Stephen Hoffman is a fantastic Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation lawyer and his efforts led to a great result in my car crash case! While on a business trip to Chicago from my native Florida, I was involved in an auto crash where I was hit from behind. Unfortunately for me, just days befo...re I'd left for Chicago, I had consulted with a back surgeon about neck and back issues and whether surgery was warranted. While the crash definitely made these problems worse, there is no question that some of the problems existed beforehand. I had no real idea where to turn or what to do. After some research on the Internet, I found Stephen Hoffman, as a Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation lawyer who could assist me. He immediately relaxed me, both reassuring me and explaining every step of the way what was happening and why, as well as what the overall strategy would be. Potentially, I had "two cases in one," with a workers' compensation claim against my employer and a personal injury claim against the car that struck me. Added to this complexity, there were issues about what my insurance would and would not cover (I was in a rental car, on business, out of state; suffice it to say my personal auto carrier refused to pay my medical bills because of this--a cautionary tale for any traveling businesspeople!). Additionally, workers' compensation had a lien on the personal injury case and was entitled to recover what it had paid out in the event I settled the injury case. Stephen Hoffman patiently explained all of this and did his best to discover all possible avenues through which I could seek recovery. Ultimately, I was able to avoid surgery. While the auto carrier leaned heavily on its theory that much of my injuries were pre-existing, the more-or-less "no fault" nature of workers' compensation allowed me to maximize my recovery in that arena. Stephen walked me through every offer and demand, explaining his strategy and offering me input to the process. In the end, we decided to pursue the workers' compensation case only. The settlement achieved exceeded my wildest expectations. Stephen did a phenomenal job in persuading the employer's insurance carrier to continue increasing the offer. At one point, I had provided my okay to accept the offer. He then got them to increase that by over 50% more. I could not be happier with the job he did for me or the way he worked with me and for me, allowing me to participate fully as a partner in the process. Without hesitation, I recommend Stephen Hoffman!

I was injured in a car vs. pedestrian accident. Stephen was recommended to me by a family member, and never having used a lawyer, I was glad to be given his name as a great reference. The results of my accident involved an extended period of time lost from work, navigating the medical process of havi...ng surgery through completing physical therapy, and, of course, the legal case against the driver who hit me. I was under-insured at the time of the accident and so was the driver, which is unfortunate. In addition to making sure that the driver’s insurance company paid out the maximum amount, Stephen also encouraged me to examine my insured status further. It turns out I was also covered under a family member’s auto insurance policy as I was staying under their roof at the time of the accident. Stephen managed to win for me a far greater sum than if I had only relied on the driver’s insurance. It’s a good thing that I had Stephen in my corner. Stephen showed patience in answering my questions promptly at all times during the legal process. Trusting in his attention to every legal detail left me to focus on my recovery. He even provided encouragement when the pace of my recovery process seemed to lag. When it came time for the settlement to be handed over, Stephen and I met for breakfast and discussed how the legal proceedings went. Learning more about him, such as his previous career in education and his strong work ethic rounded out the picture for me. Stephen Hoffman was a great choice.

I never thought I would find myself in the kind of situation that would require the services of an attorney with personal injury expertise. Sure enough, last year I found Stephen Hoffman based on his positive ratings on Avvo and contacted him while I was laid up with a broken ankle after having done ...some unscheduled ice dancing on a Chicago sidewalk. I couldn't have found a better attorney! Every step of the way, Stephen kept me in the loop; hearing my concerns, giving me honest feedback and using past experience to chart where he thought we stood in the short and long term of our case and any resolutions. Throughout the process, I felt like a partner and active participant in my case. It was a hugely positive experience. In my specific situation, Stephen was able to successfully negotiate a settlement, negotiate with Blue Cross (my health insurance), and avoid court. I was tremendously happy with his results. Stephen and I tended to communicate most easily by email; I enjoyed that method and it saved me a lot of time. In my experience, SLR is a tremendously sharp, compassionate, intelligent, and hardworking attorney. Plus, he's got an awesome sense of humor. I would definitely hire him again or recommend him to friends and family.

I received a very bad electrical shock at work while working with an improperly installed/maintained crane at work last year. Though my symptoms after this incident were immediate and severe, they were not typical issues associated with electrical injuries. Due to this my employer claimed that my i...njury was not work related and refused to cover anything associated with my injury, including the initial doctor visit. I was then told that it was unlikely I would receive anything from workman’s compensation by an attorney friend of mine who practices in a different state. At this point I didn’t expect much, but did my research and found Mr. Stephen Hoffman who agreed to look into my case. Upon speaking with Mr. Hoffman he presented me my options and gave me a realistic assessment of my situation from a legal perspective. Although several people including Mr. Hoffman had told me it would be very difficult to win my case, he agreed to pursue it. I’m sure this was because he understood my situation, believed my story, and thought it was the right thing to do. Mr. Hoffman took on my “unwinnable” case with the clear understanding that it was unlikely that the time he put in on it would provide any payoff in the end. Even still Mr. Hoffman spent the next several months arguing on my behalf with my employer and their insurance provider, and in the end was able to win a settlement that covered the medical bills and time I lost related to this injury. In the grand scheme of things my case was relatively small in dollars and severity, but Stephen Hoffman pursued it with the same vigor you’d expect with the largest of cases and won for me when I’d been assured by several attorneys that it was “nearly impossible to prove” my case. Thank you Stephen for your time, your efforts, and the respectful treatment you gave me and my case from start to finish. Very Best Regards, Ian

For those that do not know me I work as an aircraft mechanic everything was great until May 30th when I fell at work while stepping from a stand into the plane. The exact same task I have done many times over but this time I slipped and twisted my knee on the way down. After a very unpleasant ambulan...ce ride from O’Hare to the hospital and writing statements for the company about how I slipped on the wet stand (it was drizzling that night) I was finally able to partake in the world of prescribed pain pills. While at my crash pad in the city I started looking for a workers comp lawyer I talked with about a dozen but one stood out. On May 31st around 815 AM I received a call from the company handling my workers comp claim for my employer, they wanted a statement over the phone and the fact that I was on narcotic pain pills didn’t bother them. I wasn’t sure of what I was doing or saying while on the drugs. At this point I realized I needed professional help to look out for my best interests. I informed the caller that I retained an Attorney and referred them to Stephen Hoffman. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I could make. Over the next 10 months I had 2 surgeries and many months of rehab. When I was scheduled for a surgery and the surgery clinic said the workers comp failed to approve the surgery I called Stephen Hoffman (he actually answers his own phone) after I explained the problem he said he will take care of it. 30 minutes later the clinic received approval for the surgery. When my paychecks got delayed, a call to Stephen Hoffman and the checks got straightened out. Each Time I called him he made time for me and on the rare occasion when I got his voice mail he called me back within a short time. If I asked for more then what I was entitled to he was straight forward and never misled or gave false hope. At the end of it all he got me a very fair settlement. I never dreamt I would need a workers comp lawyer until I fell and tore up my knee, Hopefully you will never need a workers comp lawyer But if you do you will be dam glad to have Stephen Hoffman looking out for your best interests.