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COMPASSIONATE COUNSEL ON YOUR SIDE REACH OUT NOW
Q:

Do I need an attorney?

A:

The adjuster’s job is to save insurance companies money.  No matter how nice they may seem, they are not working for you and cannot be relied upon to provide you the straight truth. That is because they are paid to work against your best interest.  There is no law requiring them to tell you the truth or to explain your legal rights.  They are not lawyers.

You hire an attorney because you understand that you will get a better result than if you represented yourself.  You hire an attorney to make your life easier and to get meaningful guidance at a difficult time.  You hire an attorney to get you every dollar you are entitled to.

Retaining an attorney gives you the freedom to focus on healing from your injury because we handle all the confusing legal stuff for you.  We will deal with the insurance company, answer your questions, and even help you find the right doctors.

Q:

Why should I choose you as my attorney instead of the guys I see on billboards and TV?

A:

Bigger is not always better.  You simply can’t be an effective attorney if you have too many cases. If you don’t have the time to talk with and listen to your clients you can’t represent them well.  You can’t get the best results for people you barely know.

At large firms, cases are tossed around like footballs.  When you call, you never know which attorney has possession of your case. Jenifer is a solo practitioner and handles all the important legal stuff herself.  She is there for you however long your case lasts.  When you call, she knows who you are and remembers what is happening in your case.  She recognizes how stressful being out of work can be and that you are going to have questions and concerns about your future.  You deserve to understand the process.  Being injured affects you and your family in so many ways.

Unlike the large firms, you don’t need to make an appointment to talk to Jenifer, you just have to call.  She is at her office every day.  Our office is conveniently located in Abington.  You don’t need to drive into Center City or pay to park to meet with her.  She will also meet you closer to home if you are unable to travel to her office.

Q:

What will it cost me to hire you as my attorney?  I have no money.

A:

Workers’ comp attorneys work contingently, which means we only get paid if we are successful in getting or defending your right to wage loss benefits and a Judge approves our fee. 

The standard workers comp attorneys’ fee in Pennsylvania is 20% of wage loss benefits awarded to you.  No attorney can legally charge you more than 20%.  Unlike many attorneys, we never charge a fee on medical benefits.  If we are successful, the insurance carrier will deduct our fee and send it directly to us.  You never write us a check. We also never charge you for our costs.  If we are successful, most of these will be reimbursed by the comp carrier. 

Q:

Can I sue my employer for negligence?  Can I get compensated for my pain and suffering?

A:

The answer to both of these questions is no.  That may seem unfair but let us explain why that is.  The workers compensation system is limited to medical coverage and payment for any wage loss.  There are also some special payments if you lose hearing or vision, suffer an amputation, get a scar on your face, or are killed on the job.  But that’s it.  Even though being injured on the job causes real pain and suffering, there is no additional financial compensation for it.  We empathize and recognize that it is unfair, but that’s the law.

Relative to suing for negligence, in Pennsylvania it is the law that you are not allowed to sue your employer if you are hurt at work.  Your only choice is to seek workers compensation benefits.  That is because workers compensation is an exclusive remedy. 

The exclusive remedy is not all bad though.  The flip side of the law not allowing you to sue for employer negligence is that workers’ comp, as a result, was designed to be a “no fault” system.  Unlike in personal injury cases, the Judge does not make an initial determination if you were at fault for causing the accident.  Even if you were not as careful as you could have been on the job, you can still get workers comp (with the exceptions being self-inflicted injuries and the injury being caused by you being under the influence).  Ultimately, no fault means you get workers comp regardless of whether the actions of you, your employer, or some combination caused your injury.