S. Philip Unwin

Philip Unwin has been defending workers’ compensation claims and Section 120 discrimination claims since 2005. He has handled hundreds of trials at the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), including lay witness testimony and medical testimony on the issues of accident, notice and causal relationship, period and extent of disability, entitlement to medical benefits under the board’s Medical Treatment Guidelines, and fraud.

He has advised clients on claims handling procedures and the defenses available at the outset of claims, and the timelines for conducting investigation and filing with the WCB.

As part of this practice, Philip consistently meets with employer and carrier witnesses well in advance of trial to ensure timely preparation and evaluate the strength of defenses and tailors the initial defense forms to the defenses available to the client.

He also negotiates and drafts section 32 agreements to resolve claims on a full and final basis with a priority on moving the agreements quickly to ensure resolution of the claim with minimal delay.

Philip is a Medicare Set-Aside Certified Consultant and has assisted clients with Medicare Set-Asides and conditional payments.

He has also advised them of their rights and obligations under the Medicare Secondary Payer laws in both workers’ compensation and general liability claims. He has spoken on this topic at continuing legal education classes.

Professional Affiliations/Certifications:

• New York Self-Insurers Association
• Credentialed as a Medicare Set-Aside Certified Consultant by the International Commission on Health Care Certification

Education:

• State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, J.D., 2002
• University of Rochester, B.A., 1998