We often hear that we’re a “litigious” society, meaning people are overly willing to sue another individual or organization in search of financial compensation. While this term is used deridingly, imagine if we lived in a society where civil lawsuit wasn’t an option? If grave harm came to you or a family member, and your health, well-being, career and, ultimately quality of life were affected, what would you do? If a criminal case wasn’t warranted, where could you turn for help?

If you’re not at fault for your injury, why should you be responsible for the bills?

Fortunately, we do live in a society where victims can seek compensation, and about 85 to 90% of cases settle before filing a suit is necessary.   If a suit is filed, then the case needs to be prepared for trial even though it might settle beforehand because everything we say in court must be provable.  If we say our client is injured, we need to have someone prove those injuries and how extensive they are, so we employ a variety of experts to prove our facts–the extent of the client’s injuries and how much it has affected the person’s work.

That’s where Patterson Legal Group goes above and beyond to help clients get the help they deserve with the expert help of Vocational Expert Karen Terrill. Karen has her Master’s Degree in counseling, and has been doing career rehabilitation for 25 years.

“I work with clients to assess their pre-injury earning capacity, post-injury earning capacity, educational background, work background and current limitations. If their post-injury earning capacity is not the same, I determine if re-education is viable. If so, what will the cost be, and what is their likely earning capacity after it’s done?”

She performs her evaluation with a thorough interview process and testing. She coordinates the appointment time with the client, and performs an in-depth questionnaire to determine their work background, educational background, knowledge of computers, typing speed, military service, and other general information. Then, she determines their interests, values and abilities.

“I’ve dealt with a variety of cases, from amputations to brain injuries, to psychological injuries to back, arm and leg injuries. If you’re injured and need to know how it’s affected your earning ability, I can help.”

Workers’ Compensation

In addition to her expertise with civil litigation, Karen also works with clients who’re filing workers’ compensation claims. In a similar fashion to how she determines earning capacity in civil litigation cases, she works closely with clients to assess their loss of ability to perform job tasks and earn wages. She evaluates what their current skills are, what wages paid for these jobs would be, whether or not they can transfer that skill, and any medical, therapy or re-training expenses that may be needed.

If you or a loved one has been injured on or off the jobsite, Patterson Legal Group may be able to help. Call 888-687-2400.