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Paul W. Wiedner
Partner
Areas of Practice
Summary
Paul is a partner in the Workers’ Compensation Defense Practice of Wiedner & McAuliffe’s Chicago office and has been rated as an AV Preeminent lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell. Paul joined the firm in 1977, and has been helping it grow and develop since that time. With more than 30 years of experience, Paul’s practice emphasizes workers’ compensation defense and employment law. Paul has tried hundreds of cases before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and participated in appeals to the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts. He has secured countless victories for employers, including a recent appellate court decision excluding per diem income from the average weekly wage calculation.
Paul graduated from Colorado State University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science. He earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 1977.
During his tenure as Managing Partner of the firm, Paul instituted a “case lifetime” self-monitoring process to track the efficiency with which cases were handled to conclusion across the Workers’ Compensation Group. This tracking system led to various procedural and strategic improvements which have helped the Workers’ Compensation Group achieve an average case lifetime of only 14 months, well below the national average of 24 months.
Paul remains a member of the firm’s management team, and is an invaluable resource for young associates within the firm. Recognizing the need for ongoing education and the importance of communication among colleagues, Paul helped to create an internal attorney teaching program. This involves regular presentations and meetings regarding pertinent legal issues, changes within the workers’ compensation landscape, and best practices for effective client representation.
Paul and the management team recently identified the need for expanded defense services for clients in southern Illinois and throughout the Midwest region. This vision led to the opening of Wiedner & McAuliffe’s St. Louis office.
More recently, Paul understood workers’ compensation claims would be heavily impacted by the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. This led him to develop a new practice specialty to specifically serve clients affected by the new Medicare implications and mandatory Medicare Set-Aside arrangements.
Industry Contributions
Paul serves as a Special Assistant State’s Attorney for DuPage County on matters related to workers’ compensation and employment law. He has been a member of the Workers’ Compensation Law Section of numerous bar associations, and was selected to serve on the Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law for the Illinois State Bar Association. In previous years, Paul was a contributor and co-editor of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Law Section newsletter.
Paul is a former faculty member and lecturer for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He regularly presents to clients throughout Illinois on various workers’ compensation issues.
Notable Cases:
- United Airlines, Inc. v. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, et al., 382 Ill. App. 3d 437, 887 N.E.2d 888 (1st Dist. 2008): Paul successfully secured a reversal of the Circuit Court’s confirmation of the Commission’s inclusion of per diem expense payments in the claimant’s average weekly wage. Paul argued that these payments reflected reimbursement for the claimant’s expenses while traveling, not real economic gain. The Appellate Court of Illinois agreed that reimbursements for travel expenses are not part of a claimant’s earnings for the purpose of calculating the average weekly wage.
Certifications and Awards
Throughout his career, Paul’s colleagues have repeatedly selected him as a Super Lawyer and Leading Lawyer. In 2010, Paul received the highest possible Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of AV Preeminent in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards.
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association (Member, Tort and Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Sections)
- Illinois State Bar Association (Member, Workers’ Compensation Committee and Unauthorized Practice of Law Task Force)
- DuPage County Bar Association
- Chicago Bar Association
- Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association
Bar and Court Admissions
IllinoisUnited States Supreme Court
Education
J.D., DePaul University College of Law, 1977B.S., Colorado State University, 1973
| Attorneys | Paul W. Wiedner
