Buffalo Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
Protecting Injured Workers’ Rights Across Western New York for Over 80 Years
The check stopped coming and nobody called to explain why. Or the claim form is on the kitchen table and half the questions do not make sense. A Buffalo workers’ compensation lawyer at Lewis & Lewis, P.C. can take that off your hands today.
We represent injured workers across Erie County and the rest of Western New York from six offices, and we have been doing it for over 80 years. Protecting Injured Workers’ Rights Across Western New York for Over 80 Years is not a slogan we picked last quarter. It is what the firm has done since Norman Lewis opened the doors.
Call (716) 854-2100. Someone answers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the first conversation is free.
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Trusted. Local. Experienced.
Buffalo Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
Protecting Injured Workers’ Rights Across Western New York for Over 80 Years
The check stopped coming and nobody called to explain why. Or the claim form is on the kitchen table and half the questions do not make sense. A Buffalo workers’ compensation lawyer at Lewis & Lewis, P.C. can take that off your hands today.
We represent injured workers across Erie County and the rest of Western New York from six offices, and we have been doing it for over 80 years. Protecting Injured Workers’ Rights Across Western New York for Over 80 Years is not a slogan we picked last quarter. It is what the firm has done since Norman Lewis opened the doors.
Call (716) 854-2100. Someone answers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the first conversation is free.
Learn More
Get Help Today
Fill out the form below, and one of our attorneys will contact you within 24 hours.
"*" indicates required fields
Why Does a New York Workers’ Comp Claim Last So Much Longer Than People Expect?
Attorney Emily Janicz
Because a workers’ compensation claim in New York is not a single event. It is a file that can stay open for the rest of your working life, and sometimes past it. Medical treatment for the injury stays covered. Your condition can change. The insurance carrier can come back years later and ask a judge to reduce or stop what you are being paid.
Partner Emily F. Janicz puts it plainly:
“People don’t always think, going into a workers’ compensation claim, that your claim continues for your entire life. I have clients that got hurt in the ’80s and we’re still representing them. We’ve been representing them the whole time because our firm has been around for 80 years. Whereas if you go to a really small firm, or a firm that doesn’t have that history, doesn’t have that future, you might end up without an attorney.”
That is the argument for choosing a firm with depth behind it rather than a single attorney. Partners here have handed cases to one another across generations. Michael T. Coutu, who holds an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and Emily F. Janicz, a National Trial Lawyers Top 100 member, work alongside staff who have been with the firm 15, 20, and in one case going on 30 years. When your claim is still open in 2040, someone here will know it.
Results That Speak for Themselves
At Lewis & Lewis, we have built a reputation for relentless advocacy on behalf of injured New York workers. Our clients trust us to fight for the benefits and compensation they need during the most difficult times, and we take that responsibility seriously.
From factory floors to construction sites, from hospitals to municipal worksites, we have helped thousands of families in Western New York recover and rebuild.
- Over 80 years serving injured workers and accident victims across Western New York
- $1+ billion recovered on behalf of clients in workers’ compensation, personal injury, and disability cases
- Six convenient offices in Depew, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Batavia, Jamestown, and Olean
- Thousands of clients represented in Workers’ Compensation Board hearings, Social Security appeals, and civil litigation.
$
1,000,000,000
Practice Areas
Lewis & Lewis handles injury claims affecting Western New York workers and families. Whether you were hurt on the job, injured in a construction accident, or harmed by someone’s negligence, we pursue the benefits and compensation that support your recovery.
Construction Worker Claims
Construction-site injuries, such as falls from height, struck-by incidents, scaffolding collapses, and equipment malfunctions, may involve both workers’ compensation benefits and third-party negligence claims against general contractors, property owners, or subcontractors.
Workers’ Compensation
Job-related injuries and occupational illnesses entitle you to wage replacement, medical treatment, and permanent disability benefits under New York’s no-fault system. We handle the Workers’ Compensation Board process—filing C-3 forms, gathering medical evidence, preparing you for IMEs, representing you at hearings, and pursuing Schedule Loss of Use awards or Section 32 settlements.
Social Security Disability
When work injuries or illnesses prevent any substantial gainful employment, you might qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). We handle applications and appeals, coordinate with workers’ compensation proceedings, and structure settlements to help minimize offsets that reduce your total benefit stream.
Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents
Pedestrians and cyclists struck by vehicles suffer serious injuries: traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, fractures, and internal injuries. We gather evidence from police reports, traffic cameras, and witness statements to establish liability, pursue compensation for medical expenses and lost wages, and hold negligent drivers accountable.
Healthcare Worker Compensation
Nurses, aides, hospital staff, and long-term care employees suffer lifting injuries, overexertion, slips and falls, sharps exposures, and repetitive-motion disorders. We document the physical demands of healthcare work, coordinate with treating physicians to establish restrictions, and pursue benefits that reflect the reality of patient-care injuries.
Wrongful Death
New York Wrongful Death Attorney
A wrongful death attorney at Lewis & Lewis, P.C. is here to help if you have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence. Our wills and trusts attorney can assist in having an administrator or executor appointed to allow you to bring a claim on behalf of your loved one, so you will not have to hire multiple law firms.
Satisfied Client Stories
”Lewis & Lewis has represented me for nearly 10 years. Lewis & Lewis attorneys are always helpful and well prepared. I hear many friends complain that they can't get a call back from their personal injury lawyers, but my Lewis & Lewis attorneys have always returned my call within 24 hours. I really appreciate that.
Dan Q.East Aurora, NY – Police Officer
See More Client Testimonials
What Kinds of Work Injury Claims Does the Firm Take in Erie County?
Workers’ compensation is the core of the practice, and three groups of Western New York workers come to us most often.
Construction workers. Falls, struck-by injuries, and crush injuries on Erie County job sites, including the third-party claims that can exist alongside a comp case. See construction site accidents.
Healthcare workers. Nurses, nursing assistants, home health aides, dental assistants, physicians, and surgeons. Lifting injuries, repetitive motion injuries, needlesticks, and exposure claims. See workers’ compensation for nurses and nursing assistants.
Public and school employees. State workers, county workers, and school district employees whose claims run through a different set of administrative habits than private carriers. See the Western New York school employee workers’ comp guide.
We also handle occupational disease claims, hearing loss, chemical exposure, repetitive motion injuries, and workplace fatalities.
What Goes Wrong When You Hire a Firm That Advertises Into Buffalo From Downstate?
You usually cannot sit across a desk from your own attorney. Statewide advertisers buy Buffalo search results and Buffalo television time, but the office answering the phone can be four hundred miles away, and Western New York claimants find that out after they have already signed.
“I have so many people calling me lately that they got an ad and they signed up with an attorney and they didn’t realize they were in New York City and they didn’t realize they can’t actually ever go talk to their attorney. They can’t meet them. They can’t sit down with them. They can’t drop off paperwork in the office when it’s urgent, and you can do that here.” Emily F. Janicz, partner
The firm describes itself in three words: Trusted. Local. Experienced. The middle one is the part a downstate ad buyer cannot copy.
Has Anyone at This Firm Ever Represented an Insurance Company?
No. Not one attorney in the workers’ compensation department has ever worked the carrier side, and that is a deliberate choice rather than an accident of hiring.
“I can’t imagine, none of us can imagine working on the other side, representing insurance companies, cutting off people’s benefits. None of us would feel good about having to do that. Myself, Emily and Sherry, the three partners that have been in the workers’ comp department the longest, none of us have ever worked for the other side.” Emily F. Janicz, partner
It matters more than it sounds. A lawyer who spent years defending carriers knows the playbook, but the working relationships run in the other direction. Everyone in this department built a career arguing that injured people were owed more, not less.
Talk it through with someone before you sign anything. Call (716) 854-2100 for a free case review.
Where Are Your Offices in Western New York?
Six locations, from Erie County out to Chautauqua and Cattaraugus. Call the office nearest you.
| Office | Address | Phone |
| Depew (headquarters) | 430 Dick Rd., Depew, NY 14043 | (716) 854-2100 |
| Buffalo | 37 Franklin St., Suite 800, Buffalo, NY 14202 | (716) 854-2100 |
| Niagara Falls | 8803 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY 14304 | (716) 284-7126 |
| Batavia | 8318 Park Rd., Batavia, NY 14020 | (585) 343-3218 |
| Olean | 174 N. Union St., Olean, NY 14760 | (716) 372-1890 |
| Jamestown | 413 N. Main St., Jamestown, NY 14701 | (716) 664-7354 |
Erie County claims are the bulk of what the firm does, which means we are in front of the same judges and arguing against the same carrier attorneys week after week. Hearings themselves are now held on the Board’s virtual platform, so where you live no longer decides whether you can attend your own hearing, but it still decides whether you can hand your attorney a piece of paper on a Tuesday afternoon.
How Does a Workers’ Compensation Claim Work in New York?
The short version: you report the injury in writing within 30 days, you file a claim with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board within two years, you treat with a Board-authorized provider, and the Board resolves the fights that follow. The Workers’ Compensation Board is the state agency that administers all of it.
For the full walkthrough, start with our New York Workers’ Compensation Resource Center, which is organized by where you are in the process, or read the statewide workers’ compensation practice overview for the benefits and rules in detail.
If you are already past that point and something has gone sideways, go straight to what to do when your benefits stop.
What if Your Injury Is Not a Workers’ Compensation Case?
Then it may still be a case, and often it is both at once. A worker hurt by a delivery driver, a subcontractor, or a defective machine has a comp claim against the employer’s carrier and a separate injury claim against whoever caused the harm.
“People often don’t realize that they have both types of claims, and that they can have both types of claims.” Emily F. Janicz, partner
Outside of work, the firm handles personal injury matters, with pedestrian and bicycle collisions the strongest fit. We also represent claimants in Social Security Disability matters, which frequently run in parallel with a comp claim. If you are unsure which one you have, read the difference between workers’ compensation and personal injury claims.
What Does It Cost To Hire a Workers’ Comp Attorney in Erie County?
Nothing up front, and nothing out of your pocket. In New York, attorney fees in a workers’ compensation case are set and approved by the Workers’ Compensation Board and come out of the benefits recovered, not out of your own money. A judge has to sign off on the amount. You will not get an invoice from us.
The consultation is free, and it stays free whether or not you hire the firm. You can also review the case results the firm has published before you decide.
Call (716) 854-2100 to talk to a workers’ compensation attorney today.
Frequently Asked Questions from Injured Buffalo Workers
Do I still have to give written notice if my supervisor already saw me get hurt?
Give it anyway. New York Workers’ Compensation Law § 18 requires written notice to the employer within 30 days. The Board can excuse a missed notice when the employer already knew about the accident or was not harmed by the delay, but that is an argument you have to win, not a rule you can rely on. Written notice takes an afternoon. Litigating the excuse can take months.
I got hurt more than a year ago and never filed. Is it too late?
Probably not. Under Workers’ Compensation Law § 28, a claim generally must be filed within two years of the accident. For an occupational disease, one that builds up over years of doing the job, the two years runs from when you became disabled and knew the condition came from your work, whichever is later. Call before you assume the door is closed.
Can my employer fire me for filing a workers’ comp claim in New York?
Retaliating against an employee for filing a claim or testifying in a comp proceeding is prohibited under Workers’ Compensation Law § 120, and the Board can order reinstatement and lost wages. That said, being fired for an unrelated reason while a claim is open is not automatically retaliation, so the timing and the paper trail matter.
Do I have to hire a lawyer at the start, or can I wait and see?
You can wait, and plenty of people do. The practical problem is that answers given early are hard to walk back, and the carrier’s attorney is already involved. If you only make one call at the beginning, make it before you sign or submit anything.
GET HELP NOW
Talk to Someone in Western New York Today
You do not need to have the paperwork sorted out before you call. Bring what you have, even if it is one letter you do not understand, and we will tell you what it means and what happens next.
Lewis & Lewis, P.C. has represented injured workers in Erie County and across Western New York for over 80 years. Free consultation, six offices, and a phone that is answered around the clock.
Call (716) 854-2100 or reach us through the contact page.
