You are well advised to have professional advice as early as possible so that you are fully aware of your rights at every stage of the proceedings. This is particularly important in view of ongoing and continuing changes in the law. You absolutely cannot rely on the insurance company to give you accurate advice as to your rights under the Workers’ Compensation Act. It is important to know that attorneys’ fees are strictly regulated by the law and that under no circumstances is an attorney allowed to charge a client directly for his or her services in a workers’ compensation case. In most instances, all attorney fees charged by lawyers for representing employees are paid by the insurance company, either according to a schedule defined by the law, or as a percentage of a negotiated lump sum settlement. In some limited cases, a portion of the attorney’s fee could be deducted from an amount of benefits awarded by an administrative judge.