Hiring a Workers' Compensation Lawyer in Connecticut
The limits on workers' comp lawyer fees in Connecticut, filing deadlines, how to check a lawyer's license, and free state help for injured workers. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Connecticut: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Connecticut law caps contingency fees in claims for personal injury, wrongful death or property damage at 33 1/3% of the first $300,000, 25% of the next $300,000, 20% of the next $300,000, 15% of the next $300,000, and 10% of any amount over $1,200,000. A client may waive these limits only in a case that is substantially complex, unique or different, after the lawyer explains the limits and the right to seek another lawyer, and only through a written, signed and notarized agreement with a bold-type acknowledgment; even then the total fee cannot exceed 33 1/3% of the amount awarded or received. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 52-251c |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Connecticut Bar Association offers low-cost fee mediation or arbitration, but only if both the client and the lawyer agree to use it. The Statewide Grievance Committee can also order a lawyer to take part in fee arbitration. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | Connecticut's Client Security Fund may reimburse losses from an attorney's theft, embezzlement or wrongful taking of money or property in the course of an attorney-client relationship or related fiduciary role; in limited circumstances it may cover an attorney's refusal to refund unearned fees paid in advance. Negligence, malpractice and investment losses are not covered. Apply on form JD-GC-15, signed under oath before a notary, with copies of proof of the loss, mailed to the Client Security Fund Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. Pamphlet referenced on the form: http://www.jud.ct.gov/Publications/GC016.pdf |
Connecticut rules to know first
| Lawyer fee limits | In Connecticut all fees of attorneys for services under the workers' compensation law are subject to the approval of the administrative law judge. The Workers' Compensation Commission does not give legal advice, but its Education Coordinators answer questions from workers (860-493-1500). |
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| Deadline to file a claim | A written notice of claim for compensation (Form 30C) must be given within one year from the date of the accident, or within three years from the first symptom of an occupational disease. If the worker died within two years, dependents may file within that two-year period or within one year of the death, whichever is later. A late notice does not bar the claim if, within the deadline, there was a hearing or written request for a hearing, a voluntary agreement was submitted, or the employer furnished medical care for the injury. The notice can be given to the employer or to the Commission. |
| Deadline to challenge a denial | Disputed claims: a written notice of claim must be given to the employer or an administrative law judge of the Workers' Compensation Commission within one year from the accident (three years from the first symptom of an occupational disease), and contested claims are heard by an administrative law judge. Either party may appeal an award to the Compensation Review Board within 20 days after it is entered (or after a decision on a later motion), by filing an appeal petition at the administrative law judge's office. A party aggrieved by the Board's decision on a question of law may appeal to the Appellate Court. |
| Can you sue your employer? | Suing the employer: a Connecticut employer that has secured workers' comp (by insurance or approved self-insurance) is not liable in any damages action for an employee's work injury or death, and all other rights and claims between them are abolished except those in the comp law. If the employer failed to secure coverage, the employee may sue the employer for damages (with an exception for a worker who held himself out as an independent contractor and was classified that way in good faith). A co-worker can be sued only if the wrong was willful or malicious or involved negligent operation of a motor vehicle. |
| Suing someone other than your employer | Suing someone else: an injured worker may claim comp and also sue any other person legally liable for the injury, and the employer (or the Second Injury Fund) may sue to recover what it paid. Whoever sues must immediately notify the others in writing, and they may join within 30 days or their claims abate unless they give written notice of a lien. From any recovery, after the employee's reasonable expenses including attorney fees, the employer's claim for comp paid and probable future payments comes first, but if the employee brought the action the employer's claim is reduced by one-third (unless the employer is the state or a municipality, or the Second Injury Fund). A settlement by either side does not bind the other without its consent. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-293(a) |
| Filing a claim online | In Connecticut an injured worker files Form 30C, Notice of Claim for Compensation, within one year of the injury. File it with your employer (get a signed, dated receipt, or send it by certified or registered mail with a return receipt) and send it to the correct Workers' Compensation Commission district office; Form 30C can also be sent electronically through the WCC GovQA portal. Keep a copy. If benefits are delayed or denied you can request a hearing with a WCC administrative law judge. Help: Workers' Compensation Commission, 860-493-1500 (ask for an Education Coordinator), Mon-Fri 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. GovQA portal linked from the page: https://wccct.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/ |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Connecticut Bar Association offers Find a Lawyer CT, an online search of lawyers by location and area of practice; the CBA's public page lists no consultation fee or referral phone line. CBA Member Service Center: (860) 223-4400. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Connecticut Judicial Branch's Attorney/Firm Look-up, compiled from records of the Superior Court clerk for the Hartford Judicial District and the Statewide Grievance Committee, lets you search by juris number, attorney last name or firm name, and town. Results show whether the license is active, whether it was ever inactive and why, and whether the attorney has been disciplined. The Judicial Branch does not guarantee it is a complete history; for an official licensing and disciplinary history, contact the Statewide Grievance Committee at (860) 296-3848. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Grievance complaints against Connecticut lawyers are reviewed, investigated and decided through the Statewide Grievance Committee (21 members, including 7 non-lawyers) with Statewide Bar Counsel. Use form JD-GC-6, filling out a separate form for each complainant and each attorney (do not name a law firm), and mail the original plus 6 identical copies, with copies of supporting documents, to Statewide Bar Counsel, Statewide Grievance Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. It is free to file. Filing does not itself get you reimbursed, though the committee can order restitution in some cases. A lawyer's disciplinary record appears in the Judicial Branch attorney look-up. Complaint form and instructions: https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/gc006.pdf |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut is the LSC-funded legal aid organization for the state and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. CT Free Legal Answers, run by the Connecticut Bar Association and the ABA, lets low-income residents submit a civil legal question online and get brief advice from a volunteer lawyer. CBA public page: https://www.ctbar.org/public |
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All legal help in Connecticut · Background guide
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.