Stephen Smith will present a live MWL webinar on “Iowa Workers’ Compensation Subrogation: Simple Steps To Avoid Subrogation Traps” on June 12, 2019 at 10:00-11:00 a.m. (CDT). Iowa’s workers’ comp statute is perhaps one of the most complicated in the country. Unlike most workers’ comp schemes, Iowa’s statute creates a variety of rights—that may or…
Every year, more than 170 billion cell phone texts are sent and received. Each year, an average of 3,000 people die and 450,000 are injured in motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers. Ten percent of all drivers who are 15 to 19 years of age involved in fatal crashes were distracted when the accident occurred.…
Judge Refers to MWL Chart in Decision A New Jersey Superior Court judge recently issued a written ruling, holding that, as a matter of first impression, it was inappropriate for a lawyer to question his client during trial as to whether his vehicle was “totaled” as a result of an accident with the defendant’s vehicle.…
Texas has more roads than any other state in the country. It has over 15 million licensed drivers on the road and its residents own and operate more than 8 million automobiles—twice as many as New York or Illinois and more than any other state other than California. Nearly all of them travel on Texas…
Texas has historically been a very favorable venue for workers’ compensation subrogation, but it has not been without its gray areas. In death cases, when an employee dies and surviving family members have received workers’ compensation benefits, a careful analysis is required in order to determine and protect the subrogation and future credit rights of…
Texas is at the forefront of enacting laws which limit or bar indemnification clauses of contracts in industries in which the Texas legislature perceive one contracting party has an unfair advantage over the other. Texas currently has anti-indemnity statutes for commercial construction, oil and gas, and common carrier transportation. While the mere fact that your…
Subrogation potential often crashes and burns in the face of exculpatory agreements and liability waivers. As a result, understanding and invalidating such waivers has become an indispensable aspect of the subrogation industry. On April 12, 2019, Lee Wickert with MWL’s new Austin, Texas office was featured in a New York Times article which looked at…
New Austin Office Opens May 1 Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. (“MWL”) is proud to announce the opening of its new Austin, Texas branch office. The office will be overseen by Gary Wickert, Jim Busenlener, and Lee Wickert. All three are licensed in Texas, and Gary is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal…
Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. would like to wish all of our clients and friends a very blessed Easter. While Easter means different things to different people, we celebrate the Good News which Easter represents. It is the fulfillment of the greatest Promise ever made – the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the…
As a native Texan, I have an interest in Texas history. The history of workers’ compensation subrogation in Texas is as storied as the history of the state itself. The Lone Star State flew the flag of the Kingdom of Spain from 1685 until 1821, leaving a legacy that remains to this day. France laid…