In handling Defense Base Act claims both nationally and internationally, we very often do not see our clients until a deposition, Mediation or trial is scheduled. While our office is well equipped to handle both national and international claims through telephone contact, email, and Skype due to the nature of the practice, discovery and litigation are commenced while we are in our offices and we deal with clients who are often thousands of miles away. Obviously we make ourselves available for telephone conferences when that is necessary.
I began thinking about this last week and whether the fact that we do not have direct office contact affects the quality of representation and I am glad to conclude that it does not. I have been practicing in South Florida since the early 80s and during the early part of my practice I was handling workers’ compensation, Longshore and pension claims for employees in South Florida. As such, depositions and hearings were conducted just miles from our office and it was not unusual or unexpected that a client would show up at the office just to say hello. A couple of weeks ago I ran into an old client while at the deli counter of the local supermarket. His home is less than two miles from mine and I represented him for eight years until we ultimately resolved his Longshore case. It was good to see him but more importantly he proudly introduced me to his wife. I had spoken to her and left countless messages with her over the eight years of representation but that was the first time I met her. She also thanked me for sticking with her husband for all these years and for the settlement he received.
While communicating by telephone and email may be less personal then a client coming in after work or on a day off, we believe at Barnett, Lerner & Karsen that we are able to fully represent and serve our clients whether they live in South Florida, South Carolina or South America. The Defense Base Act contemplates a worldwide employee deployment and we are able to affectively and vigorously represent our clients whether they live around the corner or deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Contact Us today – regardless of where you are!