You’ve been injured at work, filed a workers’ compensation claim, and your case has hit complications—benefits were denied, the insurance company disputes your injury severity, or they’re pressuring you to return to work before you’re medically cleared. Friends and colleagues suggest consulting an attorney, but you hesitate because you’ve heard that “bringing in lawyers just makes everything take longer.” The insurance adjuster might even hint that involving attorneys will slow down your claim and delay the benefits you desperately need. But is this concern legitimate, or is it a tactic used by insurance companies to discourage injured workers from getting legal representation that would actually protect their interests?
Understanding whether legal representation accelerates or delays workers’ compensation claims requires looking beyond surface assumptions to the reality of how claims are processed and what causes delays. For injured workers in Michigan, consulting with experienced workers’ compensation lawyers in Detroit, Michigan, often reveals that attorney involvement speeds up resolution rather than slowing it down—particularly when claims have already become complicated or contentious.
What Actually Causes Workers’ Compensation Delays
Insurance Company Tactics, Not Attorney Involvement
The vast majority of workers’ compensation delays stem from insurance company strategies designed to minimize payouts. Requesting excessive medical documentation, scheduling unnecessary independent medical examinations (IMEs), disputing obvious injuries or clear causation, and slow-walking approval processes are all tactics that delay claims—and they happen whether or not you have an attorney.
In fact, insurance companies often deploy these delay tactics specifically when claimants DON’T have legal representation, betting that unrepresented injured workers will become frustrated and accept lowball settlements just to end the process and receive some compensation.
Complex Medical Issues and Multiple Providers
Some claims naturally take longer to resolve due to legitimate complexity. Injuries requiring multiple specialists, ongoing treatment with unclear endpoints, disputes about whether injuries are work-related, and pre-existing conditions that complicate causation assessments all extend claim timelines—regardless of whether attorneys are involved.
These situations often benefit most from attorney involvement because lawyers can coordinate medical evidence, obtain expert opinions, and present comprehensive cases that prevent insurance companies from exploiting uncertainty to deny or delay claims.
Administrative Processing and System Backlogs
Workers’ compensation systems have inherent processing times. Hearings must be scheduled, administrative judges have full dockets, and bureaucratic procedures require time to complete. These systemic delays affect all claims equally—attorney representation doesn’t create them and often can’t eliminate them entirely.
However, experienced attorneys familiar with the system know how to expedite processes where possible and avoid unnecessary delays that inexperienced claimants might inadvertently create.
How Attorneys Actually Speed Up Resolution
Immediate Proper Documentation
One of the most common reasons workers’ compensation claims get delayed is inadequate or improper documentation. Injured workers often don’t know what medical evidence is necessary, how to obtain it efficiently, or how to present it in formats the workers’ compensation system requires.
Attorneys immediately begin gathering proper documentation—comprehensive medical records, expert medical opinions, employer incident reports, and witness statements—in formats that satisfy workers’ compensation requirements. This front-loaded work prevents the back-and-forth requests for additional documentation that plague unrepresented claims.
Preventing Common Mistakes
Unrepresented injured workers frequently make procedural mistakes that delay claims: missing filing deadlines, providing incomplete information, failing to respond to requests properly, or making statements that insurance companies use to deny claims. Each mistake creates delays while you try to correct problems or appeal denials.
Attorneys prevent these mistakes from occurring in the first place, keeping claims moving forward without the detours and setbacks that plague many self-represented cases.
Negotiating From Strength
Insurance adjusters know that unrepresented claimants often don’t understand workers’ compensation law or the true value of their claims. This knowledge imbalance allows adjusters to make lowball offers that claimants feel pressured to accept because they don’t know they could receive more by standing firm.
When attorneys represent injured workers, insurance companies recognize they can’t exploit knowledge gaps or intimidate claimants into unfavorable settlements. This often leads to faster, fairer settlement offers because insurance companies know that experienced attorneys won’t accept inadequate compensation and are fully prepared to pursue claims through hearings if necessary.
When Attorney Involvement Might Add Time (And Why It’s Worth It)
Building Strong Cases Takes Time Initially
Attorneys often spend significant time up front conducting thorough case investigations, gathering comprehensive medical documentation, consulting with medical experts, and identifying all potential sources of compensation. This initial work may feel like it’s slowing your claim compared to just accepting whatever the insurance company initially offers.
However, this investment of time typically results in significantly higher compensation that more than justifies the additional wait. Getting $50,000 in three months beats getting $15,000 in six weeks—both in total compensation and in ensuring you have resources to cover all injury-related expenses.
Appeals and Litigation Extend Timelines
If your claim requires appealing a denial or proceeding to a hearing, attorney involvement doesn’t cause these delays—the insurance company’s denial or dispute creates the need for additional proceedings. Without an attorney, you’d face the same extended timeline but with far less likelihood of success.
Attorneys guide you through appeals and hearings efficiently, maximize your chances of favorable outcomes, and ensure you don’t waste time on strategies that won’t work or miss opportunities that could strengthen your case.
The Insurance Company Misinformation Campaign
Why They Want You to Stay Unrepresented
Insurance companies have a vested interest in discouraging injured workers from hiring attorneys. Unrepresented claimants accept lower settlements, make mistakes that weaken their claims, and often give up when faced with denials or disputes. Each of these outcomes saves insurance companies money at the injured workers’ expense.
The claim that “attorneys will slow down your case” is strategic misinformation designed to keep you unrepresented and vulnerable. Don’t fall for this tactic that protects insurance company profits while leaving you undercompensated.
The “We Can’t Talk to You With a Lawyer” Line
Some insurance adjusters tell injured workers that once they hire attorneys, the adjuster “can’t talk directly to you anymore” and everything has to go through lawyers, implying this will slow communication. While it’s true that adjusters must communicate through your attorney once you’re represented, this is actually a benefit—it prevents insurance companies from trying to trick you into making damaging statements or accepting unfair settlements.
Your attorney communicates efficiently with insurance companies, ensures all necessary information is provided promptly, and shields you from manipulative tactics that can damage your claim.
Making the Right Decision for Your Situation
Not every workers’ compensation claim requires attorney representation. Simple, straightforward cases where injuries are clearly work-related, benefits are being paid promptly, and you’re healing well might resolve smoothly without legal help. However, any of the following situations strongly suggest attorney representation will benefit you: benefits have been denied or delayed, the insurance company disputes your injury or its severity, you’re being pressured to return to work prematurely, you’re facing permanent disability or disfigurement, your employer is retaliating against you for filing a claim, or settlement offers seem inadequate given your injuries and losses.
Working with experienced professionals at the Cochran Law Firm who specialize in workers’ compensation cases ensures you receive guidance on whether your specific situation warrants legal representation and, if so, how attorneys can expedite resolution while maximizing your compensation. These consultations are typically free, so you risk nothing by learning what representation could do for your case.
The Bottom Line on Delays
The concern that hiring attorneys delays workers’ compensation claims is largely unfounded and often represents insurance company misinformation designed to keep workers unrepresented. While complex cases involving appeals or litigation naturally take time regardless of representation, attorney involvement typically speeds resolution by preventing mistakes, providing proper documentation, and negotiating from positions of strength that encourage fair settlement offers.
Don’t let fear of delays prevent you from seeking legal guidance that could significantly improve your workers’ compensation outcome.
