One of The Beauties of Handling Workers’ Compensation Cases in Georgia

Pardon me while I step-up on my soapbox for a moment… I must commend the Administrative Law Judges of Georgia’s State Board of Workers’ Compensation cases for their willingness to resolve disputes, sometimes at the drop of a hat. I have called-upon several ALJ’s in the past to give rulings on matters during depositions. I try my best to be prudent when doing so as to not tarnish my reputation or become a tattle tale. Today was another fine example of this very thing. During a deposition, the attorney for the insurance company and I had a disagreement over questions that were being asked of my client. I simply refused to allow my client to answer certain questions. We were able to call a workers’ compensation judge in Atlanta on the telephone and get a ruling about the appropriateness of the questions being asked quickly. Whether I am right or wrong in the judge’s eyes, getting a decision quickly to evaluate my position and act accordingly is a good thing. I have found that many of the workers’ compensation judges with whom we deal on a day-to-day basis are very approachable and willing to resolve issues quickly to keep their cases moving along. There is something to be said for a judge that will pick-up the phone and take a phone call from lawyers to resolve a dispute. I know a few Superior Court judges who will pick-up the phone to receive calls of this nature or make calls in order to get clarification or move cases along. I would like to see this type of quick problem solving used across the board. It is a good practice.