Insurance Subrogation Lawyers
Serving Clients throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., lawyers have represented more than 250 insurance companies, self-insured entities, third party adjusting companies and government entities in connection with subrogation related litigation, resulting in recoveries and credits of more than $300 million over the past 25 years. This includes recovery efforts in the areas of personal lines insurance, workers' compensation, fire, group health, casualty, fidelity and surety bonds, uninsured motorist, inland and ocean marine, ERISA, long shore and harbor workers' compensation, aviation, hospital liens, group health and disability, conversion claims, med pay, mistaken payment of benefits, recovery of premiums and other areas.

Contact an insurance subrogation lawyer at Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., to schedule a meeting with a member of the legal team. The firm aggressively pursues subrogation rights, which have traditionally been neglected and under utilized. Implementing an aggressive and successful subrogation program remains an insurance carrier's biggest challenge. Lacking the historical respect given to other areas of the insurance industry, aggressive subrogation has become an indispensable function of carriers interested in making every effort to maximize profit. Through aggressive subrogation training programs and the investment of subrogation resources, insurance companies are no longer backing down when it comes to recovering what is rightfully theirs. Hiring a full service insurance firm like Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., to implement an innovative recovery program and aggressively pursue and recover every possible subrogation dollar is a necessary step toward this end. In effect, failure to recognize third party liability and take advantage of all subrogation opportunities is tantamount to paying a claim twice. Subrogation must be recognized as a profit center worthy of the investment of time and resources.

Use of staff counsel or defense firms in subrogation cases may result in a harboring of their natural defense perspectives when asked to evaluate or identify third party liability. Prompt recognition of and action on subrogation potential are absolute prerequisites to securing a 100% recovery of your claim dollars. Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., quickly and efficiently help you gather the information necessary to secure your right to recovery in those critical days following a significant loss or claim. Our subrogation lawyers average 20 years of trial experience each. Compare that with the experience of the lawyers to which your subrogation matters are assigned at the firms you currently employ. You will see that subrogation experience makes all the difference in the world.

Property Damage

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., handle a wide range of property damage claims, from automobile losses to fire and casualty to catastrophic inland marine transportation claims. The attorneys at Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., take the action necessary to preserve your subrogation interests and aggressively recover your claim dollars.

Uninsured Motorists/Underinsured Motorists

Statutory law and court decisions in this area can be somewhat confusing. We help you understand the issues and recover your UM/UIM dollars as quickly as possible. Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer's lawyers have also been instrumental in shaping the laws which affect a carrier's right to subrogate against a UM/UIM policy.

Workers' Compensation

When a work related injury results in a claim, every state has a different set of priorities and rules regarding your right to recover these dollars. Prompt action is necessary to guarantee maximum recovery. Our network of local counsel allows us to act as a clearinghouse for subrogation claims across the country.

Inland and Ocean Marine

Transportation law can be complicated and confusing. Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., specialize in navigating the minefield of modern transportation law and defeating limitations wherever possible.

Recovery of Mistaken Payments and Overpayments

When an insurance company makes a mistake of fact in paying a claim, it has valuable recovery rights of which it should avail itself. Prompt action is necessary in order to avoid bars and limitations to such recoveries. We aggressively pursue and recover overpayments, claims paid by mistake, as well as premiums due from insureds.

Group Health and Disability

In addition to counseling group health providers and plan administrators on plan and policy language, Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., expertly applies favorable plan subrogation language and federal law under ERISA, where applicable, to maximize your recovery of medical and disability benefits at an absolute minimal cost. We represent several such group carriers and plan providers on a nationwide basis.

Hospital/Healthcare Liens

Every state has a series of laws relating to the rights of hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers to establish and enforce statutory liens and rights of reimbursement of medical bills incurred by an individual who later pursues and recovers tort damages from a third party. Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. represents health care providers in all 50 states to help them preserve and protect these rights. New case decisions are increasingly applying the common fund and made whole doctrines to such statutory liens and trial lawyers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in challenging liens as unrelated to the particular injuries for which the recovery was made. We assist hospitals and health care providers navigate the changing landscape of contractual/statutory health care liens and help them maximize their recoveries in all jurisdictions.

Benefits of a Full Service Subrogation Firm

Most insurance companies don't realize when they have lost subrogation dollars. When such recovery opportunities are lost, it is usually because third-party liability is not recognized in a timely manner or is not recognized at all. These monies are lost forever and you may never even know it.

Free Subrogation Opinions

As a full service insurance law firm, Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., will offer, free of charge, a review of and opinions on subrogation potential and the chances of recovering in a particular case. This will give the subrogation representative or claims handler an opportunity to decide whether to pursue the claim, or whether subrogating would amount to "throwing good money after bad."

Investigating Subrogation

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., believes that immediate investigation, especially in catastrophic losses, is essential to an effective subrogation program. Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., will conduct an investigation of subrogation potential whenever there is a serious injury or catastrophic property loss, even in instances in which it appears that there is no visible source of recovery. It is paramount that this investigation is initiated while memories are fresh, witnesses are available and the evidence has not been destroyed or altered. Our expansive collection of expert witnesses covers the nation and allows us to get the best quality professionals involved early, and at the right price.

Nationwide Subrogation

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., maintains local counsel in almost every state in the country, and serves as an exclusive clearinghouse for dozens of insurance clients nationwide. Evaluating subrogation, coordinating with local counsel and ensuring that subrogation efforts in foreign states are conducted economically are only a few of the benefits of utilizing Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., for your subrogation needs across the country.

Seminars and Consulting

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., is available for providing subrogation and insurance related seminars to insurance clients as needed. In addition, we have a great deal of experience in designing and implementing subrogation programs on a company wide basis or from office to office.

Subrogation Evaluation Program

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., will also make lawyers available to review your files in your office to determine whether files have subrogation potential. Reviewing either electronic files or hard copies of files, Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., will search for subrogation potential and make recommendations on files where further investigation or subrogation activity is needed. These services are offered free of charge to our clients.

"If you have any responsibilities whatsoever for subrogating group health and disability claims, whether ERISA or not, you need this firm." -Kip Howard, PFL Life Insurance Company, Dallas, Texas

"When dealing with subrogation, your attorneys must think and act like plaintiffs' lawyers, and be creative and aggressive in their pursuit of third party liability. This is one of the many reasons we use Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer." -Lawrence E. Bunchek, Corporate Recovery Specialist, Amerisure Companies, Farmington Hills, Michigan

"For years, Gary Wickert has provided quality subrogation representation to Underwriters and the London market. If there is subrogation potential, Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer will get your money. If there isn't, they will tell you." -Kevin Whelan, Lead Underwriter, Cornhill Insurance, London, England

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., represents the subrogation needs of clients in all 50 United States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming; and throughout Canada and Mexico.