Workers comp meets Internet radio and TV

If there’s one thing that the web is good for, it’s uniting people with niche interests. When we first embarked on a workers comp weblog, we hoped there would be some interest in the topic but we weren’t quite sure what to expect. As we near the two-year mark, we’ve been gratified by the response and pleased that some other interested parties have thrown their hats in the blog ring, too. We welcome that – there are a lot of stakeholders in this matter – employees, employers, physicians, insurers, TPAs, attorneys, unions, safety professionals, case managers, claims adjusters, and regulators, to cite a few. Public dialogue and information sharing in what was intended as a no-fault system can only be healthy for us all.

In terms of workers comp web pioneers, we'd be remiss if we didn't give a shout-out to the folks at workerscompensation.com who provide a variety of free services to the workers comp community, including some rich media offerings. They feature a Newsline Week in Review Video Report every Tuesday, as well as streaming interviews available through Comp Talk Radio. We also frequent their daily news aggregation service. They provide many excellent resources and we're big fans.

Now, we note with interest that friend and colleague Alan Pierce is jumping onto the rich media bandwagon by hosting an audio show on workers comp legal issues on the Legal Talk Network. Alan is a respected plaintiff attorney in Massachusetts where he has served as a member of the state's Workers' Compensation Advisory Council. I first met Alan in his capacity as an author of a regular column on workers compensation case law for The Journal of Workers Compensation, a publication that I edited for several years. (Self disclosure - I still serve as a part-time editor for Standard Publishing Corporation.)

The workers comp segments run for about 30 minutes on selected topics and include both a guest expert and a case of the day. Segments are free, although there are prominent ad breaks within the segments. Shows can be downloaded or listened to in streaming format. There are three segments posted thus far: sick building syndrome, ethics, and professional sports injuries. As might be expected, the discussion has a plaintiff viewpoint.

I particularly enjoyed the segment on sports injuries. Also, any prospective attorneys that might be considering workers comp as a practice area or any employees looking for legal representation might find that the segment on ethics provides a good overview of legal competencies necessary for a workers comp attorney. We wish Alan well and will be checking in on future segments. Our legal readers - particularly trial attorneys - may be interested in other legal topics available at Legal Talk Network.