If you have a permanent and significant work related injury, it is in your best interest to hire an experienced workers compensation attorney. Why? Because the mediation / litigation costs (medical records, doctor depositions, court reporter fees, expert testimony fees, etc.) are virtually the same in a small claim as they are in a larger claim. In the small claim, the insurance company would rather close the file as cheaply as possible by paying you closer to what your actual damages are and avoid incurring the litigation costs—which could end up being as much or more than what is paid on a small claim. On a larger claim, however, the litigation costs will be only a small portion of the claim you are making. Therefore, the workers compensation insurance companies are willing to incur those costs and will require you to prove your permanent vocational disability in the hope that they can force you to accept an amount far less than your claim is worth. The Insurance companies typically are especially aggressive at the early stages in attempting to get unrepresented parties to settle for the lowest amount they can talk them into. In this context, an experienced Board Certified workers compensation attorney will have an understanding of the Tennessee workers compensation laws. He or she will also know the value of your claim and will be skillful in the art and science of negotiation with the insurance company. In larger, more significant workers compensation claims, an injured person handling his or her first and only claim without a seasoned workers compensation attorney may be at a big disadvantage when dealing with a workers compensation insurance adjuster who handles hundreds of claims per month. Having an experienced Civil Trial Board Certified workers compensation attorney from the early stages following your work injury, therefore, is usually extremely beneficial in a more significant work related injury case; whether you end up settling before mediation, after mediation or if you end up having to take your case to court.