker’s Compensation?
A serious disadvantage of worker’s compensation is that it might discourage the employees from pursuing further employment. Many individuals might feel that to continue getting worker’s compensation payment, they must obtain from working some specific jobs to prove the severity and seriousness of their injuries. To learn more, visit Employment law firm in Miami.
Q2: What Are The Pros And Cons Of Worker’s Compensation?
The pros of Worker’s compensation are;
- No more litigation.
- The opportunity to revisit the settlement terms.
- In exchange for future benefits, recompense.
Now let’s look at its cons of it.
- You might end up with less than you actually deserve.
- In the future reopening, a case might lead to a lower award.
Q3: What Is The Highest Workmans Comp Settlement?
Till now, the largest worker’s compensation settlement payment is a $10 million settlement agreement. The case came in March of 2017.
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