Attorney and Counselor At Law

My clients need me sometimes. Not necessarily because of the legal things I do but sometimes just so they can vent, ask questions, and get someone to listen to them about what they’re going through.

I’m sure you’ve seen signs on lawyer’s offices that say “Attorney and Counselor at Law.” You don’t see this phrase as often as you used to, maybe because extra words gum up the machinery of search engine optimization (SEO). But I digress.

Writ large, all attorneys are expected to do what attorneys are known for—go to court, read documents, write briefs, research the law, take depositions, negotiate, and the list goes on. But not many people realize that many lawyers wind up also being ersatz therapists for their clients.

Especially those of us who represent real humans who have been injured, or the family members of someone who has been injured or died as a result of negligence.

What My Clients Go Through

If you have ever undergone a surgery, been through childbirth, broken a bone, or had your back seize up, you have an appreciation for what many of my clients experience. They get hurt, sometimes working, sometimes in a car crash, other times slipping or tripping on a dangerous substance or surface, and other times by medical negligence.

The common denominator is they are in pain. Some go through near-death experiences, saved only by their well-engineered vehicle. And a few aren’t so fortunate.

However, if you have been hurt, that’s just part of the equation. My clients face additional stress; they need to pursue a legal case. That in itself can be stressful, scary, and it is almost always a new experience for them. Very few people have more than one personal injury case or workers’ compensation claim in their lifetimes. The vast majority of people never experience this at all.

So you can imagine how scary, disorienting, and confusing it must be to not only be hurting, but also have to negotiate getting medical treatment, figuring out whether you can work, deciding whether to call back the insurance adjuster, finding time to get your car repaired, and wondering how you’re going to pay for it all.

What I Can Do to Help

The first thing I do is remove the client from the equation. Once they hire me, they only have to see the doctor. They don’t have to talk to the insurance company; I do that for them. They don’t have to worry about how to pay for their medical bills. If it’s a car crash case, I advise them to use their health insurance to pay for their bills, and, if that is insufficient, use their auto insurance medical payments (PIP) coverage to pay them.

For all injury clients, I stress the importance of not allowing gaps in treatment. Listen to your doctor and do what he or she tells you to do! Blowing off treatment, even for a week or two, can cost you your case, if the other side uses that break to make it look like your injury wasn’t that serious.

If it’s a workers’ compensation case, I get involved immediately. The Application for Adjustment of Claim is filed as soon as possible and forwarded to the employer’s insurance carrier. I ensure that no nurse case manager is utilized to “monitor” my client’s treatment. I talk to the adjuster to make sure temporary total disability (TTD) is being paid while my client is off work, and that medical bills are being paid, as well.

I carefully explain to my workers’ compensation clients about their medical choices (they are allowed two providers of their own choice, plus any referrals from those providers). I anticipate things they may need, such as transportation to medical appointments if they are deemed unfit to drive due to a head injury, for example. I clear as much as I can with the adjuster or respondent’s attorney.

For all injury clients, I confirm they know they and their social media will be under a microscope; they will be watched closely by someone, whether an attorney, the opposing insurance company, or an investigator.

I remind them that, as William Shakespeare wrote over five hundred years ago, “all the world’s a stage.” If you claim that your right shoulder prevents you from picking up your two year old, you had sure as heck better not be posting pictures online of you hoisting your kid.

What Else I Help With

Most of all, I listen. First of all, people who are hurt, in pain, and often unable to work, are stressed, scared, and frightened. And they need to understand that they are not alone, and that I care about them as people, not just their cases. I respond to my clients when they leave voicemails, text messages, or emails. Depending on how they like to be reached, I respond in a way they prefer.

Second of all, I am old, sixty-one, and have rather lousy genetics, as well as a penchant for pushing myself far too hard in workouts and competitions. So I not only empathize with their experience, I also often can explain their medical procedures to them better than their doctors care to, or have time to do.

When a client explains they are having problems with overhead work and their shoulder hurts in a specific place, I know what they’re talking about because I have had rotator cuff surgery. A torn meniscus and surgery, been there twice (so far). Bad back or neck, that too. There are very few medical diagnoses with which I’m unfamiliar or that I cannot explain pretty well. And I’m a near-expert at what to expect before, during, and after many surgeries. Physical therapy? Been there so often, I’m pretty sure they’ll name the place after me.

I know how scary it is to be unable to work, since I’ve had my own car crashes, bike crashes, injuries, and surgeries. I have had times when not working would have been an extreme financial hardship, so I can empathize with them and also offer some suggestions on how to get through this. Obviously, in a workers’ compensation case, I make sure TTD is being paid on time and in the right amount. In a standard injury case, I ensure that the client has explored options, such as short-term or long-term disability.

Sometimes, I just talk to clients to hear how they’re doing. It’s not always about the case; often, it’s about the person.

Takeaways

• Attorneys wind up doing a lot of listening and counseling to assist their clients
• Your lawyer is a great source of information and assistance when you’re going through a stressful and painful time

Contact Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Stephen Hoffman

If you have been injured, whether by an auto accident, bike or pedestrian crash, dog bite, work accident, or medical malpractice, seek medical attention immediately. Report accidents to the police and your own insurance company, or to your employer if you were injured at work. Then contact a lawyer with experience in your type of injury matter.

If you have been in an accident and have questions, contact Chicago personal injury attorney Stephen L. Hoffman for a free consultation at (773) 944-9737. Stephen has over 30 years of legal experience and gets results; he has collected millions of dollars for his satisfied clients. He is listed as a SuperLawyer, has a 10.0 rating on Avvo, and is BBB A+ accredited. Stephen is also an Executive Level Member of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.

Stephen handles injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing up front, and Stephen only gets paid if you do. You have only a limited time to file a claim, so don’t wait another day; contact Stephen now to get started putting your life back together.