Joel Friedman

Joel F Friedman has been representing injured workers in claims for Arizona workers' compensation benefits for about 35 years, and he was certified as a specialist in workers' compensation law from October 1993 - February 2021. He continues to specialize in work injuries; he accepts complex cases other lawyers often won't take (like work stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, and gradual - repetitive work injuries); and he has been a frequent speaker at national Social Security, State Bar of Arizona, Arizona Trial Lawyers (Arizona Association for Justice), and private organizers, conferences on a variety of subjects, including psychological - neuropsychological evaluations, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), cardiac and cardiovascular disorders, and Medicare benefits. Joel hikes the Arizona deserts, travels where the wind takes him (currently working with small organizations and starting an Arizona non-profit corporation to support women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo), and in a past life was a licensed soccer referee

Villanova University School of Law

J.D.

1979 - 1982

Franklin & Marshall College

B.A. | Business Management

1973 - 1977

Activities: Chi Phi Fraternity 1974 - 1977 Men's Soccer 1973 - 1974

State University of New York - College at New Paltz

Literature

1977 - 1979

ATTORNEY

JOEL F FRIEDMAN, PLLC

2011 - Current

New law office after 28 years with firm of Jerome, Gibson, Stewart

Director, Arizona Workers' Compensation Division

Cruz & Associates, PC

2016 - 2019

I managed the work injury section of the Phoenix Cruz office. I supervised an associate attorney and 3 paralegals, including for administrative claims and court cases at the Industrial Commission of Arizona

Attorney-shareholder

Jerome, Gibson, Stewart, Friedman, Stevenson, Engle, & Runbeck, PC

1982 - 2011

Certified specialist in workers' compensation law

State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization

1993

Outstanding New Attorney Volunteer

Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

2012

For contributions to offering pro bono legal services to the Valley's homeless community

Arizona State Bar

Member

Current

Arizona Association for Justice (Arizona Trial Lawyers)

Member

2006 - Current

National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR)

Member

1985 - 2014

Activities: Council of Past Presidents 2002 - present President 2001 - 2002 Advocacy Committee Chair

Arizona

9th Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court

US District Court - Arizona

• Free Consultation
  I am available to review medical and case documents, at no charge, to decide what services I may be able to offer, and what fees would be charged. I will then schedule a telephone or in-person meeting to review your case
• Contingent Fees
  I am able to take most Arizona work injury claims on contingencies, so there is no charge for my time until and unless there is a recovery. Legal and case expenses must be reimbursed regardless of the result, pursuant to the Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct. Medicare Set Aside (MSA) case contracts depend on the specifics
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Fees are dependent on the specific nature of your case, and where you are in the process. I may be able to offer discounted fees to police and fire department employees, union workers, and veterans applying for Arizona work injury.

• Medicare Set Aside (MSA) trusts

Q. Do we need a workman comp attorney?

March 22, 2024

A: First, I am sorry to hear about your father and hopefully he will recover. Second, you have a choice of filing a workers' compensation (WC) claim in either New Mexico or Arizona, and I do not know the difference between benefits available for the two states because my practice is only in Arizona. It seems Arizona would be better logistically because it's easier for whoever is going to be managing the claim for your father to be in the same state where he lives and where he will presumably continue getting medical care. The charges for treatment in New Mexico and taxes will [should] be covered regardless of where the WC claim is filed. The insurance company, and it's not clear if that was for a New Mexico or Arizona claim, is correct that a guardian ad litem needs to be appointed as quickly as possible. That can be done through the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA), either online or someone can go in person to the Commission office at 800 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007. There is a claims desk in the back of the building on the first floor, and they can help with the application. I will try to put the link to the application here, but I'm not sure if the app will allow it and if it doesn't go through, the main website is AZICA.GoV.

https://azica.my.salesforce-sites.com/forms/WebformGuardianIncapacitated_VF

You also need to make sure a claim actually has been filed, and you can find that out by contacting the ICA at 602-542-4661, although without legal authority they may be reluctant to provide that information. The main question, again, is if and where a claim has already been filed and, if not, if it's better in New Mexico or Arizona. WC attorneys in Arizona generally charge a percentage of benefits eventually paid to or for the injured worker, and you should check with different attorneys-law firms to find out what that percentage will be and their experience with this type of catastrophic claim. ... Read More

Q. Arizona is a right to work state but how far does that extend can anything be done to protect my dad’s job

March 20, 2024

A: Your question hopefully will be answered by an employment law attorney, because it is not a workers' compensation issue unless your father's hip problems are the result of a work injury (accident or repetitive activities). I am not an employment lawyer but I generally tell my work injury clients to contact their employer's HR department immediately and, if the employer is not a small company (I believe less than 50 employees total in a 75 mile radius), to ask ask to file for unpaid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It's my understanding both of those programs can qualify him for time off from work and give him some protections to keep his job if and when he is able to go back. His employer should have told him about that already if he has not already used up those options. He will need a medical certification to qualify for either FMLA or ADA leave. ... Read More

Q. Can I receive a lump sum?

February 26, 2024

A: YOUR QUESTION: My husband died while on the job in the 80s while working in Freeport in az. Am I able to receive a lump sum? I was never given the option. I only receive $67 a month. How would I go about asking and receiving. Would this also affect my social security.

ANSWER: Your widow's (technically death) benefits from Arizona workers' compensation (WC) have no effect on your Social Security benefits, especially if you are receiving old age (over full retirement age of 65-67 depending on your birth year) survivor's or retirement benefits. There is no legal right to a lump sum payment of Arizona WC widow's benefits unless you have remarried, in which case it's mandatory. You can always ask the company paying your WC widow's benefits (I'm suspecting your husband was working at Freeport-McMoran, a self-insured mining company), and you should expect the payout to be substantially discounted, not just the same monthly payment over your life expectancy (which is set generally by the US government or Industrial Commission of Arizona). You will also need to find out if the benefits you receive now are from an annuity purchased as a substitute for your widow's WC benefits, because that would very likely complicate if not preclude a lump sum settlement. Arizona WC is very different from California and Nevada, so the answers you got from the other lawyers are mostly wrong (like the circumstances of your husband's death about 40 years ago, which has nothing to do with anything now) and very much incomplete. You should be able to find a qualified Arizona WC specialist lawyer to get answers to your questions ... Read More

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