Nancy J. Wallace

Nancy has more than 30 years of experience in workers comp in the Inland Empire, starting as a law clerk defending Comp Insurance Companies, watching insurance companies refuse help people seriously hurt at work. In 1994, she left defense to represent only injured workers. Nancy knows what it is to be injured and trying to work and support a family. In the Inland Empire 30 years, Nancy knows which physicians and facilities truly help injured workers (and which ones just give lip service but no help). Nancy answers questions for workers throughout the state on Avvo.com, LawGuru.com, and on her website: www.imhurt.info.

• Workers' Compensation

• Free Consultation
• Contingent Fees
  YOU don't ever write me a check; the Judge orders the insurer to pay me after I help you get paid on your claim.
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Workers Comp fees are just 15%, NOT 40% like personal injury attorneys. NO FEE IS PAID UNTIL YOUR CLAIM CLOSES. [You never pay the fee directly...the insurer pays a part of your award to the attorney, per the judge's order.]

California

Since 1989

Federal Circuit

Since 1990

Owner

Nancy Wallace, Attorney at Law

1996 - Current

Represented Injured Workers and Physicians and Diagnostic Facilities before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.

Judge Pro Tem, Small Claims Court

County of San Bernardino Superior Court

1998 - 2002

Small Claims Court matters

Attorney

Kegel Tobin & Truce

1995 - 1996

Defended Travelers, School Districts in Workers' Compensation actions across Calif.

Attorney

Mark & Bolson

1991 - 1994

Workers' Compensation defense for The Hartford, Farmers, County of Riverside, County of San Bernardino, San Bernardino City School District.

Attorney

Parker & Dally

1987 - 1991

Workers Compensation Defense PLUS Estate Planning

Western State College of Law at Argosy University

J.D. | Law

1985 - 1988

Honors: American Jurisprudence Award, Criminal Procedure; Editor, The Dictum (Student newspaper); Honors Moot Court

Activities: Women's Law Association; Latino Student Bar Assoc.

Three Best Rated San BErnardino Employment Lawyers

ThreeBest

2017

Honored as one of the best 3 Employment Law attorneys in the San Bernardino Valley.

Top Contributor Award

Avvo

2017

Found to be a Top Contributor by peers on Avvo for outstanding answers to Workers Compensation questions

Client's Choice Award

Avvo

2012

Clients' Favorite Workers Compensation attorney for 2012

San Bernardino County Bar Association

Member

Current

Lawyers of Distinction

Member

2017 - Current

Calif. Applicants' Attorneys assoc.

member

2012 - Current

American Bar Assoc.

Member

2010 - Current

Activities: Law Day

Workers Comp: Welcome to Outer Space, Law Day, Anaheim

June 10, 2016

Handel on the Law

A talk on the new regulations for securing medications and treatment under the current workers comp laws, and why adjusters get to deny medication and doctor visits and how to fix that.

MEMBER

Lawyers of Distinction

Q. My ex employer misclassified me and all employees as independent contractors . Repeatedly would not pay on schedule.

12 June 2019

A: I was going to give you Neil Pedersen's phone number and advise you schedule a meeting TODAY, but then i see he already answered you! THIS IS NOT workers compensation (unless you sprained your spine requesting your check). IT IS a valuable Employment Law violation claim, do not try to resolve it yourself, check in with Mr. Pedersen today.

Q. My workers comp lawyer got a higher pay out from the adjuster. I’m supposed to go sign off on it. What do I look for?

8 June 2019

A: There is absolutely no way to advise you given the lack of facts here. IF you do not trust this lawyer, you should terminate this lawyer and hire a lawyer you do trust, then go through the options other than agreeing to this amount in exchange for surrendering all you possible future rights against this insurer/employer. IF you do trust this lawyer, you should be meeting with this lawyer (not the legal assistant or secretary, but the actual lawyer experienced in Workers Comp) and discussing what occurs if you reject this offer, time and strategies for possibly obtaining a higher offer, the amount of the attorney fee on this offer and what the attorney did to warrant paying this additional fee. IF this 'lawyer' won't meet with you to answer your questions and discuss alternatives, you have the wrong lawyer.

Q. Are the judges summary of trial official?

6 June 2019

A: Only witnesses listed on the Statements of Issues and your evidence list can be called to prove your case. if you have a witness that can dispute testimony of the defense witness, you might be permitted to call that person not listed as a 'rebuttal' witness. The judge does not dictate any summary of evidence to benefit either party, just to keep a clear record of her/his impressions of the testimony given that date. You may report inaccuracies in the summary of evidence to the judge, but you should have evidence to support your position (you might need to pay to order a complete transcript).

Q. If injured at work doing something that is not in your job description is the employer still responsible?

4 June 2019

A: If there is no 'employment relationship' between this business with the trapped animal (which would have been dead in 2 weeks with no water...??) and the people signing your paycheck, then your claim would be dismissed at the Workers Compensation Appeals Board. IF you were rendering a benefit/service to your employer by going into the ceiling at this place -- that is, when you arrive there on behalf of your employer it is expected you will complete miscellaneous tasks as requested as part of your work assignment -- then a Workers Comp judge may award Workers Comp benefits. If your employer only pays you to drop something off and quickly move on to your next site, then climbing up ladders and removing ceiling tiles would be a 'frolic and detour', NOT covered by workers compensation. YOU LIKELY HAVE a Personal Injury claim against the company that had the animal trapped...if this company had a bookcase that could move and strike anyone on the premises, their premises liability coverage should cover your medical bills and lost wages.

Q. My claims adjuster scheduled me for a QME, after agreeing upon a doctor for an AME with my lawyer. Is this normal?

26 May 2019

A: You have a lawyer, you will be paying that lawyer thou$ands or ten$ of thou$ands, you should be speaking with her. that said, if this doctor is truly an AGREED medical evaluator , then no, all parties should be writing to this doctor as the AME. If the doctor thinks he is a Qualified Medical Evaluator only and he doesn't like you or believe you , he will write you did not sustain a work injury... but if he is an Agreed Medical Evaluator and he knows this is your one and only medical report for trial, he may try a lot harder to follow you and make a finding in the middle.

Q. I was getting workmen now they are stopping it but my doctor said on this paper my condition is permanent and stationary

11 April 2019

A: It all depends on what this doctor wrote about you. If this doctor wrote you can resume all preinjury duties, you should be back on the job ASAP. If he wrote you have permanent work restrictions, you take his writing on those permanent restrictions to Human Resources and request a permanently modified job. If he wrote something inaccurate or untrue or left out body parts or problems, you object and get a Qualified Medical Evaluation -- QME -- with a better doctor. and because you have no idea how to find a better doctor, you should have an attorney getting you to a REAL doctor for the QME evaluation. While you are looking for an attorney, if you cannot resume work and the doctor wrote you will not perform your old job, you get Unemployment from www.edd.ca.gov ...and you look for a new job.

Q. Petition of Joinder

1 April 2019

A: If you really and truly 'just want it to be over' you could write to the judge and withdraw the claim form and application and pay the doctors who treated you, but I suspect that isn't the plan. What will happen next?? If it is a denied claim, you need to get your medical evidence together to prove the injury did occur on the job as you have claimed, and that typically requires a Qualified Medical Evaluation. Joining another employer does NOT start a claim 'over', nothing ever starts a claim'all over again." But the defense does get to ask your Qualified Medical Evaluator how much of what you claim is the result of activities on another job. Once you have a QME report explaining whether you were or were not hurt on the job and which job duties caused this injury -- if any -- the judge can hear the trial.

Q. I recently filed a DOR at the WCAB and I forgot to mail off a copy to the insurance company what should I do?

29 March 2019

A: Yes, i'm quite surprised you were given a date if the Petition For Reconsideration was on file. EAMS should have stopped your DOR from generating a date, but it isn't fool-proof. When a party gets a date and swears under penalty of perjury they provided a copy to the other party and they did not, the other party objects to the date when they get the hearing notice, noting they were never served with the DOR.

Q. I had a work related injury in 2016 on my foot which in resulted in a surgery and doctor rated me 13% disability

7 March 2019

A: It might be good, it might be horrible! YOU HAVE A LAWYER, that lawyer is going to take a big chunk of your money... if this isn't a real lawyer and isn't a specialist in Comp, go get a real lawyer. If you have a psych claim, there is no permanent disability, but the insurer is reponsible for treatment of a psychiatric industrial injury...how much is included to cover treatment with a psychiatrist?? There is just no way to know with the info you've presented. We can't even tell if the 13% is 13% Permanent Disability or 13% Whole person Impairment.