This is the first in what we hope will become a series of articles where instead of telling you what great translation and interpreting work we do, we tell you about other highly-regarded professionals. Our first featured professional is Worker’s Compensation attorney Barry Stein. Barry is the lawyer that other workers’ compensation lawyers turn to when a case has gotten the best of them. We recently had lunch with Barry. We expected to discuss our respective businesses, and how we could help each other with referrals. We didn’t expect to receive a brown bag, introductory seminar on workers’ compensation law. We might not have caught on to every lesson that Barry offered, but what was apparent to us is Barry’s passion for worker’s compensation law and his insistence on integrity and care for his clients.

At first blush, Florida’s workers’ compensation system seems like a simple proposition. Employers procure insurance against workers’ injuries while on the job. If an employee suffers a workplace injury and the employer has a workers’ compensation policy in place, the employer is not liable for the injury. The employee’s recovery is limited to lost wages and out-of-pocket medical expenses. Rather than go through expensive and time-consuming litigation, the State of Florida has special judges of compensation claims to exclusively handle workers’ compensation cases.

Simple, right? Well, what if the employee injured her left wrist on the job, but had suffered a previous injury to the same wrist? How much of the disability leading to the lost wages is attributable to workplace injury? Can the employee recover more (pain and suffering) than lost wages and medical expenses if the injury was caused by a dangerous condition that the employer knew about and concealed? What if the employer claims that the injured person is an independent contractor, not an employee? Do you still think it’s simple? It’s not, and sometimes the complexity can get the best of even the most experienced attorneys. That’s when those attorneys turn to Barry Stein.

We were delighted to share a meal with Barry. It’s always a pleasure to be in the presence of a consummate, passionate professional. With all of the construction activity in our region, chances are that you know a construction worker, or know someone who knows a construction worker. If that worker suffers an accident at work, have him or her call Barry Stein, for assistance in recovering lost wages and medical expenses and perhaps even settle the claim for a lump sum.