Alliy v. Travelers Insurance

An injured employee’s lawyer did the following to recover an underpayment of $65.56 in his client’s disability benefits under G. L. c. 152, § 34, as appearing in St. 1985, c. 572, § 42: 1) he filed a claim for the unpaid benefits on a form available from the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA); 2) he assigned a man in his office, who was not a member of the bar (we shall refer to him as a lay advocate), to discuss with the insurer the basis of the employee’s claim; and 3) he assigned the lay advocate to accompany the employee to a conciliation conference at the DIA. The question that the…