Landau Injury Law

What kinds of expert medical opinions did Doug Landau have to get from the doctors in order to assist his client in her Social Security Disability claim ? The ABRAMS LANDAU team was able to request and receive the treating doctor’s opinions that his patient would be able to sit and/or stand for less than 2 hours in an 8-hour day.

.Doug Landau, a past Chairman of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE Social Security, Disability and Health Law Section, is shown here with current Chair, Carolina Lawyer Eric Buchanon and another presenter after their Legal Education program at the national trial lawyers’ convention.

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Experienced Herndon, Virginia Social Security Disability Income lawyer Landau was able to elicit from the doctors many helpful opinions. Two physicians indicated that Landau’s client would need to take unscheduled breaks on an hourly basis lasting 10 minutes at a time and may need to lie down.

With prolonged sitting, she should elevate her legs to chair level approximately 50% of the time during an 8-hr. day. As for lifting, the claimant’s doctor opined that she can rarely lift 10 lbs. and never lift 20–50 lbs. Herndon Reston area Social Security Disability lawyer Doug Landau was able to elicit from this doctor statements that his client could NEVER squat, climb ladders or stairs. This experienced disability law practitioner was also able to present the Federal Judge with doctor’s opinions that his client had significant limitations with reaching, handling or fingering. These symptoms, along with the arthritis pain (more…)

When clients have obvious loss of function, injuries resulting in amputation or other obvious deformities, the Administrative Law Judges who hear Social Security claims have objective signs supporting disability. But when there is no outward sign of injury or disability, such as with cases of brain injury, spinal cord trauma, closed head injury, or internal organ disease, they often have a difficult time discerning legitimate claims from unsupported cases. When Herndon lawyer Doug Landau presents claims for clients who do not have obvious signs of injury or disease, he and the ABRAMS LANDAU trial team works hard to make sure the medical records and evidence support our clients’ legitimate claims.

In a recent case brought in Washington, D.C., Doug Landau brought a Social Security claim for a client who suffers from multiple medical conditions, including arthritis and continued abdominal pain including symptoms associated with diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome. The Herndon/Reston Virginia disability lawyer thoroughly reviewed this woman’s medical history. The medical record and exhibit revealed that she suffered constant pain (more…)

The March, 2008 edition of WASHINGTON DC “SUPER LAWYERS” includes ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. trial lawyer Doug Landau. What is also remarkable is that Landau is the only Herndon-Reston area attorney listed under “General Personal Injury Plaintiff.”  Mrs. Landau does not believe that this will lead to more dates or a spot on “Oprah” any time soon, but Mr. Landau may possibly get “seconds” on dessert this week.

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ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. and Doug Landau do not pay for advertising or consideration in this magazine, The Washington Post or the book, “The Best Lawyers in America.” For more information, go to SuperLawyers.com.

And to decide if a lawyer is well suited for your own personal injury, workers compensation, Social Security disability or other negligence or trauma case, speak with other clients, watch the attorney in court, and ask to see similar case results. Seek out a lawyer with experience, sufficient staff to timely pursue your claims, and a track record of working with injuries and losses like in your unique case.

While the plaintiff in McMurray v. Bryan won a verdict for horse bite that tore off her thumb in California, Herndon-Reston area injury lawyer Doug Landau believes that if the case had been tried in Virginia, the result would have been a Defense verdict ! 

The plaintiff was a 52-year-old woman who lost her thumb when an agitated horse bit it off.  She was petting the Appaloosa horse’s nose until she noticed it getting angry. She backed up a few feet and the horse charged at her.  The horse bit her hand raised its head and lifted her off the ground. The Plaintiff’s head then struck a tree branch before the horse tore the thumb from her hand and she fell to the ground.  Surgery was performed to put the finger back on her hand, but the thumb eventually died and now she has a prosthetic thumb.  The California jury found the Plaintiff 75% liable for her injuries, the land owner 15% liable and the horse owner 10% liable, which reduced her $324,000 award to about $81,000.  This is because California allows for the comparison of the fault of the parties.  Virginia does not allow such comparison, and the Plaintiff’s “Assumption of the Risk” and “Contributory Negligence” would have caused the result to have been a defense verdict according to multistate injury trial lawyer Doug Landau.  The ABRAMS LANDAU trial team notes that this is another example of why comparisons of cases from different jurisdictions are not always helpful.

WFVA AM 1230 Fredericksburg was the scene of injury lawyer Doug Landau’s latest public speaking engagement.  Invited by host (and experienced personal injury lawyer John “Jack” Harris of HARRIS & HARRIS), Landau talked about Virginia Workers Compensation law, claims, mistakes, time limits, as well as Social Security Disability and Negligence lawsuits.The DJ also asked the ABRAMS LANDAU trial attorney about some of his newsworthy paraplegia, brain injury, fatal accident, permanent disability, head trauma and multiple fracture and amputation cases.  The question that threw the loquacious Landau for a loop was, “What was your funniest case ?”  The Herndon-Reston area lawyer has had so many interesting, sad and sometimes funny cases, that it was hard to come up with one in the waning minutes of this wonderful show.  Next time Landau promises to be ready with some humorous vignettes to temper the tragic stories that are frequently handled by the ABRAMS LANDAU trial team

Herndon Reston area Workers Comp injury lawyer Doug Landau notes that since the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission (”VWC”) does not hold Hearings in Court houses as often as it did 20 years ago, it is important to know where you are going and that the place of your Hearing may not look like the local Court House.
If you can attend Hearings weeks before your own “day in court,” then you and your family and witnesses should absolutely do so.  Workers Comp Hearings are generally open to the public, and you will be far better prepared and less anxious.  Also look at your “Official Comp File” while you are there.  Call before you go to make sure they have your file is in Fairfax, as the headquarters is in Richmond, and that is where most VWC files are kept before and after Hearings.

Shown here is disability and workplace injury lawyer Doug Landau outside the Fairfax branch of the Northern Virginia Regional Office of the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission.  The lower picture shows ABRAMS LANDAU’s Doug Landau in the reception area, where he often meets clients, their families and co-workers before and after their Hearings.  On this particular day,  he had met with a family as the result of a fatal truck crash injury.  Landau also reviewed the official files on other clients’ cases involving: paraplegia from a farm tractor rollover, brain injury, spinal cord surgery, permanent disability, head trauma, scarring and multiple fractures.

ABRAMS LANDAU multistate injury lawyer and multisport athlete Doug Landau assembled a team to compete in the 16th Annual Van Metre 5 Mile Run For Children’s Hospital at Broadlands Marketplace in Loudoun County, Virginia. On Saturday, March 15th, 2008, (LEFT TO RIGHT) Dr. Allen Delaney, Doug Steele, TriathlonTrialLawyer Landau, Rob Colburn and Dr. Keith Saylor took to the starting line in order to benefit Childrens Hospital and compete against other teams. Finishing 4th in the all male group, the team averaged a little over 35 minutes for the breezy, “rolling” 5 mile course.

Herndon-Reston injury lawyer Doug Landau notes that several severely injury young clients have been successfully cared for at Childrens Hospital in the District of Columbia. In one case, a 4-year-old girl who was shot at point-blank range by a neighbor who had been given a pump action bb gun (more…)

Jack Corkey, the friendly “hands on” owner of Great Harvest Bread, is shown here with Doug Landau of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., his brother, Ken Landau of LandWare, and some delicious samples of his baked goods. Many injured and disabled clients of the Landau Law Shop have enjoyed free samples from Great Harvest in Herndon. The store is located only 2 blocks from the ABRAMS LANDAU building, with plenty of free parking, and easy access to the downtown historic district of Herndon. This wonderful bakery generously helps support local bicycle, running, triathlon races and sports events. For more information, visit them at Great Harvest.

Instead of taking longer, some states are trying to reduce the number of workers compensation claims waiting for settlement. Herndon trial lawyer Doug Landau received a copy of the Star Ledger article stating that, “The backlog of injured New Jerseyans whose workers compensation insurance settlements are hung up in a government review process has dropped by more than 1,000 since October, state Labor Department officials announced, crediting changes in state and federal procedures.” Since October, when 3,686 workers compensation case settlements were suspended pending a review by the federal agency that oversees Medicare, the number of suspended settlements has plunged to 2,677 this month, according to the director and chief judge of the state’s Division of Workers Compensation.

Thousands of injured workers, generally those over age 65, have been forced to wait a year or more for their workers compensation insurance settlements because the federal government has demanded the right to review the pending settlements. The federal government’s goal is to ensure that the recipients had not billed Medicare for medical treatment that should have been covered by their workers comp insurance. In other words, according to Doug Landau of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., the “feds don’t want to be left holding the bag.” (more…)

A wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan ! Injury lawyer Doug Landau was sent this information by a current client recovering from a knee injury from Blacksburg, Virginia. If it saves one person or home from harm, then it is worth distribution on this site.

This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire … oil in a frying pan. Read the following introduction, then watch the show .. It’s a real eye-opener!!

At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.

The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fireball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite. This is a powerful message—-watch the video and don’t forget what you see. Tell your whole family about this video.