Richard maintains a busy statewide practice representing injured men and women, many of whom are union members. The unique combination of representing labor unions and individual members in work-related injury claims provides Richard the opportunity to integrate the rights and benefits of a union contract with the statutory benefits of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Maximizing these benefits for the injured work is the goal of every case.
Richard has had an active role in establishing the rights of injured workers in repetitive trauma claims, handling the trial and appeal of the cases from the Commission level to the Illinois Supreme Court. In addition, Richard has written “friend of the court” briefs on behalf of injured workers who are not his clients to persuade the Appellate and Supreme Court of Illinois to award compensation benefits. This work is done through the Illinois Trial Lawyers Amicus Committee and on behalf of the United Auto Workers CAP Council. Richard does not charge fees for his “friend of the court” briefing work as he considers it his duty to give back to his profession and to the injured workers who need his help.
Richard’s litigation before the Workers’ Compensation Commission has led to a number of decisions published by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Appellate Court as well as the Illinois Supreme Court. Each of these published decisions resulted in a victory for the injured worker. Richard has successfully tried and settled cases against General Motors, Mitsubishi, General Electric, R.R. Donnelley, ThyssenKrupp and many others.
Richard K. Johnson was named by Best Lawyers as 2016 "Lawyer of the Year in Workers’ Compensation Law - Claimant”. Richard is “AV” Rated by his peers through Martindale-Hubbell, meaning he is considered to have the highest degree of ethics and competency in his field.
- Personal Injury
- Animal & Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
- Workers' Compensation
- Free Consultation
- Illinois
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- English
- Managing Partner
- Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca
- - Current
- DePaul College of Law
- J.D. (1982)
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- Northwestern University
- B.S. (1977)
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- Illinois Super Lawyer in the field of Workers’ Compensation
- Super Lawyers
- 2008-Present
- AV Rated
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Current
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- Association of Trial Lawyers of America
- Current
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- Disability Evaluation
- Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- Illinois Workers' Compensation Practice
- Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- Marketing, Solicitation, and Client Development in a Changing Ethical Environment
- American Bar Association
- Workers' Compensation, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Workers' Compensation Seminar
- 2002
- Website
- Richard K. Johnson's Website Profile
- Website
- Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca Website
- Blog
- Chicago Injury Attorneys Blog
- Some Chicago-Area Amazon Warehouse Workers Are Facing a Dangerous — and Potentially Risky — Choice
18 February 2021 - Important information for United Airlines’ flight attendants considering the Voluntary Separation Leave (VSL)
1 February 2021 - From Tesla’s ‘Full Self Driving’ Vehicles to Waymo’s Driverless Vans… What an Accident Caused by a Technologically Enhanced Vehicle Can Mean to You in Illinois
27 January 2021
- Q. Can I file bankruptcy on a workers comp settlement loan in Illinois or is that type loan exempt from bankruptcy?
- A: The Illinois Workers' Compensation Act prohibits any lien or assignment of proceeds. If you borrow money from a loan company while you have a workers' compensation claim, you are forming a contract, but there is no lien or assignment of the proceeds of the workers' compensation funds. The loan contract terms dictate that you will pay interest on the money you borrow and repayment of the principal and interest will take place when you finalize your workers' compensation case. Filing for bankruptcy to discharge this loan depends on the circumstances of the bankruptcy and it would be best to consult with your bankruptcy attorney. There is nothing in the workers' compensation act that discusses whether the loan can be discharged in bankruptcy.
- Q. Testing me for marijuana years after the initial incident.
- A: I am not sure from your question whether you have had the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission issue an award or if you are still on weekly benefits due to temporary total disability. However, the general answer is that since cannabis is a legal substance, as long as the doctor does not believe it is injurious to your work injury, there is no problem. Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.
- Q. Filed a workman’s compensation with my attorney over 1 year ago. Haven’t heard anything about my case?
- A: Please contact your attorney and ask for a status report. There are many reasons you may not hear from the attorney, but if you make an inquiry, the attorney should respond in a reasonable amount of time. This is simply a matter of communication. Good luck.
