Looking for a Lawyer in the USA
Hello everyone. I'm an Irish citizen but work as a construction worker in the USA. I work on the construction of a new mall. 3 days ago I suffered a work injury through and it wasn't my fault. Can I contact a lawyer in the USA and get compensation for my injury?
1 comments
A couple of things to look at here. Full disclosure, I'm not a lawyer and this is not legal advice, just some things to think about as you search for a lawyer.
1. Lawyers are not typically required to make a workers comp claim. Filing the claim should be enough if everyone involved is acting in good faith. All U.S. employers are required to carry worker's compensation insurance - and even if they don't, a lot of states have funds set up for a situation in which the employer did not purchase a policy. For injuries sustained on the job, both the medical costs and lost wages are typically covered by Workers Compensation insurance. Whether or not to get a lawyer is a judgement call based on the specifics of your situation and whether or not you think you are being treated fairly.
2. Whether or not you get a lawyer, you want to report the claim to your employers workers comp insurance company, the sooner the better. If you let a lot of time go by, it can be hard to show what conditions are due to the work injury vs. other parts of your life. If you don't know who your employer's workers comp provider is, ask HR. Most worker's comp policies require you to obtain treatment from medical professionals in their network.
3. If you ultimately decide that you need a lawyer, then you need to look for a lawyer who does Worker's compensation Claims in the state in which the injury occurred. Workers comp legal work is its own specialty in the U.S. and laws vary greatly by state.
If you work for a large company, you probably have something called an "Employee Assistance Program" (EAP). If so, you can call the number for that (again, ask HR) and a very common service is legal referrals. Usually with an EAP, you get a small amount of legal services free and/or discounted.
Lastly, most states provide a website with detailed information about workers compensation claims. So if, for example, you live in Oregon, you'd google: "State of Oregon Workers Compensation".
1. Lawyers are not typically required to make a workers comp claim. Filing the claim should be enough if everyone involved is acting in good faith. All U.S. employers are required to carry worker's compensation insurance - and even if they don't, a lot of states have funds set up for a situation in which the employer did not purchase a policy. For injuries sustained on the job, both the medical costs and lost wages are typically covered by Workers Compensation insurance. Whether or not to get a lawyer is a judgement call based on the specifics of your situation and whether or not you think you are being treated fairly.
2. Whether or not you get a lawyer, you want to report the claim to your employers workers comp insurance company, the sooner the better. If you let a lot of time go by, it can be hard to show what conditions are due to the work injury vs. other parts of your life. If you don't know who your employer's workers comp provider is, ask HR. Most worker's comp policies require you to obtain treatment from medical professionals in their network.
3. If you ultimately decide that you need a lawyer, then you need to look for a lawyer who does Worker's compensation Claims in the state in which the injury occurred. Workers comp legal work is its own specialty in the U.S. and laws vary greatly by state.
If you work for a large company, you probably have something called an "Employee Assistance Program" (EAP). If so, you can call the number for that (again, ask HR) and a very common service is legal referrals. Usually with an EAP, you get a small amount of legal services free and/or discounted.
Lastly, most states provide a website with detailed information about workers compensation claims. So if, for example, you live in Oregon, you'd google: "State of Oregon Workers Compensation".