Michael J. Lucas & Associates, LLC
M. J. LUCAS Attorney at Law
Free consultation Call (847) 418-8811

For individuals

Workers' compensation

If you were injured on the job in Illinois, your claim does not depend on proving that anyone was at fault. It depends on documentation, deadlines, and a system that is not designed to be navigated alone.

Call (847) 418-8811 Free consultation

Illinois workers' compensation matters are handled through the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission rather than the ordinary court system, with its own procedures, its own arbitration process, and its own timelines. An employer's insurance carrier knows those rules well. Most injured workers are encountering them for the first time.

Michael and paralegal Olga A. Vaysman handle workers' compensation matters together, including arbitration proceedings. Olga has focused on injury and workers' compensation work for nearly two decades and brings a background in biochemical engineering to the medical records, treatment histories and damages documentation that decide these cases.

Workers' Compensation

Matters we handle

What the work involves

  • Evaluating the claim and the benefits available to you
  • Medical records, treatment documentation and the injury record
  • Communication with the employer's insurance carrier
  • Arbitration proceedings before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission
  • Negotiation of settlement, including medical bills and liens
  • Language assistance and interpretation throughout, in Russian or Ukrainian

If English is not the language you think in

Describing an injury, a treatment history and a workplace accident precisely is difficult in a second language — and precision is exactly what these claims turn on. Olga is fluent in English, Russian and Ukrainian and provides interpretation in arbitration hearings and court proceedings across the Chicagoland area. You can explain what happened in your own words.

Questions about your situation? (847) 418-8811 Free consultation

FAQ

Common questions

Illinois requires notice to the employer within a set period after the injury, and the clock runs from the accident. Late notice is one of the most common reasons a valid claim runs into trouble. If the injury already happened and you have not reported it, call — do not simply wait.

Illinois law prohibits retaliating against an employee for exercising rights under the Workers' Compensation Act. If something has already happened at work after your claim, that is a specific conversation worth having quickly.

There are rules about independent medical examinations and about your own choice of physician. What you should not do is assume the carrier's instructions are the complete picture of your rights. Ask before the appointment, not after.

Nothing. The initial consultation is free. Personal injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover for you.

Other practice areas

Personal Injury Injured through someone else's carelessness. Handled from the first notice through negotiation and, where needed, trial. Learn more Business & Corporate Law Formation, contracts, governance and the disputes that follow when an agreement is not honoured. Learn more Civil Litigation Contested civil matters for plaintiffs and defendants, at both the pre-litigation and the litigation stage. Learn more Insurance Disputes Denied claims, coverage disputes and uninsured motorist claims, handled against the insurer. Learn more

Tell us what happened.

One phone call is enough to find out whether you have a matter worth pursuing.

Call (847) 418-8811

Free consultation · Monday – Saturday, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM · By phone 24/7

Call (847) 418-8811