Behind the Scenes

When you hear radio commercials or see t.v. ads about people who have used a particular firm for a workers’ compensation case, be careful. Think critically about these commercials.

What happens when there is a work comp ad is that a firm’s client who received some sort of settlement is being paid to be a part of the firm’s commercial. Then the client typically says something like this: “I was injured at work and then I hired X Law Firm and got $XXXX.”

That’s it.

You don’t know anything else. You don’t know about the type of injury. You don’t know how that injury occurred. You don’t have any information about how long the case lasted. You don’t know whether the person in the commercial suffered a serious or catastrophic injury. These are important things that you should know. But they’re missing from the commercial.

If, for example, the ad indicates that the client “got $27,000,” it’s important to know whether they suffered something really serious, like an amputation. If that’s the case, then a person who suffered such a serious injury deserves far more than $27,000!

Beware of the Mills

Whenever you hear work comp commercials, understand that they are treating you like a commodity. These firms are typically mills. What is a mill? When I think of a mill, I think of a factory and a giant conveyor belt. There’s an assembly line, and you are a part of it. You are simply one of many injured workers coming down a huge conveyor belt, and that conveyor belt and assembly line and factory all serve a larger machine, which is the law firm. You’re not going to get any sort of special attention. Nobody’s going to care about what you’re going through.

In my eight years in the field of workers’ compensation, I have only met a small handful of lawyers who really cared about their clients. All of the rest of them didn’t. Sure, they might have had a habit of saying that they cared, but their actions didn’t match their words because I would see the same attorneys send their clients to the most horrible doctors. The proof is in the pudding.

This is not to say that you need to hire me; it’s just to say be careful. Be choosy. Navigating the world of California workers’ compensation is not easy, but you will have a better experience if you are working with somebody who cares about you and your treatment.

You are more than a commodity.

You only get one shot around this globe, so make sure that you’re treating yourself right and that you’re receiving the proper treatment that you deserve.

Until next time, my hope for you is that you’re living your fullest life possible.