The most convenient source for
case law, Virginia Workers' Compensation Case Finder, Fifth Edition, is the first and only source to integrate the workers’
compensation opinions of the Virginia Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and
Workers’ Compensation Commission. For ready reference, it carefully summarizes
and arranges the decisions under 102 topic headings, covering the most
litigious issues in workers’ compensation.
Since the previous edition of this book was published in 2012, the Virginia Workers’
Compensation Commission has undergone significant expansion and reorganization
in ways that affect the practice of workers’ compensation law. Changes have also occurred in the interpretation of Virginia’s workers’ compensation law. A
careful and thorough reading of the cases is, therefore, critical to a fuller
understanding of developing Virginia workers’ compensation law.
The Court of Appeals continues to
bear the brunt of the load deciding cases on appeal as of right. The Virginia Supreme
Court only hears cases involving significant precedential value, which is why
their cases, though few and far between, have significant impact on the law of
workers’ compensation.
Virginia
Workers’ Compensation Case Finder, Fifth Edition was designed to serve as an aid for the thorough reading of the cases cited in the
book, and is used as a reference tool by the Virginia Workers' Compensation
Commission and by workers' compensation attorneys and insurance companies
throughout the state.
Peter
M. Sweeny is a member of the Virginia State Bar and District of Columbia
Bar. He is a past Chairman of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Workers’ Compensation
Section. He has practiced workers’ compensation in Virginia for over 40 years
and has frequently lectured attorneys and others on workers’ compensation
issues. Mr. Sweeny has published articles on Virginia workers’ compensation,
and teaches Continuing Legal Education seminars in his field. He is also a
member of the LexisNexis National Workers' Compensation Advisory Board. In
2009, he was selected as a Workers’ Compensation Notable Person.
Mr.
Sweeny began his legal career working on the legal staff of the Chairman of the
Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission. After leaving government
service he joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Ashcraft & Gerel where
he became a partner in 1985. He then co-founded Thacher, Swiger, Sweeny &
Day in Fairfax, Virginia in 1986. In 1989 he opened his own firm and currently
practices as a solo practitioner in Leesburg, Virginia with a statewide
workers' compensation practice. He is a Master of the Bench in
the Virginia Workers’ Compensation American Inn of Court and a Fellow of The
College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.
Over the course of almost four decades of representing and
consulting for injured employees in Workers' Compensation cases, Peter Sweeny's
Case Finder has proven to be one of my most valuable resources. I have used it constantly for evaluating
cases, preparing for hearings, and researching and writing hearing and
appellate briefs. It is a comprehensive
and well-organized tool which makes it easy to find the relevant case law for
virtually every situation. The Case
Finder has saved me countless hours of research and has enabled me to
provide much better representation for my clients. I recommend it highly to anyone who handles
Workers' Compensation cases. —Richard M. Thomas, Ferris & Eakin, PC
Having been a gladiator in the workers comp arena going-on some 30
years, I seldom go to battle without picking up my trusty sword: Peter
Sweeny's Virginia Workers’
Compensation Case Finder. Peter's
case finder does just that— it helps everyone from the beginner to the longtime
veteran find their particular comp
case. As we are frequently looking for
subject matter content for a narrow, nuanced
issue in a very narrow, specialized area of practice, there is no better tool
available for Virginia workers’ compensation practitioners. —Philip B. Baker, Baker & Sanzone, LLP
I don’t know how you practice workers’ compensation law in
Virginia unless you own this resource.
My copy has hundreds of Post-It notes marking important/helpful
cases. Peter Sweeny is the authority in
Virginia workers’ compensation. If you
want to be successful and save yourself countless hours you need to own this
book. —Kathleen Grace Walsh, Law Office of Kathleen Grace Walsh
