Workers' Comp Injuries: How Can You Get The Legal Help You Need?
When an injury occurs at your workplace, you might just assume that you're covered by workers' comp insurance. Unfortunately, the claims process sometimes fails to go smoothly and your claim is held up or denied. If you are having problems with any aspect of your claim you may need to seek legal help, but being out of work does not place you in a good financial position. Read on to learn more about getting the legal help you need to get through this injury situation.
Is it Pro Bono?
You may have heard of instances where people get legal help for free from an attorney who wishes to contribute to society. In some cases, this type of legal help is available at legal clinics or services and can be very useful in some instances.
When you get hurt at work, however, you need the services of a workers' comp attorney and they seldom work on Pro Bono cases. Workers' comp is a specialized and complicated legal issue, meaning you should seek help from a workers' comp attorney. In some cases, a workers' comp attorney also practices in other areas of the law, such as family law, Social Security law, and bankruptcy, but that only means that they work on more than one particular area of the law. You may still not have to pay any legal costs upfront, however.
Contingency Fee Agreements
Several different types of lawyers use contingency fee arrangements to help make it easier for their clients. You can find this type of agreement with personal injury and even Social Security law attorneys. This agreement is a huge benefit for people who need help, but don't have the funds at the present to pay for it.
The contingency fee agreement means that your attorney will get paid when you get some compensation from your workers' comp case. If there is the potential for you to be ruled to have a permanent injury, there is the potential for a lump sum payment from the workers' comp carrier. The fee the attorney takes will be spelled out in the agreement, but it can be a percentage of the settlement. Often you will find that the fee depends on how complex your case is, but you can expect it to be anywhere from 20% to 40% in most cases.
If it looks like you have a permanent injury, no matter how well your case has been going up to now, you will need legal help to negotiate the best settlement possible. Not only the amount you get is important, but the way it is paid to you. Speak to a workers' comp attorney or an auto accident attorney about your case.