Find Lawyers in America for Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Practice Area Overview
Begun in England with the recognition that normal lawsuits took too long and were too uncertain for industrial injuries, the trend reached the United States, and individual states started amending their constitutions and passing statutes, first voluntary, then mandatory, to provide no-fault systems with statutorily prescribed amounts of payments to injured workers or to the families of deceased workers whose injuries occurred on the job. In return for the “no-fault” system, employers received what has turned out to be limited immunity from lawsuits by injured workers.
Today, most states’ systems include private insurers who can write coverage nationally, with the exception of Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming, which do not allow private primary insurance coverage, and instead have systems in which employers pay into a State Fund, or are allowed to self-insure. Employers’ lawyers, together with your insurance broker, can advise you on the advantages and disadvantages of self-insurance in the various states.
Although the workers’ compensation systems are “no-fault,” lawyers become involved in individual claims when there are disputes over whether the claimant was actually employed by the employer, whether injuries actually occurred on the job, whether conditions were pre-existing or arose from another cause, as well as issues regarding the extent of the alleged disability or impairment, the duration of weekly benefits, the relationship of medical bills to the original injury, and other issues. At that time, an Employers’ Lawyer can conduct an investigation for factual and surveillance evidence, collect medical records, have the claimant examined in an independent medical examination, and then defend and argue the employer’s case at administrative hearings and/or in court, depending upon that particular state’s system.
Some states have safety rules that are enforced through the workers’ compensation system by enhanced weekly payments or other benefits, and are apart from the federal OSHA system. Some states allow lawsuits outside of the workers’ compensation system by injured workers, in the case of perceived willful, intentional, or deliberate intent by employers, depending on the state.
Some states allow workers’ compensation attorneys to be designated as specialists. Generally, an employer should have a regular workers’ compensation defense attorney advising the employer, in addition to any third party administrator or other claims adjuster the employer might have, since the attorney’s perspective is that of one who must uphold the employer’s position at hearing or in trial. In some states, the defense attorney is not only paid by the insurance company, but the insurance company is the actual party in the case. In those instances, the employer might wish to consider having counsel to make sure that the insurance counsel is representing the employer’s interests adequately as they are obliged to do.
Corporate Law & Commercial Litigation Legal Guide 2023
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Mr. Abraham, a founding Partner of Brown Gren Abraham & McCracken, focuses his practice on representing insurance carriers and employers in workers’ compensation litigation. He prides himself in personally handling each claim in an aggressive manner while not only keeping the client informed of the progress of the case, but in the drivers’ seat throughout the life of the litigation process. This styled approach allows him to be a step ahead of his clients’ opponents and ...
Dan Addison is a partner in Hall Booth Smith’s Charleston office with three decades of experience in medical malpractice, dental, and workers’ compensation. Before joining Hall Booth Smith, Dan was Managing Partner of his own firm, the Addison Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina, which specialized in workers’ compensation litigation, subrogation, insurance coverage, and mediation. He also spent more than a decade at a large firm in Columbia that specialized in conflict pre...
Lori’s practice is principally focused on workers’ compensation litigation. She advises and defends employers and insurers in the manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, hospitality and retail industries throughout all stages of litigation before the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Lori handles complex workers’ compensation issues and strives to provide efficient and effective resolutions for her clients, whether that means negotiating with the other side or taking ...
Clifford B. Ammons, named one of The Best Lawyers in America ® in Workers' Compensation Law, was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1978. His experience spans from workers' compensation, medical malpractice defense and nursing home defense to education. His cases of note include Fresenius Medical Care and Continental Cas. Co. v. Woolfolk ex rel. Woolfolk , 920 So. 2d 1024 (Miss. App. 2005); Davis v. Pioneer, Inc. , 834 So. 2d 739 (Miss. App. 2003); and Bates v. Countrybrook Living ...
Newton Anderson is the Managing Member of Spicer Rudstrom’s Memphis office. He also serves as the Chair of the firm’s Employment Law practice area. His practice handling various types of civil cases has taken him to all state and federal courts in West Tennessee and occasionally beyond. He advises corporate clients on business matters and has represented clients in landlord-tenant and other commercial real estate matters for more than 30 years. He has received an AV Preeminent rat...
FREDRICK R. BAKER is a Member in the Cookeville, Tennessee, office of Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones, PLLC, which he joined in 2001. His law practice includes an emphasis in workers' compensation and employment discrimination, as well as ADA and FMLA compliance. Fred is the Editor of the Tennessee Workers' Compensation Handbook , published by M. Lee Smith Publishers. He is also Legislative Co-Chair of the Upper Cumberland Society of Human Resource Management, and is Tennessee's repr...
Chris Barkas is a shareholder in Carr Allison’s Tallahassee, Florida office where his practice focuses primarily on the defense of commercial vehicle claims, employment-related claims, professional liability claims and retail/premises liability claims. An AV-rated attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, Chris has practiced law in the North Florida area for more than 20 years and has conducted jury trials in many of the counties in the area. In the early part of his career, Chris was an Ass...
Grady focuses his practice on workers’ compensation, workers’ compensation mediation and appellate advocacy. He is a co-author of The Law of Workers’ Compensation Insurance in South Carolina, Sixth Edition, a comprehensive book analyzing this complex area of law. Grady is a Fellow in The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and is a member of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network. He serves on the Board of the South Carolina Workers' Compensation...
Andrew devotes much of his practice to providing a full suite of litigation and advisory services to clients in the London market involving high limit accident and disability insurance claims. He regularly litigates coverage disputes throughout the U.S. and routinely advises clients in complex coverage, claims management, underwriting and policy drafting matters. He represents and counsels clients in all aspects of the claim investigation, pre-suit resolution, litigation, and appellate proces...
Mr. Binkley, a Member of Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell, P.L.C., joined the Firm in 1986 after receiving his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Mr. Binkley is a graduate of The University of the South (magna cum laude) in 1981. Mr. Binkley has over twenty-eight years of experience representing employers and individuals in employment, workers’ compensation, tort, and insurance matters. Mr. Binkley assists and counsels private and public employe...
Member Alan G. Brackett, who is one of the firm founders, leads the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act defense team, which also handles claims arising under the Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act. Alan litigates claims nationwide for large corporations and insurance companies, including Chubb and American Longshore Mutual Association. As supported by the many peer honors he has received, including The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, Alan has develop...
Ryan G. Brake is a shareholder in the firm’s Florence, Alabama office. He practices in the areas of general liability, premises liability and workers’ compensation and has defended numerous premises liability, auto accident and workers’ compensation cases in courts across Alabama. Ryan received his BS in Business Management, graduating magna cum laude, from the University of North Alabama where he served as president of the Student Government Association. He earned his JD fr...
Todd A. Brooks is a Swift Currie partner who focuses his practice on workers’ compensation matters. His clients include national manufacturers, “mom-and-pop” businesses and school systems, as well as city and county governments. In addition to handling client matters, he provides advice to organizations on how they can minimize exposure, mitigate legal risk and better position their businesses to reduce liability. Todd has handled more than 20 jury trials and over 250 bench ...
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mr. Brown has practiced with the firm since 2002 and has been a Member of the firm since 2008. He concentrates his practice in the areas of workers' compensation and general liability defense, primarily premises and auto liability. He also has a background in defense of governmental entities, having formerly served as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Deborah C. Brown Debbie Brown is a member of GWB’s Workplace Practices Group and focuses her practice on the defense of employment and workers’ compensation cases. As a certified employment specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, Debbie is able to assist employers, including employers in workers’ compensation cases, with a wide array of employment issues. Debbie also conducts seminars in both employment law and workers’ compensation for other Bar members and cl...
Mr. Brown, a founding Partner of Brown Gren Abraham & McCracken, continues his focus on representing insurance carriers and employers in workers’ compensation, employment law, and general liability claims in Colorado and Utah. Mr. Brown has been practicing in Colorado since 2005 and handles matters arising under such laws as the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), Colorado Wage Act and the ...
Kim Burnette is a partner with Arnett, Draper & Hagood, where his practice focuses on tort litigation, product liability, workers’ compensation, mediation, and insurance issues. Kim is an East Tennessee native who received his J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1985, graduating with honors. Upon graduation, he served a one year judicial clerkship with United States Magistrate Judge John Y. Powers in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thereafter he returned to Knoxvi...
One of the firm’s founders, Charles Carr has more than 35 years of litigation experience in state and federal courts in Alabama. Charles has litigated in many other states throughout the United States. He has served as national coordinating counsel on complex and catastrophic personal injury cases in 25 states within the United States for a major national insurance carrier. Currently, Charles serves as national trial counsel for Swift Transportation, one of the largest motor carriers in...
Virtually 100% of Mrs. Cole’s practice involves workers’ compensation matters. She represents insurance companies, Funds, corporations, and other businesses, both large and small, throughout Alabama in a variety of workers’ compensation related legal matters including consultations on preventative measures to alleviate on the job injuries and to counsel businesses on handling work-related claims prior to litigation. She has worked in both private practice and as in-house cou...
Steven maintains a varied practice focusing on representing workers who have been injured on the job and people who have been injured due to the negligence of others. His practice also includes representing consumers who have been harmed by unfair or deceptive business practices. Steven started his legal career with the office of the North Carolina Attorney General, where he worked primarily defending the state of North Carolina in workers’ compensation cases, before deciding to join Ma...
Angela Farag Craddock is a partner at Young Moore, focusing her practice on helping businesses and institutional clients navigate civil litigation, state administrative litigation, and appeals. She leads the firm’s Appellate Practice and is a member of the Transportation and Logistics, Workers’ Compensation, and Insurance Regulation Practice groups. She also helped to spearhead formation of Young Moore’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee as its inaugural Chair and has been...
Attorney Malcolm Crosland has been a partner at Steinberg Law Firm since 1987. He comes from a family of lawyers and decided to pursue the family tradition of becoming a lawyer, following in his father and grandfather's footsteps. Malcolm studied law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He primarily handles workers' compensation and personal injury cases. Malcolm is passionate about giving back to the community and has served on both charitable boards and law-related committees....
John Davis represents employers in the areas of labor and employment law and workers’ compensation defense. He spends a considerable amount of his time advising clients in connection with a variety of employment-related matters, including terminations, severance agreements, wage and hour issues, union avoidance, union negotiations, arbitrations, personnel policies and compliance with federal, state and local employment laws. In addition, Davis frequently appears before the Arkansas Work...
Terri C. Davis is an Attorney and Senior Vice President at Shuttleworth. She focuses her practice in Employment Law and Litigation, including employment related litigation, commercial litigation, product liability, and the handling of administrative trials, including utilities cases and workers compensation. She advises employers on employment matters, and assists with policy review and development, as well as handling of investigations and complaints, both internal and before civil rights co...
Dawn serves as Young Moore’s Managing Partner and is the first woman to lead the firm since its inception in 1954. She also co-leads the Employment/Workers’ Compensation litigation team. An employment lawyer with more than 20 years of experience, Dawn advises and represents clients on matters involving workers’ compensation claims and other employment issues such as non-compete agreements, harassment and retaliation claims, ADA, FMLA and FSLA issues, employment agreement dra...
“I counsel my clients on virtually every facet of their businesses because employment matters directly impact every aspect of an organization. Whether recruiting, hiring, compensating, training, evaluating, promoting, disciplining or terminating, each employee interaction poses compliance obligations and financial risks. It is my privilege to assist with the creation of an optimal human resource infrastructure and thereby minimize these risks.” In addition to representing private ...
C. Douglas Dooley is a litigation attorney with 25 years of experience handling workers’ compensation, trucking accidents, personal injury law, insurance coverage disputes, premises liability, food borne illness cases, dram shop liability and complex litigation. Doug is regularly invited to lecture on workers’ compensation, premises liability and tort liability to risk managers, human resource administrators and insurance claims professionals across the country. Doug is on the DRI...
Chris Dorough, a shareholder at Carr Allison in the firm’s Birmingham, AL office, is a trial attorney specializing in the defense of workers’ compensation and other associated employment and tort claims. Chris counsels and advises clients on workers’ compensation matters and has successfully defended a broad range of clients, including national, regional and local retailers, insurance companies, self-insured employers, third-party administrators, group insurance funds and sm...
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