Meet Erika Brenneman
Erika Brenneman is a Tallahassee workers’ compensation attorney with a tremendous track record for representing injured workers. As the attorney managing the Tallahassee office of Farah & Farah, Erika leads a team of elite legal professionals to help injured workers get everything they are due under the law after a workplace accident. Erika has experience running an entire law practice, so she knows every bit of what it takes to maximize each client’s recovery.
If you’re injured at work and feel like you’re getting the runaround from your employer or their insurance company, Erika Brenneman is the experienced professional you want handling your case.
From Leading My Own Practice to Managing the Tallahassee Team
I’ve been practicing workers’ compensation for more than two decades. In that time, a lot has changed in the law. Keeping up with the changes ensures I’m always ready to help when an injured worker needs an advocate. During my career, I have represented both injured workers, as well as employers and carriers. Seeing both sides is incredibly insightful into this unique area of the law.
Having your own law firm is incredibly exciting, but it is also a ton of work because you have to wear a lot of hats. You are responsible for every bit of running that business, from managing cases to advertising. I loved my time serving so many injured workers in Florida and Georgia, but I also wanted to get back to focusing my knowledge and experience entirely on serving the client.
One of Farah & Farah’s top attorneys in Melbourne, Jason Robbins, is an old friend and was instrumental in helping me see how I could make the leap from private practice to Farah & Farah just like he did. I’m so glad I made that decision and haven’t looked back since.
To Do Well in Workers’ Compensation, You Have To Be Persuasive
I love helping people and I’m definitely not a stuffy-suit kind of lawyer. Workers’ compensation is different from personal injury. We’re in front of an administrative judge and there isn’t a jury. From working in this area my whole career, I know the judges well and even have several local defense attorneys that are close friends. These relationships aid my efforts because we can be candid and talk through the case. Those key relationships have helped me move my cases forward, even when the other side has an opposing view. In the end, it’s all for the benefit of the client.
I am definitely a people person and workers’ compensation is a people-centric area of the law. The people I represent are often everyday folks who got hurt on the job and need help being made whole. I’ve learned over the years that being persuasive helps workers’ compensation attorneys get more for their clients. I have to be persuasive in front of the judge and defense, but I also need to be persuasive with my clients. I help my clients understand step by step what we’re going through so that they can choose the best course of action. My memory is another strength and I use that to hone in on the tiny details of the case that come together to make maximum recoveries possible.
Workers’ Compensation Is Often an Ongoing Battle
What many clients may not realize is that workers’ compensation cases can be ongoing for years and years. I have a client who has stayed with me as I transitioned from private practice who was injured back in 1985. I’ve had this client myself for more than a decade now. Ongoing pain management and other treatments can mean the case stays open; sometimes it’s not in a client’s best interest to settle and be done. My job is to give my clients the advice they need to make an informed decision. In each case, I’ll present the different options available under the law and let my clients make the final call.
A case I’ll never forget involved a woman who was on the job when she received a serious injury. The injury caused her to develop a debilitating pain syndrome. This woman was only in her 30s and needed her workers’ compensation checks to help make ends meet. I was able to help her receive permanent disability benefits so she doesn’t have to worry about her future cash flow. I feel for injured workers. Most are in serious pain and have lots of anxiety. I help them understand that they have options. If they don’t like their doctor, we can help them find a better one.
Remember, workers’ compensation cases aren’t in front of a jury, so there isn’t a verdict and the case is done. As long as a client is receiving medical benefits and money because of their workplace injury, a case can remain open. My job is to help advise my clients to help them maximize their benefits for the long-term.
I Bleed Garnet and Gold
Florida State University is my alma mater for both undergrad and law school and I am an absolute fanatic for just about any sporting event they might be participating in. Football, baseball, basketball—even former ‘Nole pro golfers on tour—I absolutely love to support my hometown team.
I have three wonderful children, Spencer, Skylar, and Taylor, who I am immensely proud of. I was the complete team mom when they were younger, a committee chairperson on the PTO, on the lacrosse executive board, Girl Scout co-leader and cookie mom, and whatever else the teachers or coaches needed. I absolutely loved volunteering and watching my kids do what they love. And now I love supporting them as they move into adulthood. If we have some free time, my significant other and I love to travel, listen to live music, play trivia, attend sporting events and enjoy Tallahassee. My mixed breed dog, Rocky, also keeps me busy with her desire for frequent trips out to Bradfordville Dog Park.
