Author: Jones Jones

We are proud to celebrate our own Rose Shamash, Supervising Partner at Jones Jones LLC, who was recently featured on the InsHER podcast!

Rose leads our Construction Practice with the same passion, strategy, and resilience that she brings to every aspect of her life — including raising six young children. Her reflections on leadership, empathy, and perseverance highlight why she is such an integral part of Jones Jones:

💡 On the work we do:

“Every case I deal with has lots of different moving parts, unique facts, real-world implications for businesses, for people…I feel like being in this field is like playing a big game of chess. Every move you make has consequences and impact.”

💡 On leadership and motherhood:

“Being a mom has totally made me more efficient, more empathetic, more decisive… Kids teach you a lot about negotiating, a lot about emotional intelligence. Those are skills you really need in this field, when you’re dealing with all types of different people.”

💡 On breaking barriers:

“People will always look for reasons to doubt you when you don’t fit their image of authority. My advice to young women is — don’t waste your time worrying about that. Hold your ground. Have quiet certainty.”

At Jones Jones, we are inspired every day by leaders like Rose who embody determination, innovation, and compassion in our field. We encourage you to listen to her full conversation below, or on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get you podcasts:

🔗 Apple (https://lnkd.in/ersrXJ8D)

🔗 Spotify (https://lnkd.in/eg2m-Wug)

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Jones Jones LLC congratulates Associate Samantha Sokoloff and her team on the successful appeal of a workers’ compensation law judge’s (WCLJ) decision in front of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. This appeal modified the claimant’s original schedule loss of use (SLU) award, bringing the client significant financial savings.

In this case, the WCLJ prevented Jones Jones’ client from producing a permanency report and awarded a 33.25% SLU for the left hip and a 25% SLU for the left knee for a total of 58.25% of the left leg based on claimant’s doctors’ opinions. This was inferred from two medical examiners’ assessments of the injury sites.

When appealing the decision, Sokoloff pointed to previous testimony from both doctors confirming they had not used the claimant’s uninjured contralateral knee and hip as the claimant’s baseline. She argued that whether a claimant is entitled to a schedule loss of use award is dependent on medical opinion and because the testimonies acknowledged an oversight in establishing a baseline, awards should be decided by the Board. The Board agreed and examined the evidence provided by both medical examiners.

Sokoloff’s attention to detail and thorough examination of the evidence was vital in securing the team’s win. The WCLJ decided in favor of Jones Jones’ client, bringing the SLU down to 22.5% total for the left leg, 15% for the knee and 7.5% for the hip.

Thank you to Samantha and team for their incredible work, which saved the nearly $75,000. If you are in need of assistance with a workers’ compensation case, please contact our appellate team at concierge@jonesjonesllc.com

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  Jones Jones LLC is pleased to congratulate Associate Kevin Moy and his team on successfully securing a favorable reserved decision from the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (NYSWCB), saving the client nearly $160,000.  

In this case, the claim was established for the exacerbation of the claimant’s prior neck injury during a physical confrontation with a supervisor. The identified carrier in this case filed several reports indicating it would accept the claim with liability and appeared at several hearings regarding the claim. The carrier later filed a notice claiming the employer listed in the report was different than initially thought and therefore it was not the proper carrier for the claim.   

During a hearing held on the matter, Moy and his team raised the issue of laches, a legal principle barring a claim when there is an unreasonable delay in filing, leading to prejudice in the opposition. Moy and team raised this issue as the claim was litigated and established before the issue of the correct carrier was considered. The status of the case would sway Jones Jones’ client if it was forced to accept liability. The carrier claimed all issues had been litigated to completion. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the WCLJ directed both parties to file memoranda of law, or a legal memo on the issue. Jones Jones’ legal memo reiterated that the carrier held possession of the full incident report containing the identity of the employer from the inception of the report’s creation. The WCLJ indicated a reserved decision would resolve the question of the correct carrier. 

In rebuttal, Moy contended that the carrier’s failure to contest its liability swayed the client by denying them the opportunity to properly investigate the claim. The carrier held possession of all primary evidence and the full accident report, appeared at hearings regarding the claim and failed to properly contest the findings despite deficiencies in the proffered medical reports. Moy argued the decision regarding the correct carrier should be affirmed.  

Moy and his team’s skilled testimony and summation secured an affirmation from the Board and saved their client more than $150,000. If you require assistance with a workers’ compensation case, please contact our appellate team at concierge@jonesjonesllc.com.  

Jones Jones LLC knows that Workers’ Compensation claims can be complex. In an industry bogged down by forms, statutes, and filings, we aim for efficiency in all we do. To that end, we wanted to make sure that you, our clients, had access to the most up-to-date pertinent information regarding New York workers’ compensation.

Are you an examiner that is looking for a quick reference? Are you a risk manager overseeing New York claims? Are you an employer addressing your first workers’ compensation case? Please look no further than the Jones Jones LLC New York Workers’ Compensation Fact Sheet.

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