is my lawyerv working for me?

[loophole35]

Hi i live in maryland and i went to workmans comp hearing, and my lawyer informed me of a settlement offer,i was injured 07/08/2008 had sugery on07/06/2009 i dad dissectomy of two disk in back .l3 l4 .how do i no what is a fair settlement if you dont trust lawyer my lawyer doc gave me a rating of 18% my job insurance company gave me a rating of 12% the offer was 4 28.500 to close case what should i DO ?

 

[seagoing]

You better study your case real hard.Are you unable to return to work ,that job?Will they keep your position open for your return.Many times ,insurance settlements are subject to you resigning.Do you want to leave the job?With your disability,will you be able to find another job?in this economy?Your atty.probably gets 1/3.My atty.fought to get me a higher settlement at a mediation.Did atty.say maybe you can go to mediation?Or ,does atty.just want the %and move on.You need to have atty.figure out your lost wages for life if you cant get back to work,also future medical etc.Thats a small offer if you cant ever work again,or ,must resign.Your disability with a workers comp claim puts a damper on future employment

 

[M Monroe]

Personal Injury Liability

Yes, I think your lawyer is working for you. It is common practice for an attorney to have the authorization to try and get a case settled out of court.

Taking a case all the way to and through the court system can cost all parties a lot of money. That is why most cases never reach the court system and are instead settled out of court.

What you didn't mention is what your settlement amount covers as far as your costs. Does it cover your medical bills and any pain and suffering, etc.?

It is to your advantage to settle and get the hassle over with, BUT only if the settlement amount covers your obligations and personal trauma. If it doesn't and you and your attorney believe you have a strong case backed up by good case law, then no, you need to ask for more compensation.

The important thing to keep in mind is that it can and probably will cost a great deal of money to take a case all the way to court AND if it does get to court, you have no guarantees as to which way the court will rule.

It is therefore much more advantageous to settle and that is a primary reason why your attorney has pursued settlement.