Orange Park - Jacksonville - Clay, Duval & St. Johns County
Hurt on the Job? Know What We Handle.
The SOUD Law Firm does not handle workers' compensation cases. We do handle third-party injury claims when someone other than your employer caused or worsened your injury, often alongside the workers' comp attorney you already have. If you need a comp lawyer and do not have one yet, we can help you get connected while we pursue the third-party claim.
- We do not take workers' comp cases - we focus on third-party negligence claims
- Free consultation on whether a separate personal injury claim exists
- We coordinate with your workers' comp lawyer when both claims are open
Call (904) 353-9000 or text the SMART Line™ at (904) 639-5308 anytime.
Free consultation · No fee unless we win
From Attorney Jeff Soud
Workers' comp vs. third-party claims
We do not practice workers' compensation law. Workers' comp is a separate system through your employer. It has its own rules, deadlines, and lawyers who handle it every day. That is not our practice area, and we will tell you that upfront.
We pursue claims against third parties. When another driver, property owner, equipment manufacturer, general contractor, or anyone other than your employer contributed to your injury, you may have a personal injury claim that workers' comp never pays. Full damages, pain and suffering, and other losses that comp benefits do not cover. That is the work we do.
Common examples we see in North Florida. A delivery driver rear-ended on the job. A tradesman hurt by defective equipment. A worker injured on a property someone else controls. In each case, the at-fault party's insurance may owe compensation that no workers' comp claim will ever pay.
Often both claims run at the same time. Many clients already have a workers' comp attorney handling the employer side. We handle the third-party case in parallel and stay in communication so strategy in one file does not undermine the other.
If you need a workers' comp lawyer, we can point you in the right direction. At your free consultation we will tell you honestly what we can take on. If you need workers' comp counsel and do not have one yet, we can help you get connected to a lawyer who handles that side while we evaluate and pursue the third-party claim.
Do not sign anything before you understand your options. Releases and settlements can close doors you did not know were open. Bring the paperwork to a free consultation and we will walk through it together in plain English.
Work injury questions, answered
Do you handle workers' compensation cases?
No. Workers' compensation is a separate area of law with its own attorneys and procedures. We focus on third-party personal injury claims against someone other than your employer. If you need a workers' comp lawyer, we can help you get connected to one.
I was hurt at work. Do I have a case beyond workers' comp?
Possibly. If someone other than your employer contributed to your injury - another driver, a property owner, an equipment manufacturer, a contractor on site - you may have a separate personal injury claim in addition to workers' compensation. A free consultation is the fastest way to find out.
Can you work with my workers' comp attorney?
Yes. When both claims are open, we coordinate with your comp counsel so the third-party case and the comp file do not work against each other. Many of our work-injury clients already have a comp lawyer when they come to us.
What is the difference between workers' comp and a third-party claim?
Workers' comp is a limited benefit system through your employer that pays certain medical costs and partial wages regardless of fault. A third-party claim is a personal injury case against someone outside your employment whose negligence caused your injury, and it can cover damages comp never pays.
What does it cost to talk to you about a work injury?
Nothing. The consultation is free, and if we take your third-party case we work on a contingency fee. You pay no fee unless we win.
What should I bring to the consultation?
Any incident reports, medical records, photos, names of witnesses, workers' comp paperwork if you have it, and anything you have been asked to sign. If you do not have all of it, come anyway.
Find out whether a third-party claim exists.
Workers' comp may be one piece of the picture. A free consultation will tell you whether someone other than your employer owes you more, and whether we can pursue it while your comp claim moves forward.
Office: (904) 353-9000