When to Hire a Florida Workers' Compensation Lawyer

Q: Do I need an attorney for my Florida workers' compensation case?

We get asked this question all the time. Usually, our response is, "If you go on vacation, do you need a tour guide?" The answer is, "Yes, if you want to make sure that you see every little nook and cranny." If you get an attorney in a worker's compensation case, you are now going to be on equal footing with the insurance company because that attorney will know all the rights that you are entitled to. If you don't have an attorney, you may not get all of the information that is available to you and all of the rights that are available to you.

Do you need one? No. Should you have one? Probably.

Technically, one does not have to hire an attorney for a Florida Workers Compensation accident. However, what we would advise is that you can anticipate the insurance carrier has panel of attorneys that they're consulting with on a regular basis. They also have a team of adjusters, a team of nurse case managers, and they get to authorize the medical care. As such, we strongly encourage you to consult with an attorney and make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to hire them. Additionally, we think it is especially important that you make sure that you are dealing with a bona fide expert in Workers Compensation, as opposed to someone who dabbles.

Workers' compensation in Florida is supposed to be self-administering, meaning that it works automatically, but if there's any issue at all, in either the delay or denial of benefits, an employee should consult a professional, a workers' compensation specialist attorney.

Q: My claim was denied. Should I consult with an attorney?

Yes. If your claim has been denied, you're going to want to seek the assistance of an attorney. Handling a case by yourself through the complicated process of filing a petition for benefits, attending mediation, completing a pretrial, and going to final hearing is not something that you should be forced to navigate without the assistance of an attorney. The system is designed for attorneys, and unfortunately, without one you are going to be as helpless as a turtle on your back.