Hiring a Workers' Compensation Lawyer in Wyoming
The limits on workers' comp lawyer fees in Wyoming, 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 Wyoming: fee rules
| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Wyoming State Bar offers fee arbitration for fee disputes over $500 (disputes of $500 or less are not eligible). Generally you must file within one year after the later of the end of the lawyer-client relationship or the final bill; if the lawyer sues over the fee, you have 30 days after service of the required notice. Complete the Petition for Fee Arbitration and upload copies of bills and supporting documents. The bar sends it to the attorney, who has 21 days to respond; the Fee Arbitration Committee chair tries informal resolution, and if that fails within 30 days a panel holds a hearing and issues a written decision. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The Wyoming State Bar's Client Protection Fund reimburses clients who lose money or property through a lawyer's dishonest conduct (such as theft, embezzlement or conversion, including failure to refund advance fees), or when a lawyer dies or becomes incapacitated while holding client money, within a lawyer-client relationship. It does not cover negligence, business or investment losses, interest, or losses covered by insurance or bonds; awards are discretionary. The maximum is $15,000 per claimant per calendar year. File within four years after you knew or should have known of the dishonest conduct, using the notarized Statement of Claim (fill out online, then print, sign and mail) with proof of loss; a lawyer is not required. Questions: (307) 432-2104. |
Wyoming rules to know first
| Lawyer fee limits | In Wyoming workers' compensation contested cases, the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) awards attorney fees under W.S. 27-14-602(d) at an hourly rate set by the OAH director. A hearing examiner may appoint an attorney to represent an injured employee; after the final order, the attorney may request reasonable fees and costs at $180 per hour (paralegals $40 per hour), submitted within 90 days with a verified statement and the proposed source of payment (the workers' compensation account, the employee's award, or the employer). |
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| Deadline to file a claim | In addition to the injury reports, an application or claim for benefits must be filed within one year after the injury (or, for injuries not readily apparent, within one year after the worker discovers it); the injury report itself is not a claim. For injuries that develop over a long period, the claim must be filed within one year after a diagnosis is first communicated to the worker or within three years of the last injurious workplace exposure, whichever is later. Source: Wyo. Stat. § 27-14-503 |
| Deadline to challenge a denial | The Workers' Compensation Division issues a final determination with notice of the right to a hearing. Any interested party may request a hearing before a hearing examiner by filing a written request with the Division within 15 days after the notice of final determination was mailed; if the Division has not issued a final determination within 60 days after the claim was filed, a party may also request a hearing. The hearing examiner's decision in a small claims or contested case hearing may be appealed to district court as provided by the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled title PDF on wyoleg.gov. The deadline for the district court petition (set by the Administrative Procedure Act and court rules) was not read. |
| Can you sue your employer? | Generally no. For employees in covered (extrahazardous) employment, workers' comp rights and remedies replace all other rights and remedies against a contributing employer and co-employees acting within the scope of employment, unless a co-employee intentionally acted to cause physical harm. The exclusive remedy does not apply if, at the time of injury, the employer had not qualified for coverage or had not paid the required premium on the worker's earnings within 30 days of the due date. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled title PDF on wyoleg.gov. Source: Wyo. Stat. § 27-14-104(a), (c) |
| Suing someone other than your employer | Yes. A covered worker injured through the legal fault of someone other than the employer keeps comp benefits and may also sue that third party (or a co-employee to the extent allowed). The complaint must be served by certified mail on the director and the attorney general, a jurisdictional requirement, and they must be notified of any judgment or settlement; a third party must give the state 15 days' notice before offering a settlement. On a recovery, the state is reimbursed for comp paid or to be paid, but not more than one-third of the total proceeds, reduced pro rata for attorney fees and costs. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled title PDF on wyoleg.gov. Source: Wyo. Stat. § 27-14-105(a), (b) |
| Filing a claim online | Report your injury to your supervisor no later than 72 hours after it happens, and file a Wyoming Report of Injury with the Department of Workforce Services' Workers' Compensation Division within 10 days (by mail to P.O. Box 20207, Cheyenne, WY 82003, email dws-wcintake@wyo.gov, or fax (307) 777-6552); DWS encourages the worker and employer to complete the form together. DWS then assigns a nine-digit claim number to give your health care providers. Check claim information anytime online through the PIERS system, or call (307) 777-7441 or your claims analyst. Report an Injury: https://dws.wyo.gov/dws-division/workers-compensation/injured-workers/report-an-injury/ |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Wyoming State Bar runs a Lawyer Referral Service. Its Lawyer Referral Directory lists only attorneys who are part of the referral program and is searchable by practice area; you can also request a referral online. Wyoming State Bar phone: 307-632-9061. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Wyoming State Bar's Member Directory lets you search all lawyers licensed in Wyoming. It is separate from the bar's Lawyer Referral Directory, which lists only attorneys in the referral program. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Wyoming lawyers go to the Wyoming State Bar's Office of Bar Counsel. Complete the Ethical Violations Complaint Form, sign and date it (complaints are sworn under penalty of perjury; anonymous complaints are not accepted), and mail the original with copies of supporting documents to Office of Bar Counsel, P.O. Box 109, Cheyenne, WY 82003-0109; questions (307) 432-2104. Bar Counsel looks at possible violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct, such as missed deadlines, abandoning a case or mishandling client funds, but not the quality of a lawyer's advice or strategy alone, fee disputes (handled by fee arbitration) or rudeness. The lawyer receives a copy of the complaint; the complaint and investigation stay confidential unless a Formal Charge is filed, and you are notified before that happens. |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Legal Aid of Wyoming provides free civil legal help to low-income individuals in Wyoming. Apply online or call 1-877-432-9955. LSC lists Legal Aid of Wyoming as its Wyoming grantee. LSC grantee list: https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/our-grantees |
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All legal help in Wyoming · 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.