Happy Wednesday Team,
This week’s tip outlines the benefits of scheduling mediation early in the claim (special shoutout to my fellow “Liar Liar” fans)!
JOHN’S GEORGIA TIP OF THE WEEK: Schedule Mediation Early!
Benefits of Early Mediation
- Faster and Cheaper than Litigation (generally)
- Our goal is to resolve claims as quickly as possible at the lowest cost to the Employer/Insurer.
- Settlement eliminates ongoing legal, medical, and indemnity expenses à Early mediation gives us the opportunity to settle claims faster!
- The cost of mediation is generally MUCH cheaper than the cost of weeks, months, or even years of ongoing legal and medical expenses, and/or indemnity payments to the Claimant.
- Gives the Claimant “the chance to be heard”
- When the Claimant is represented by counsel, all communication about the work accident must go through their attorney which can cause a claimant to feel “ignored” by the Employer/Insurer (not true).
- Mediation gives the Claimant the chance “to be heard” by allowing them to personally explain their position to the mediator.
- Allows a third-party (the mediator) to explain the ACTUAL value of their claim
- Claimants commonly have unrealistic expectations regarding the value of their workers’ compensation claim (often the result of the wildly inflated settlement demands submitted by their attorney).
- The mediator is a neutral third-party that can state both the ACTUAL value of the claim and explain why their inflated evaluation is not based in reality.
As always, feel free to give me a shout if/when you run into any GA issues or questions!
Sincerely,
John Fennelly | Junior Partner