Stop The Bleed – Our Lawyers Resolve Claims
Effective Teamwork
From the employer’s perspective, workers’ compensation involves more than just providing medical treatment or writing a check for benefits. It involves effective claims handling to return injured workers to gainful employment, identifying problem cases and taking appropriate action to resolve them, and finally, litigating those cases that cannot otherwise be resolved.
Case law, statutes and legislation regarding workplace injuries and diseases change frequently, and staying on top of these changes is not simple. The application of these changes and the monitoring of the environment in which they will be applied also requires commitment. Effective claim handling often necessitates involvement from an attorney who specializes in workers’ compensation from day one of the claim until its conclusion.
The workers’ compensation defense attorneys at Wilson Ratledge are frequently consulted regarding issues of initial compensability, including whether an employer/employee relationship exists or whether the alleged incident is compensable. Once these threshold questions are resolved, it often becomes necessary to determine the type of benefits to which an injured worker is entitled, such as total disability, partial disability, permanent impairment, disfigurement and medical treatment.
One of the most frequent issues that the professionals are called upon to assist with is an injured worker’s ability to return to work after disability has been accepted. The analysis of “make work” and the “presumption of disability” can be a potential mindfield. Wilson Ratledge works closely with clients to assure informed decision-making leading to an agreed upon strategy and positive results.
An Ever Changing Medical Landscape
Today’s workers’ compensation cases involve much more than the traditional traumatic injury claim. While trauma cases still comprise the majority of workers’ compensation claims, occupational disease claims of all types, including repetitive stress and trauma, as well as emotional stress, are becoming increasingly common. Whether medical treatment is reasonable and necessary for these new, and often more complicated, claims is often a difficult decision. Wilson Ratledge workers’ compensation attorneys, with their varied backgrounds, education and experience, are uniquely qualified to handle these claims.
An Ongoing Specialized Education
Workers’ compensation is one of the most frequently changing fields of law. An informed defense requires almost constant education. Wilson Ratledge provides in-house seminars for their clients and their insureds. The attorneys also publish a monthly newsletter to assist their clients in keeping current with regard to the constant changes in the law or the handling of the claims.
An Array of Clients
The clients range from heavy manufacturers, including the steel and aluminum industry, to health care providers, cities, counties, governmental agencies and a wide variety of businesses, both large and small. The majority of them are self-insured, thereby necessitating a more personal and involved defense. The clients of Wilson Ratledge rely on our availability, whether it be for current claims or future issues. Wilson Ratledge understands that keeping the employer current and well informed is a part of the responsibility.
A Proactive Partnership with our Clients
Wilson Ratledge views the professional relationship with each client as a partnership. The professionals believe that it is their obligation to provide excellent service in every aspect of the partnership with the client. This level of services is achieved by:
- Keeping current with regard to workers’ compensation laws, statutes and legislation.
- Being thorough and aggressive in representing the clients.
- Being decisive and responsive to the client’s needs and requests.
- Giving the client full opportunity to determine not only the direction the legal representation should take, but also the effort and expense to be extended.
- Being prepared to mediate or try the case.
- Providing effective representation at a reasonable cost.
- Keeping the client current and well informed at each step.
The attorneys at Wilson Ratledge know that adherence to certain standards enhances the ability to produce favorable results for their clients. The members believe in thorough homework and investigation, and will carefully map out strategy in discussions and correspondence to the client. It is Wilson Ratledge’s belief that every document prepared, and every exhibit that is collected, should be clear and meaningful, and thoroughly reviewed before it becomes part of the record in a case.
The legal opinions that the attorney’s at Wilson Ratledge generate are based on experience and a complete understanding of the relevant statutes and case law. When you retain Wilson Ratledge to represent you in any workers’ compensation claim, we apply all the skills and resources we have to successfully resolve it.
The professionals at Wilson Ratledge know that the manner in which the firm responds to their clients’ needs may also affect the outcome of a claim and the ongoing partnership with the client. To this end, Wilson Ratledge takes pride in their service, and commits the following:
- When you make inquiries, Wilson Ratledge will endeavor to give you a clear, concise and prompt response.
- When you call one of the attorneys, he or she will either take the call immediately or return it promptly.
- When you request information, a professional get it to you as quickly as possible – no delays and no excuses.
Though the firm is highly experienced and possesses strong trial capabilities, Wilson Ratledge recognizes that as a defense firm, it is their obligation to help clients avoid litigation in the first instance. The firm engages in extensive risk management efforts to help clients achieve this goal. If litigation is unavoidable, Wilson Ratledge will always provide the client with a true choice of either compromise or hearing.