Workers' Compensation

The Workers' Compensation Practice Group is devoted to the exclusive representation of employers and insurance carriers. While many of the attorneys in this group have a background in civil litigation, each one focuses their practice solely on the defense of workers' compensation matters. Our attorneys are well versed in the intricacies of this nuanced practice, and due to their constant presence in the courts where they practice, they have become well respected by the judges before whom they regularly appear and the attorneys against whom they compete.

Workers' compensation is a fast-paced practice that requires a high degree of familiarity with the law. Our attorneys are involved in all aspects of workers' compensation from the infancy of a claim through practice in the appellate courts. We are vigorous litigators who also recognize that litigation is not always the primary focus of an employer's successful workers' compensation program. Significant monetary savings can be achieved through the effective management of workers' compensation plans and innovative return-to-work programs. Our attorneys are on the cutting edge of case law development and are able to assist in the design, implementation and continuation of such programs.

As workers' compensation has become increasingly sophisticated, we have expanded our scope of practice. In addition to providing our regular services, we also support clients in areas that have become tangential to the workers' compensation practice. 

Workers' Compensation Fraud
Fraud contributes significantly to the cost of doing business and negatively impacts employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators. We can facilitate the filing of a fraud claim through local government agencies and review all cases for civil remedies to help our clients recoup some of the monies expended due to fraudulent cases.

Unemployment Compensation
There is increased interplay between unemployment compensation and workers' compensation cases. We can assist our clients in assessing their need for counsel in unemployment cases and can also answer specific questions on how to handle unemployment cases.

Complex Medical Issues
While all of our attorneys are well versed in medicine and can answer questions about the classic workers' compensation injuries, we recognize that there are times when questions arise regarding medical issues in a case that may not be in litigation. Mary Wagner, a shareholder in our Philadelphia office, is also a registered nurse with a master's degree in nursing. Ms. Wagner can assist in answering complex medical/legal questions and providing analysis that may help better assess your workers' compensation needs.

Medicare Set-Asides
Our attorneys regularly advise and counsel clients in matters related to Medicare Set-Asides. Led by James Pocius, who was actively involved in the creation and refinement of the regulations, our group is well versed in the workings of the federal and state liability systems as well as the workers' compensation systems of various states. We can assist our clients with Medicare Set-Aside allocations for workers' compensation and liability cases, Medicare eligibility searches, Medicare submissions to the agency for approval, conditional payment searches and revisions of Medicare Set-Aside allocations.

Fee Reviews
Fee reviews have become an increasingly important component of workers' compensation cases in Pennsylvania. We have identified the problems associated with the fee review system and developed a practice in Pennsylvania where our attorneys are involved at the initiation of the fee review process and aggressively represent our clients' interests through the fee review hearings. Medical providers are able to use the fee review process to challenge the timeliness or amount of medical payments made by the employer/carrier. Since a provider's allegations are accepted at face value during the initial stages of the fee review process, many unjust initial determinations are issued. Attorneys in each of our Pennsylvania offices have extensive experience with the issues that arise during fee reviews and have a thorough understanding of CPT codes, appropriate levels of treatment, appropriate types of treatment and how to win these cases in an efficient and cost effective manner.