Labor, Employment & Safety

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Sound business practice always includes evaluation of the costs of doing business, including the cost of workers’ compensation: the expense of administering claims and providing benefits along with the legal fees associated with litigating contested issues and assuring regulatory compliance. For more than 30 years, Spilman has developed an efficient and balanced approach to handling the workers’ compensation challenges faced by our clients.

Spilman works with our clients to provide a managed approach to workers’ compensation and a controlled use of litigation.

We accomplish this goal in three ways:

  1. By assisting clients and their claims administrators in carefully evaluating claims before deciding to litigate;
  2. By recognizing that, in many cases, limiting benefits can be a more practical strategy than eliminating benefits;
  3. By notifying clients when it is apparent that success is unlikely and incurring additional legal expense deserves reconsideration.

Spilman has used these strategies successfully on behalf of many of West Virginia’s largest employers. We take pride in our ability to provide cost-effective service to our workers’ compensation clients. This is accomplished by relying heavily on our comprehensive, self-designed database that allows us to process claims information in large part without handling paper files. We can facilitate client access to this database.

We also depend on our experienced, talented paralegal resources and limit attorney involvement to those tasks that truly require the specialized skills of legal counsel.

In addition to claims administration and litigation, Spilman:

  • Handles litigation and mediation before the Workers' Compensation Board of Review
  • Presents appellate briefs and argument before the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
  • Assists insurance companies and self-insured employers with government relations and regulatory compliance
  • Represents employers in administrative hearings concerning rate assessments
  • Drafts and monitors legislation before the West Virginia Legislature

Our experience in serving the diverse needs of large and small employers, insurance companies and third-party administrators has equipped us to respond immediately to client inquiries and provide solutions to every kind of workers’ compensation problem.

West Virginia Member of the National Workers' Compensation Defense Network – a nationwide network of law firms dedicated to protecting employers in workers' compensation claims – www.nwcdn.com.

For more information about our workers' compensation practice, contact:

304.340.3823