Helping the Injured and Disabled, Providing the Small Firm Advantage

We like getting to know our clients

We believe that clients of our personal injury and long term disability law firm deserve a lawyer who will get to know them and know the details of their case. At O’Connor Cadiz Law, you won’t have to worry about getting lost in the shuffle or treated like a file number. You may be tempted to call one of the Chicago lawyers you see on television. Do your research first. Many of those firms work based on volume and their lawyers are under enormous pressure to just churn out cases. They may not be all that interested in really hearing the details of your story or learning about what kind of result is most important to you. You’ll likely be signed up by one person and have an entirely different person assigned to work on your case- which often happens at the big law firms. The way that we work here is just the opposite, since we accept & handle only a limited amount of cases. When we do take on a case, we take it seriously and give our clients the respect and attention that they deserve.

We also believe that our clients deserve to understand what is going on in their own case, as knowledge brings comfort and a sense of control over what can otherwise be an overwhelming experience. This is why before you sign anything or take the call from an insurance representative, it is very important to know your legal rights and understand what you may be up against. This is not to be taken lightly and is why you should speak to an attorney if you’ve been seriously hurt or denied your disability insurance benefits.

Hiring a Lawyer should be a Positive Experience, even when the reason for it is not

No one looks forward to having to hire a lawyer, but things happen in life that sometimes require you to be legally ready, in an instant, for what is being thrown your way. We hope that you will find that working with a lawyer can actually be easy, and we want for you to be happy despite stressful circumstances that may have brought you here.

Forget the negative stereotypes that come with hiring a lawyer, we like to do things differently because we know that your legal case isn’t about us- its about you. Choosing to work with only a handful of case types and a limited number of clients at any given time, we have deliberately designed a law firm in which the attorney gets to know her clients very well and has the time to make sure that their individual needs are met. If you read our unfiltered online reviews on Google and AVVO, you’ll see that clients are happy with not only the outcomes, but the way in which they were treated at O’Connor Cadiz Law.

Proud to offer a fully bilingual experience in Spanish

We are also very active in the Hispanic community. Carol O’Connor Cadiz is fully bilingual in Spanish, having been raised speaking both languages. Daughter of a Mexican mother and wife of a native to Chile, both languages have always been spoken at home . We understand both the American and Latin cultures. Be sure to check out the Spanish version website, if that is relevant to you.

What kinds of cases do you handle?

While developing those personal relationships in the community, we help you become legally ready- primarily in the areas of personal injury and denials of disability insurance benefits. We also help our clients sell their home, when our case load allows for it.  Reach out and let us know how we may be of service.

Personal Injury

Within the area of personal injury, we can help victims who have been hurt by the fault of another. We will deal with the insurance company for you and file a lawsuit when necessary. This includes the following key areas:

• Auto Accidents: If you were hurt in an accident with another car, either as a driver or as a passenger, and it was the other person’s fault, we may be able to help. Common types of car crashes include head-on collisions, rear end accidents, DUI accidents and incidents of distracted driving.
• Bicycle Accidents: Cyclists involved in accidents with a car or another bicycle.
• Motorcycle Accidents: Motorcyclists can be especially vulnerable as they lack the protection of a car. We can help motorcycle accident victims.
• Accidents involving the CTA: Cases against the Chicago Transit Authority, such as bus accidents and accidents while riding the el.
• Accidents involving Uber or Lyft: Hurt while ride-sharing? It happens more often than you might think.
• Wrongful Death: When a loved one has passed away as the result of another’s carelessness- such as in a car wreck, you may be able to bring a wrongful death claim.
• Pedestrian Accidents: If you or your child were hit by a car, it is our job to hold the at-fault driver accountable.
• Trucking/ Tractor-Trailer Accidents: Accidents with trucks often happen in a split second and can be very serious. Let us help.
• Dog Bites (& other animal injuries): Illinois is tough on the owners of animals who bite people, but you need to understand the law. We can help.
• Slip, Trip and Fall Injuries: This includes claims against restaurants, stores, and other public places. If you get hurt at someone’s place of business, they are not automatically liable. Sometimes, things just happen, but if the business was careless and you got hurt, we can help.
• Food Poisoning and Burns: Restaurants owe an obligation to their customers to serve only food and drink that is safe. If they cut corners and you get sick or hurt, we will hold them responsible.

In these matters, we work on a contingency fee basis. We do not get paid until and unless we recover money for you. The fee is a percentage of your recovery.

Disability Insurance Appeals/ ERISA

Within the area of disability insurance denials, we can help, primarily in ERISA cases. These cases occur when someone can no longer work, usually because they got sick or injured.  Then, their short or long term disability benefits are denied, often wrongfully so. The insurance company that was paid to protect employees often look for any excuse to turn down claims. This, of course, saves money. Many people just give up once they receive a denial letter. This is exactly what the disability insurance company wants. The laws in this area are very unfair and difficult, but you should not give up hope yet. To find out why you are likely facing an uphill battle in the disability appeals process, request a free copy of our latest book, FINDING THE DEVIL (in the details of your disability denial). Appealing your denial is a minefield that should not be navigated without help.

People who can no longer work deserve to have their claim reviewed by someone other than the insurance company. Our law firm will prepare your appeal. Most of the time, you only have one change to write an appeal. It had better be a good one! We will file a lawsuit in Federal Court if it makes sense to do so. (Many lawyers are actually scared of Federal Court). It all begins with a free review of your denial letter.

Remote Work is Here, removing geographical barriers

Regardless of where in Illinois you live, we can help in many instances, since an in person consultation is no longer necessary.  In fact, During the COVID-19 Crisis we will still be working, as usual, but will not see clients in person.  This makes matters more convenient for our clients who can schedule telephone appointments or meet us over Zoom. As of 2021, most courts are operating in a similar fashion in order to help prevent the spread of illness. 

Serving Chicagoland and  DuPage County since 1996

Our office is located in Itasca, Illinois allowing us to provide convenient service throughout the Chicago area and suburbs. We often handle cases in all of Chicago’s collar counties (DuPage County, Kane County, Will County, McHenry County, and Lake County). Our firm is woman / minority owned.

From this website, you will find a ton of information to answer general questions about personal injury & disability cases in Illinois. If you’d rather speak to a live person (no phone trees), call my office at 630 250-8813 . Feel free to also fill out our contact form and someone will get back to you very shortly. Thank you for visiting my site, I hope that it has been helpful!