Attorneys

Paul is of counsel  in the Workers’ Compensation Defense practice of Wiedner & McAuliffe’s Chicago office and is 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 35 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.

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 served as a member of the firm’s management team, and was 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 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.

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.

Education

• J.D., DePaul University College of Law, 1977
• B.S., Colorado State University, 1973

Admissions

• Illinois
• U.S. Supreme Court

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

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 average weekly wage.