FAQ

Workers’ compensation wage replacement benefits are paid at 60% of your gross average weekly wage if your doctors say you are totally disabled. Benefits should continue for as long as you lose time from work or are unable to earn your pre-injury wage. You may receive partial or total benefits, depending on the extent of your injury, and insurance carriers often get it wrong.

After you’ve received medical treatment, you must notify your employer of your illness or injury immediately after your accident—your employer must report the incident and may have you fill out paperwork for workers’ compensation benefits. Save all receipts from the doctor or hospital and write down every detail of the event you remember, as soon as possible, such as the date of the injury, witnesses present, and any other relevant information. Then, give our firm a call right away to hire legal representation.

Workers’ compensation insurance carriers often deny workers cases because they aren’t reported on time. Don’t let this happen to you! If you are injured at work, notify your supervisor and it is a good idea to notify more than one person. Why should you tell your employer immediately when you are hurt? First, the law requires you to do so. Second, insurance companies can more successfully deny claims when they are reported days after the injury happens.

One reason why you need legal representation is that the insurance adjuster’s job is to save the insurance company as much money as possible, so they may try to take advantage of you by paying you as little as possible. The weekly temporary total disability benefit is also often calculated incorrectly by the workers’ compensation insurance carrier, without the injured worker or the New Hampshire Labor Department being aware of the miscalculation. There are many workers’ compensation benefits, including vocational rehabilitation and permanent partial impairment awards, which an injured worker may not fully learn from the insurance company. It is important for injured workers to obtain the advice of a knowledgeable, experienced attorney who can maximize the benefits available to the worker through the complicated workers’ compensation system.

SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, is a needs-based program that provides a monthly check to persons who are blind, elderly, or have a disability. For disabled people who have never worked, or those who haven’t worked enough in the recent years to qualify for SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance.)

Not everyone is automatically qualified for Social Security Disability benefits after an injury or illness leaves them disabled. You’ll need to have worked long at a job that had you pay Social Security taxes, and your health has to fit specific requirements. All of this is taken into consideration when the Social Security Administration views your claim.

We highly encourage applicants to speak with a Social Security disability attorney before beginning the application process. An attorney will be able to explain the process for filing for benefits and gather the documents needed to submit a claim. Nearly 60% of all first-time applicants are initially denied disability benefits, and close to 90% of applicants seek the help of a representative at some point in the process. The process of applying and appealing denied claims is often complicated, and the chances of success are far greater with the help of an experienced Social Security disability attorney. Retaining an attorney can increase your chances of approval and help avoid denials based on technicalities or other common errors. Our experienced attorneys can help gather information vital to your claim’s success and ensure you complete the steps necessary for obtaining benefits.

A solid rental or lease agreement is comprised of a range of features related to the rental or lease of property, including the duration of the contract, what the property should be used for, whether subletting is an option, and details regarding payments. An agreement that covers these topics can prevent a potential landlord-tenant dispute.

Landowners who wish to build property on the land they purchased, purchase commercial property, or add onto their homes must be in compliance with various local zoning and land use regulations. Noncompliance can easily lead to complex disputes resulting in major losses, which is why having a lawyer on your side who can guide you is helpful.

There are various things you should consider when looking over your contract, such as ensuring that all the property that is supposed to go with the home is included, including appliances and extras. A thorough inspection of the damage report and the property is recommended, too. A real estate attorney can help you check off your boxes before you make this important investment.

It’s important for victims to know that they don’t have all the time in the world to file a personal injury lawsuit. The amount of time you have to file a claim depends on the state where the accident and injuries occurred. For example, New Hampshire’s statute of limitations is three years, meaning victims have three years from the date of injury to file a claim successfully. Hiring a personal injury attorney can be beneficial because they understand their state’s various laws, including those governing filing deadlines.

No. Our law firm offers free case evaluations to everyone in New Hampshire and throughout New England—it costs you nothing to meet with us to learn more about how lawyers and so we can learn more about you and your case.

Shortly after an accident, you may receive a phone call from an insurance adjuster. While they may sound nice and say they simply want to understand what happened, insurance adjusters often try to coax certain statements from you so they can limit the amount of liability that falls on their insured. It’s important to get legal representation as soon as possible so your lawyer can handle these calls and you don’t have to risk saying something that may harm your case.

Victims of accidents who survive can file personal injury claims, but when they die in their accidents or later pass away from their injuries, their surviving family members or those who were financially dependent on them can file wrongful death claims. Wrongful death claims can recover most of the damages that personal injury claims recover, including medical bills, lost wages, and property damage, but they can also recover some of the damages the family members incurred, including funeral and burial bills and loss of companionship.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, whether it’s a car crash or after slipping on a wet surface, your priority should be getting medical attention for your injuries—even if your injuries are minor or you’re not feeling any immediate pain. From there, we recommend documenting as much of your accident as possible, from taking photos of the property damage to gathering witness contact information, and then calling our firm to get started on your case. We can begin investigating your accident quickly to ensure important evidence doesn’t disappear over time.

The court takes many factors into consideration when determining the living situation of children, but above all else, they will prioritize the decision that best serves the children’s best interests. Some factors include who the children say they want to live with (if they’re of a certain age), proximity to schools, the income of each parent, and any history of abuse, addiction, or mental health issues among the parents.

The main difference between a contested and uncontested divorce is whether the couple in question can agree on all terms of their divorce, from property division to child custody. Generally, an uncontested divorce is viewed favorably because it requires less time and money to negotiate. Uncontested divorces also don’t require court hearings or trials.

A prenuptial can be beneficial for every marriage, and there are various reasons why couples choose to draft prenuptial agreements. Many couples find solace in knowing what will happen to their property or assets in the event they ever get a divorce, for example. Some other reasons why you might consider a prenuptial agreement are if there’s a significant difference in financial status in your relationship, if you have business partners involved that you want to protect, or if you have children from previous marriages that you want to inherit certain assets.

Every divorce case is different, so the amount of time it takes to finalize a divorce will be different depending on the couple involved. Some issues that affect how long your case will take include the number of issues contested and how open you and your spouse are to negotiations and making sacrifices. Hostility will often lead to a long divorce process.

Each state has its laws that dictate how a deceased person’s assets will be distributed if they die without a will in place. In general, these laws will have lists of next of kin that they’ll distribute assets in order. For example, states will usually prioritize the surviving spouse or split property between them and any surviving children.

Yes, you can leave money to a charity, though it’s worth noting that this will result in a charitable tax credit of up to 50 percent and can also lead to other exemptions. You may want to first check if the charity you want to leave money to has a government-recognized charitable organization status. You should also be prepared for family members to contest this if they feel the charity is getting more money than them.

If you already have an estate plan, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to refer to it ever again. It’s best practice to update your will or trust whenever you experience a significant life event or transition, such as getting married or getting a divorce, having grandchildren, or getting diagnosed with a serious medical condition.

The amount of time it’ll take to finalize your divorce will depend on multiple factors, including your location and whether you have any disagreements with your spouse. If you’re in a contested divorce and arguing over estates or child custody, divorce can go on for months and sometimes years.

Yes! In most places, you can avoid court proceedings and fees by going with divorce mediation, which involves a neutral third-party meeting with the couple to help them settle any disputes and draft a settlement agreement. If your divorce is uncontested, you can finalize your divorce without ever having to appear in court.

Alimony, also defined by some states as “spousal support” or “maintenance,” refers to the payments that one spouse is required to make to the other. Alimony payments were implemented as a part of the divorce to establish equal financial grounds for a couple. You may be able to be awarded alimony if the judge determines you’ve demonstrated financial need and there’s considerably unequal earning power between you and your spouse.

One of the most common misconceptions of divorce today is that the courts will always award custody to the mother, which makes sense considering this was the norm in the past. However, the law no longer assumes that mothers are the better parents. The courts take multiple factors into consideration when determining what is in the best interests of the child, such as your income and whether you have a history of abuse or addiction.

It’s never too early to register your business—in fact, you may want to register as soon as you have an idea of what you want your business to look like. A business lawyer can assist you with correctly registering your business with the state and federal governments so you can rest assured knowing you have taken the first steps put your business on the right track.

If you're running your own business, it's understandable that you want to do everything you can to protect it, including preventing others from stealing your ideas. One way you can protect your interests is by creating non-disclosure or non-compete agreements to ensure confidentiality among your employees and others associated with your business.

There are many things to consider when you have a business, and failing to fill out paperwork or review your contracts is a mistake that can cost you. A business lawyer can reduce your chances of encountering lawsuits and other penalties. Being proactive now with the help of a legal professional can save you a lot of time, stress, and money in the future.