What to Expect When Meeting With a Wisconsin Workers Compensation Attorney

workers’ compensation lawyer

You’ve been hurt at work, and you have questions for a Wisconsin attorney who practices workers compensation.  At Mays Law Office, we offer free consultations to answer all your questions.  If your worker’s compensation claim has been denied, then it is time to hire an attorney.  Make sure that you hire an attorney who concentrates their law practice representing injured Wisconsin workers.  In preparing to meet with such an attorney, it will be helpful to know what to expect at your first meeting.

Let’s Meet!

At Mays Law Office, you will meet with our attorney, Lisa Pierobon Mays, who concentrates her practice advocating for injured workers.  Be prepared for the meeting to last 1.5 to 2 hours long as generally there is much to discuss to learn about you and your work injury.  For instance, at the start of the meeting, basic information will be gathered, such as your contact information – address, cell/text number and E-Mail address.  Also identifying information, such as your date of birth and social security will be requested.

Tell us about you

Quickly, Attorney Pierobon Mays will get to the heart of the matter and ask about your employer, their address, dates of employment, your job title and duties, hours worked, and wage/earnings history.  Work attendance, pre-existing physical and health issues, quality of life/hobbies information will be important for Lisa to know to get a picture of what your life was like prior to suffering the work injury.

How were you hurt?

The meeting will then center around the details of your actual work injury – date, time, location, and a detailed description explaining how the injury occurred and what part(s) of your body were affected and hurt.  A vivid memory of the events leading up to and actual moment of your injury will be very important to describe to Attorney Pierobon Mays.  Environmental details will be important too, such as the weather, lighting, condition of the floor, surroundings, and witnesses who saw your injury or came to your aid at the time of the injury.

How has the injury affected you?

The discussion will then move to questions as to the pain and symptoms that you felt and suffered after the injury occurred.  Did bleeding, bruising, swelling, broken bones, loss of consciousness occur?  What was your response to such pain?  Did you cry, scream, sit in stillness, lay down, seek help?  Also, what was the response of those around you and your employer, meaning were you moved to a safe place, given ice or pain medication, was an ambulance called, and was an incident report timely completed by your supervisor/employer?

Your behavior and condition after the injury is very important for Attorney Pierobon Mays to understand because too often claims are denied by the workers compensation insurance company because the injured worker failed to timely inform their employer of the injury, or made light of it to other co-workers or supervisor.  In doing so, it may be presumed that the injury was not significant which can undermine an injured workers credibility.  Understanding what was your response/behavior after the injury is crucial, such as did you continue working your usual job and finish your shift, or did you immediately seek medical treatment?

Having you review your cell phone and retrieving text messages and E-Mails pertaining to the injury will be considered at this meeting.  Also, looking for pictures of the injury scene and your injuries will be helpful to your case.

Who has medically treated you?

Your post-injury medical treatment will be an important discussion. Bring all personal notes, calendars & journals, medical receipts, and medical records to our meeting so that we can recreate your medical timeline. Documenting where and when you treated medically is important because medical records and billing itemizations will have to be retrieved as part of the litigation of your claim.  Names of providers, dates, medical procedures and surgeries, prescriptions, physical restrictions, ongoing symptoms and complications along with improvements will all be well documented in your medical records.  These medical records will tell the story of your injury and how it progressed.

How are you feeling now?

How you are doing in the present will also be discussed.  Are you still seeking medical treatment?  Has your specialist released you from treatment, and if so what is your long-term prognosis?  Do you have permanent physical restrictions preventing you from returning to work or finding new employment?  If so, an understanding of your educational and employment history will be something to discuss to determine what claims to pursue.  It is at this point in the meeting that a strategy will be determined in terms of timing and benefits to pursue on your behalf.

How has the workers compensation carrier treated you?

Questions regarding your communications with the workers compensation insurance carrier will also be reviewed.  Bring all correspondence received from the carrier as it will have the name and contact information of the Adjuster handling your file.  If you gave the insurance carrier a verbal statement about the details of your injury, then Attorney Pierobon Mays will want to request a written transcript of it.  Attorney Pierobon Mays will also want to know what position the insurance company is taking regarding your claim.  Are they accepting, denying, or investigating it in whole or in part, and what is the basis for their position?  Is it supported by a report of an IME?  If so, make sure to bring this correspondence and report to our meeting.  Also, bring check stubs for benefits paid to you for lost time or disability (a/k/a TTD, TPD, PPD), medical treatment bills, and medical mileage reimbursement.

Have you received financial help from others?

Attorney Pierobon Mays will also need to know if you received any supplemental income or benefits from third parties, such as private short-term disability, private medical insurance (like an HMO), Wisconsin Unemployment Compensation, SSDI, Medicare, or State Medicaid.  Careful attention to any potential liens will have to be considered to protect you from future claims requesting reimbursement back.

Let’s get moving?

At the end of your meeting with Attorney Lisa Pierobon Mays, she will present you with a packet of forms that will need to be completed to hire her as your attorney.  She will go over each of the forms with you and help you complete them at her office.  Any and all questions will be answered, and concerns addressed.  The timeline and strategy of your claim will be finalized and reviewed for your understanding and approval.  Lastly, your claim will not be transferred to another attorney or a paralegal.  Attorney Pierobon Mays will handle every aspect of your file from the beginning of this first meeting through the end of litigation.

So, it is good to have an understanding of what to expect when meeting with a Wisconsin workers compensation attorney because it will make the meeting so much more productive and effective for everyone.  Knowing what is expected of you will give you confidence and lessen your anxiety.

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