But that's no excuse for forgetting that they represent people, and that individual's and families' lives, livelihoods, health and financial well being are at stake.

Unfortunately, at many injury law firms, the focus is on cases, not people.

But now at The Deuterman Law Group.

My overriding reason for starting my own law firm in 2003 was that I believed there was a better way to work, to treat employees and serve our clients. As a result, we have very clear people-focused priorities:

• To deliver justice for our clients
• To treat our clients, our employees and all people with dignity and respect
• To uphold high ethical standards
• To have a positive impact on our community.

While we want to win cases, that's not our only goal. We make it a priority to take care of the “whole person” by ensuring that clients receive not only financial compensation for their injuries, but also medical care, psychological support and access to other resources that will aid in their recovery and improved well-being.

Our attorneys, paralegals and office staff make it our mission to help clients adjust to a new “normal” following an injury. We help put injured people’s lives back on track.

Here at the Deuterman Law Group, things that are all in a day’s work would be considered above and beyond the call of duty at other law firms. Things like:

• Assisting clients with employment and retraining, if needed
• Helping coordinate our client's medical treatment
• Looking out for our client’s financial well-being and directing them to agencies and community groups that can help them. (This might involve helping them find a way to pay their past-due utility bills or helping them secure college scholarships for their children.)
• Ensuring that our clients deal with the psychological, as well as the physical, impact of their injuries.
• Providing great customer service. We call our clients regularly to check in, even if there's no "reason" to do so, like an update on their case. We recognize that sometimes people just need to talk and to know that someone who cares is listening.

Putting people first. It’s such a simple philosophy, but it has served us and our clients well. It's unfortunate that at many injury law firms, the emphasis is clear on cases and not on people.

Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million dollar or multimillion dollar verdicts, awards or settlements for their clients. Less than 1 percent of attorneys in the United States are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and only 74 in North Carolina have earned the distinction since the group was founded in 1993. Burnside is one of the youngest attorneys ever admitted to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Burnside, a Greensboro native, joined the Deuterman Law Group in 2006 after graduating with honors from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law. He was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 2006, and he focuses his practice on personal injury and Social Security Disability cases.

“I’ve known Ben Burnside since he was a law student, and he has always impressed me with his work ethic and his desire to help his injured clients,” said Daniel L. Deuterman, president of the Deuterman Law Group. “Ben works very hard to ensure that his clients receive the benefits and compensation they deserve for their injuries, so it’s no surprise to me that he’s earned membership into the Million Dollar Advocates Forum so early in his career.”
 

Both men were hospitalized for more than a month after the accident, and they both still require ongoing medical treatment. They had combined medical bills of more than $600,000, and neither man is able to work because of the extent of his injuries.

Burnside worked with another Triad attorney who was representing the moped passenger, and together they were able to secure a $1.5 million insurance settlement for their clients. The settlement covered the men’s medical bills and will provide for ongoing medical treatment and income for them.

It helped that the driver who was responsible for the accident had an auto insurance policy with a high liability limit and an umbrella policy, which provided additional coverage, Burnside said. In many personal injury cases, insurance settlements aren’t enough to cover medical bills and other expenses, and injured people have no other financial recourse.

“It feels good to be able to get a substantial recovery for my client in case like this where there are catastrophic injuries,” Burnside said. “It’s definitely going to be a boon for him and his family.”
No matter how severely they are injured, automobile accident victims in North Carolina often can’t collect more than the at-fault driver’s insurance liability limits.  When the injured person does not have Underinsured Motorists Coverage or Uninsured Motorists Coverage, their recovery can be as low as $30,000, no matter how severe their injuries are. It’s not unusual for injured people to be left with thousands or hundreds of thousands in unpaid medical bills, even after receiving an insurance payment.

“Before I started practicing law, the only personal injury cases I ever heard about were those cases with big verdicts or settlements, such as this one,” Burnside said. “Once you start practicing law, you realize those big cases are so incredibly rare. Most of the time, you’re fighting and scraping to get the insurance companies to at least cover some of the losses of your clients, who very often end up much worse off financially. This case was an exception because the driver’s insurance policy was adequate to cover the two men’s injuries and other ongoing expenses.”

While a law student, Burnside completed internships with The Deuterman Law Group and with U.S. Middle District Court Judge James A. Beaty, Jr.

Earlier this year, Burnside’s colleagues in the Social Security Disability Section of the N.C. Advocates for Justice  elected him as co-chairman of the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee. He is also a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR), the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (formerly the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers) the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), the Greensboro Bar Association (GBA), and the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG).

 

(Greensboro, N.C., August 14, 2008) –Daniel L. Deuterman, a Greensboro attorney who is committed to helping injured workers while also improving his community, has been selected as one of the Triad Impact Leaders in Law by Business Leader Media.

Deuterman and 23 other attorneys from the Triad will be featured in the August issue of Business Leader magazine. These winners were chosen based on the impact they have made in their industry and in their community.

“I’m a firm believer that success should be measured in the amount of good you do,” Deuterman said. “That belief guides me professionally as I advocate for injured workers other injured people, and it also has motivated me to become involved in volunteer work. At the Deuterman Law Group, we all care about improving the community in which we and our clients live. That’s an important part of our identity as individuals and as a law firm.

“I’m honored to be recognized by Business Leader for the impact I’ve made professionally and personally."

Deuterman’s own pro bono work earned him honors earlier this year from the N.C. Bar Association and Business Leader Media. He won an Impact Pro Bono Award for work he and his firm did on behalf of the family of Jennifer Nielsen, the pregnant newspaper carrier who was murdered last summer in Raleigh.

Nielsen’s murder remains unsolved.

Initially, Nielsen’s employer denied her family death benefits under the state’s workers’ compensation law, arguing that she was an independent contractor and therefore not entitled to benefits. Deuterman helped negotiate a settlement for the future support of Nielsen’s other two children, who were just 3 years old and 10 months old at the time of her death.

In addition to his pro bono work, Deuterman supports a variety of charities and community groups, including New Garden Friends School, the March of Dimes and Kids’ Chance of North Carolina, a scholarship program for teens whose parent has been killed or seriously injured in a workplace accident.
Deuterman and his wife, Dawne, also endowed the Daniel Lyndon and Dawne Talbert Deuterman Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.

The law firm has been recognized several times over as one of the best place to work in the state because of its family-friendly policies, unique benefits and employee-appreciation practices that make the Deuterman Law Group stand out among other employers.

Derived from the last line of the Pledge of Allegiance, “With Liberty and Justice for All,” 4ALL will address the unmet legal needs of the poor by:

• Increasing financial support for Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc. (LANC) through the
NCBA Foundation Endowment’s new Legal Aid Fund.
• Strengthening the North Carolina legal community’s commitment to pro bono legal service by holding a statewide service day
• Persuading state and federal legislators to give greater financial support to LANC, other legal services organizations and legal aid attorneys.
• Promoting public awareness of the growing number of North Carolina citizens living below the poverty level.

Tomorrow on the blog we’ll have more information on 4All and what we can all do to ensure that no one in our state is denied justice.

The Deuterman Law Group is leading the pack. While some firms are just now launching blogs, we've been using the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Law Blog to keep clients informed for more than a year.

The annual competition recognizes Triad companies that provide good work environments for their employees through their policies, incentive programs, community involvement and benefits.

“The Best Places to Work” award winners and finalists are chosen from nominations and input from employees. Winners are determined based on responses from employee feedback surveys conducted anonymously online with scores rated by a firm that conducts such surveys nationwide. 

Read more about why Deuterman Law Group is one of the Best Places to Work >>

The annual competition recognizes Triad companies that provide good work environments for their employees through their policies, incentive programs, community involvement and benefits.

“The Best Places to Work” award winners and finalists are chosen based from nominations and input from employees. Winners are determined based on responses from employee feedback surveys conducted anonymously online with scores rated by a firm that conducts such surveys nationwide.

“We are honored to be selected as a finalist in this competition,” said Daniel L. Deuterman, president and founding attorney. “At the Deuterman Law Group, we really value our employees and the contributions they make to our firm and our clients. We strive to create a pleasant and positive work environment, and it’s gratifying to learn that our employees think we’re succeeding on that front.”

The Deuterman Law Group offers a full suite of health and insurance benefits, an IRA and family and medical leave. But the firm’s benefits go well beyond the basics.

The firm offers flexible working arrangements and hours, allowing employees to balance their personal and professional lives. Employees may bring their children to work or work at home, if necessary, and the firm even provides professional nanny care to working parents on staff.

Employees earn cash bonuses and gifts for providing stellar customer service. They also get time off to volunteer and to support local charitable organizations.

The Deuterman Law Group celebrates each employee birthday, and there are also special events planned around the holidays.

“We do not aspire to be a big law firm,” said Dawne Deuterman, the firm’s chief financial officer. “Our small staff feels more like family. Working with injured people is a stressful job. We don’t want to add to our employees’ stress, so we offer flexible working arrangements, family-friendly benefits and unique rewards and incentives.”

Such progressive policies have served the Deuterman Law Group well, and not just in terms of employee satisfaction and retention levels. The firm, which celebrated its fourth anniversary this summer, has experienced tremendous growth in that time. The firm has expanded twice and will soon move into a new downtown office building. The professional staff has increased from one attorney to three, and plans are under way to hire a fourth, as well as additional paralegals.

Founded in 2003 by principal attorney Daniel L. Deuterman and his wife, Dawne, the Deuterman Law Group represents injured and disabled workers in workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability cases. In helping injured workers obtain the medical care and financial compensation they need and deserve, the Deuterman Law Group is also helping improve lives for the workers’ families.

So, it’s no surprise that this law firm also cares about improving the lives of its employees, specifically through policies that make it easy for them to balance their work and their family lives.

Here are just two examples of that flexibility in action:

Robin Henley, a legal assistant, is allowed to leave work every day at 2:30 p.m. so that she can be home when her children return from school. And paralegal Renee Senters began working at home in the spring of 2006 after the premature birth of her son, Collin. When Senters’ presence is required at the office, she brings Collin, and the firm pays for a professional nanny to watch him.

“I’m just blown away by the Deuterman’s flexibility,” Henley said. “I’ve never worked in an environment like this before.” 

In addition, the company offers generous benefits that even many big corporations do not offer, including fully-funded health, dental, vision and life insurance, short- and long-term disability, extended maternity leave, paid personal time, generous vacation time and paid holiday leave. The Deuterman Law Group also offers matching IRA contributions to its employees.

The employees of The Deuterman Law Group are more than coworkers; they’re also friends. The office celebrates every employee’s birthday with a party, complete with gifts and a catered lunch and cake provided by the Deutermans. The firm also hosts baby and wedding showers for the staff and an annual Christmas party.

 “We’re a family firm, and we’re a firm that is a family,” said Dan Deuterman, expressing the philosophy that guides his business.

“It’s evident in everything they do that Dan and Dawne really care about their employees,” said Marketing Director Grace Kanoy. “When my youngest son, Sawyer, was born, they threw me a baby shower at their home. How many bosses do that for their employees? And the Deutermans were kind enough to let me work flexible hours from home until I felt comfortable returning to work full time. When I was nursing, they let me bring Sawyer to work with me. I’m never made to feel guilty if I have to take time off to spend with my children. Dan and Dawne really do have their priorities in order.”

Office administrator Peggy Walters enjoyed a similar arrangement after the birth of her child.

“I was able to work from home part-time for the last six weeks of my maternity leave so that I could still have some income without leaving the baby,” she said. “Once I returned to work, I was able to gradually increase my hours each week instead of jumping into full-time work immediately, and that aided in the transition.”

In addition, The Deuterman Law Group encourages its employees to become involved in the community through volunteer work. Dan and Dawne Deuterman have endowed a scholarship at the UNC School of Law with preference given to a law student from Guilford County. They donate their time and money to the March of Dimes, Kids’ Chance of North Carolina, The Greensboro Children’s Museum, Triad Health Project, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, New Garden Friends School and other causes about which they are passionate. They also recognize that their employees have similar passions and support them in those endeavors.

Here’s just one example of how they do that: Paralegal Erin Quintrell and her family volunteer at Britthaven nursing home weekly with their congregation from Cornerstone Baptist Church in Greensboro. Quintrell’s husband, who is a Sunday school teacher and lay minister, leads church services at Britthaven every Tuesday night.

Two years ago, Quintrell brought in tags from Britthaven’s angel tree and asked her employers and coworkers if they’d each be willing to sponsor a resident and buy gifts for that person for the holidays. The Deutermans decided to support Quintrell’s charitable work by paying for the gifts for all the residents. The Deutermans did the same for the 2006 holiday season, buying fleece blankets, socks, toiletries, Christmas ornaments, water bottles and sugar-free candy for the residents of Britthaven.

Quintrell said she’s thankful to work at a place like the Deuterman Law Group and grateful to her employers for their generous donation to Britthaven.

“It’s wonderful of them,” she said. “It’s definitely an encouragement to the people at Britthaven, and it’s definitely an encouragement to me. I realize how blessed I am to have the job I do.”

Contrary to popular belief, health issues don't have as much impact on producitivity as many employers and insurance companies claim that they do.

With the spiraling costs of health care premiums from insurance companies, this is an interesting take on what really keeps an employee from functioning on the job..

In the course of our practice it is not uncommon for a client, who is currently represented by another firm, to contact our office about their case. Unfortunately, the common complaint I hear is, "I have only met my attorney once, and all they said to me is what I should accept for settlement." That is sad.

As an attorney you are professionally servicing an individual as an advocate. But for me, its important to note the distinction between advocating a position and advocating for a person. I have had many cases wherein, from a purely legal perspective, there is only one course of action which would be recommended.

But, what does the client want? Perhaps obtaining more medical treatment is most important to them. Perhaps they would prefer to resolve a case in a manner that will allow them to return to employment with the same employer. Maybe, they would prefer to resolve the case fully and finally on a clincher(settlement agreement) and put the matter completely behind them.

If you don't inquire about the primary concerns and goals of the client, then who are you really representing? Bear in mind, that doesn't mean you have to agree with their position. You are their counselor in the matter, as well, and sometimes what a client desires is nothing short of an impossibility. But the roles of counselor and advocate are not mutually exclusive. By asking a client what they want, you can take the time to discuss the matter with them in full, and help them understand the pros and cons of the variety of choices they have associated with the resolution or pursuit of their claim.

Wal-Mart says 5% of its 1.3 million U.S. employees receive Medicare and 27% of its employees' children get healthcare through Medicaid or affiliated programs.

Maryland Law

Unions and activists say that more than 30 states are considering variations on a law recently passed in Maryland. That law requires companies (such as Wal-Mart) with more than 10,000 employees in the state to spend at least 8% of their payroll on employee health benefits or to make a similar contribution to the state's health program for low income persons/families. Many states have the latter types of programs (Wisconsin, for example, has a program called BadgerCare, many of whose recipients are Wal-Mart employees or members of their families).

Wisconsin Proposal

In most states, the bills being proposed are given little chance of becoming law. For example, hearings were held on Wisconsin's version, but the bill is all but dead in committee. Wisconsin democratic governor Jim Doyle has proposed his own version, a considerably more limited one, and singled out Wal-Mart in his State of the State Address in January. "Wal-Mart is one of the most profitable companies in the world, yet it has more than 1,200 employees and dependents on BadgerCare - far more than any other company in the State, and Wisconsin taxpayers are picking up the tab."

The governor's proposal would fine companies with 10,000 or more employees that have dumped employees into Medicaid and BadgerCare by cutting back on healthcare benefits. The "Wal-Mart bills" referred to above seem to have stemmed from the public outcry over the movie, Wal-Mart - the High Cost of Low Price.

Reprinted with permission from WILG