Workers' Compensation Group
RLS is California's preeminent law firm representing public safety employees from academy to retirement. Through an integrative approach, we protect the rights of injured workers with full spectrum representation.
OUR SERVICES
Statewide Management Team
Consults association leadership on matters imperative to their membership.
Injured Workers Team
Helps injured workers gain the compensation they deserve.
Third-Party Claims Team
Cross-disciplinary team that litigates cases involving a liable third-party.
MEET THE TEAMS
Statewide Management Team
The RLS Statewide Management Team is the authority on changes in Workers' Compensation law in California. The Team monitors changes in legislation and advises association leaders on legislative matters, presumptions, and ADR issues that directly impact their members.
RLS understands each association faces unique challenges. The Statewide Management Team works closely with association board members to ensure legal solutions fit the specific needs of their organization. Through this collaborative approach, RLS protects the careers and livelihoods of workers before they are injured.
Consultation services may include, but are not limited to:
Labor:
Identify recurring challenges specific to the employer agency that can potentially be addressed through negotiations or otherwise.
Legal Defense:
Ensure members can maximize support from both the Workers’ Compensation and Legal Defense Groups within RLS when a member is both injured and dealing with the disciplinary process.
Administrative Process:
Assisting with hearings and providing advice and counsel on the process and approach when members are represented/unrepresented.
Third Party Crossover Legal Claims:
Assisting with hearings and providing advice and counsel on the process and approach when members are represented/unrepresented in either the Civil court system or before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.
Eustace de Saint Phalle
Principal/Practice Group Leader
Eustace leads the RLS Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation Groups and has established himself as one of California's top injury trial lawyers. Eustace specializes in third party crossover cases.
Taylor E. Arnold
NorCal WC Managing Attorney
Taylor manages the Northern California branch of the RLS Workers’ Compensation Practice Group. He has appeared at every Workers’ Compensation appeals board in Northern California and litigated every aspect of a Workers’ Compensation case up to the California Supreme Court.
Adam Dombchik
SoCal WC Manager/Of Counsel
Adam manages RLS's Southern California Workers' Compensation practice. He draws on deep knowledge of the workers' compensation and has even offered input to the California legislature to help shape workers' compensation policy. Adam regularly speaks on workers' compensation issues to large groups of doctors, lawyers, public safety officers and others in the community.
Workplace Injury Team
The Workplace Injury Team handles all aspects of workplace injury cases, including guidance on medical care, litigation, trials and retirement strategies. RLS negotiates with insurance adjusters and finds the best doctors to maximize outcomes. Injured workers benefit from the tenacious representation and comprehensive knowledge of workers' compensation law the RLS attorneys are known for.
RLS provides full-spectrum support:
- Understanding your rights when you have suffered an injury covered by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board or the Civil Court system.
- Filing the initial claim properly
- Getting the compensation you deserve if injured or disabled and unable to return to work
- Getting to the best physicians from our list of proven doctors and experts
- Dealing with claim denials and non-certification of medical care
- Finalizing settlements
Taylor E. Arnold
NorCal WC Managing Attorney
Taylor manages the Northern California branch of the RLS Workers’ Compensation Practice Group. He has appeared at every Workers’ Compensation appeals board in Northern California and litigated every aspect of a Workers’ Compensation case up to the California Supreme Court.
Jessica E. Berlat
Senior Associate
Jessica specializes in handling complicated injuries often contested as industrially related. She has expertise in Labor Code presumptions, Northern California Alternative Dispute Resolution programs, and workers’ compensation claims and retirement. Jessica has successfully assisted many qualified clients through the disability retirement pension process.
Jim Butler
Senior Trial Counsel
Jim is widely recognized as one of the most experienced Workers' Compensation lawyers in California. Jim represents both public and private sector employees. He has a proven track record of successfully handling the entire spectrum of Workers' Compensation cases, including career-ending injuries.
Third-Party Claims
Third-Party Claims:
When a third-party is responsible for an employee's workplace injury, they can be held liable for compensation outside of Workers' Compensation. The Third-Party Claims Team represents workers injured by third-parties and understand how to litigate cases involving catastrophic injuries. Our attorneys leverage the civil litigation system to win injured workers the compensation they deserve.
Eustace de Saint Phalle
Principal/Practice Group Leader
Eustace leads the RLS Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation Groups and has established himself as one of California's top injury trial lawyers. Eustace specializes in third party crossover cases.
Olivia K. Leary
Senior Associate
Olivia is an associate in the Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation Groups. Olivia specializes in Workers' Compensation cases with 3rd-party negligence claims involving complicated lien and credit issues. She represents people who have suffered serious injury as a result of negligence, including personal injury actions, intentional torts and whistleblower actions.
Professional Support Staff
Catherine Roads-Redhouse
Paralegal/Association Claims Coordinator
Catie acts as the Workers’ Compensation Coordinator for Associations when requested, assisting Association Board Members or Wellness Committees for various RLS clients. She also manages the tasks and schedules for various attorneys within the Injury Resource Group, and prepares, serves, and files legal documents.
Scott Tilden
Paralegal
Scott manages the tasks schedule of each case according to statute. He also prepares, serves, and files legal documents.
Stephanie Zeller
Intake Coordinator and Scheduler
Stephanie performs the initial intake with potential clients, collecting information important to our attorneys.
Questions?
NOTICE: Pursuant to Labor Code Section 5432(a), making a false or fraudulent workers' compensation claim is a felony subject to up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.
This site complies with Business and Professions Code §5499.30 (Unlawful Advertising of Legal Services to Obtain Workers' Compensation Benefits) and Labor Code §9823 (General Workers' Compensation Advertising Rules).
