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Workers' Compensation Practice for Paralegals by J. Griffin Morgan, Esquire and Lynne J. DeVenny

Workers' Compensation Practice for Paralegals is a 2008 textbook and practice guide for paralegals and other legal professionals who work in the area of workers' compensation law.  The book addresses practical tasks associated with the law office management of workers' compensation cases, including an overview of workers' compensation law, determining compensable claims, evaluating and accepting cases, reviewing and summarizing medical records, investigating claims, obtaining evidence, drafting pleadings and preparing for mediations and hearings.   More complex tasks, such as handling catastrophic injuries and death claims, Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements, third party claims and bankrupt defendants, are also discussed.  Each chapter includes practice tips to help paralegals become proficient in the practice of workers' compensation law, as well as references to find the most up-to-date information regarding various aspects of workers' compensation practice.  Sample documents are included to illustrate the kinds of documents paralegals may draft in a typical private law practice. 

Workers' Compensation Practice for Paralegals is unique because it is written specifically for paralegals by an attorney/paralegal team with a combination of over thirty years of practice in workers' compensation law.  In addition, both authors have experience teaching law and paralegal students in college settings.  Recognizing that there are excellent state-specific workers' compensation reference books already available for workers' compensation practitioners, this book is intended to guide and train paralegal students, working paralegals and other legal professionals new to the practice of workers' compensation law. Straightforward and easy to read, it provides its readers with an overview of the essential skills necessary to perform substantive work on any workers' compensation case, as well as the tools to find the information they need to make a significant contribution to a workers' compensation practice, whether it be their own state-specific rules and forms, Medicare's current WCMSA requirements or medical references. 

Workers' Compensation Practice for Paralegals addresses a number of significant practice tasks related to handling workers' compensation claims, including:

▫           Determining compensability of a claim under a workers' compensation act
▫           Analyzing injury by accident cases
▫           Analyzing occupational disease cases
▫           Investigating a workers' compensation claim
▫           Understanding and organizing medical records and medical information
▫           Preparing for a workers' compensation claim trial
▫           Ethical rules and considerations in litigating workers' compensation cases
▫           Conducting discovery in contested workers' compensation cases

Workers' Compensation Practice for Paralegals may be obtained by clicking on the link on the previous page.  

Author Information

J. Griffin Morgan is an attorney and managing partner of Elliot Pishko Morgan P.A., as well as an adjunct law professor at Wake Forest University School of Law.  His attorney profile may be viewed at http://www.epmlaw.com/morgan.html.

Lynne J. DeVenny is a senior legal assistant Elliot Pishko Morgan P.A., who specializes in workers' compensation, serious personal injury and wrongful death cases.  She has an associate degree in Paralegal Technology from Davidson County Community College and a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Salem College.  She is a former adjunct paralegal instructor at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  She has lectured at North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers (NCATL http://www.ncatl.org/) paralegal and attorney continuing education seminars;  authored articles for NCATL's Legal Assistant Division newsletter, Discovery;  held several terms as Publications Chair and Membership Chair for NCATL's Legal Assistant Division;  and was a Site Coordinator for NCATL's Wade Edwards High School Mock Trial Regional Competition (http://www.ncatl.org/?p=15288) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for many years.  Her interests include advocating for adoption through state foster care systems, the mentoring of young people through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.1539751/k.BDB6/Home.htm) and for education and research to cure sickle cell disease (see Sickle Cell Disease Association of America at http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/).