Workers' Compensation: Litigation and Administrative Law Merged

This one semester course is an introduction into Workers' Compensation Law, but more so the real world of analytical thinking for any administrative law setting or statutory interpretation, as well as the practical implications of human beings doing the analyzing, interpreting, and implementation of a law that affects millions of workers and employers every year.  The course also briefly touches on the integration of WC claims into other areas of employee benefit law and employment law generally.  Students will learn about the historical beginnings of WC, its evolution, and the elements of a workers' compensation claim, how one is established and defended against.  Students will learn how to reason within the parameters of an entirely statutory legal structure, litigated within an administrative system, and overseen by a judicial system.  This course necessitates the development or improvement of reasoning, litigation, writing, and oral skills.  Those who practice in the WC field also develop interviewing and counseling skills that are particularly important as WC is not nearly as intuitive as the common law.