What you should know about Defense Base Act and your case

The Longshore and harbor workers compensation act or LHWCA offers protection to 500,000 or so workers who had been injured on the navigable and adjoining waters of the US. Aside from injuries on water, the Longshore Act also offers protection to those who contracted occupational diseases. The authorized self insured employers directly pay the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act benefits.

The Defense Base Act is an extension of the Longshore Act and covers individuals who are employed at the US bases overseas, including those who work for privet employers. Thus it also includes expatriate compensation not just compensation to US citizens employed in the defense bases. Under the DBA, injuries resulting in death are one of the special cases. Reasonable funeral expenses of up to $3000 are part of the death benefits under DBA. Aside from this, the survivors can also receive benefits that are equivalent to the average weekly wages of the worker. Reporting to ones immediate supervisor is the first technical requirement of the Defense Base Act. After reporting to ones supervisor or if the person has died, one needs to find a defense base act lawyer or DBA attorney. To help you find a good Defense base act attorney, here are three things you should look for in a Defense Base Act lawyer.

First, you should use the internet to know more about DBA and how many lawyers fail to properly represent their clients. This is not surprising since this is an area of law that requires LHWCA and DBA expertise. You therefore cannot hire just any lawyer. Hire a Defense Base Act lawyer. And you cannot just hire a Defense Base Act lawyer, hire a really good one. And since there are not that many Defense base act attorneys, read articles and reviews on lawyers, including Defense Base Act lawyers. There are many articles that will tell you if the lawyer is not doing his job right.

Second, look for a Defense Base Act lawyer who has already won several DBA and LHWCA cases. This will tell you if the lawyer indeed has the expertise in DBA cases. It is best therefore to hire a Defense Base Act lawyer from a law firm. A law firm that accepts DBA cases means that they have the expertise in such cases. Moreover, they have the resources for your case. It is best therefore to look for the qualifications of the Defense Base Act lawyer and if you are going to hire a law firm, see their cases won.

Third, talk to the lawyer and see if you can work with him. No matter how good the lawyer is, you need to find one whom you can have confidence. At the same time you need to find one whom you think you can relax with and work with for months. So before hiring a lawyer consider this when you talk to him in person.