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WHY I ENDED UP IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION?

  April 27, 2020 WHY I ENDED UP IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION? - JUDGE DAVID LANGHAM By Judge David Langham I have been trying to answer the seemingly simple question of why I ended up in workers’ compensation. That is tougher than I would have expected. I had a business training-intensive high school curriculum, and earned a business degree, seemingly without ever hearing the words “workers’ compensation.” Notably, before I graduated from college I had been injured in a work accident, received medical care, and returned to work. Despite having been “in the system,” I have no recollection of ever knowing any details. Perhaps this was because mine was  a minor experience ? I spent half of my law school career without any memory of hearing of workers’ compensation. Obviously, workers’ compensation was not a major component of education. Then, I had what can only be described as my second workers’ compensation accident. I was offered a clerkship with a firm that practiced insurance and workers
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A RULE ABOUT RULES

  February 24, 2020 A RULE ABOUT RULES By Judge David Langham In February 2020 the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published  Could We Live in a World Without Rules ? This headline pulled me in. Coincidentally, later that day, I spent a lot of time around the attendees at the Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims annual workers’ compensation seminar in Tallahassee. For several years now, I have frankly lost count, the Florida OJCC has presented an annual free winter seminar in Tallahassee. Though it is intended to benefit those in state government who deal with workers’ compensation, it attracts attorneys from Pensacola to Jacksonville to Miami. 2020 was another great program. The convergence of that program with the BBC article was coincidental and striking.   Overheard in conversation at the conference:   “Rule ______ needs to be more strongly worded, with specific examples.” “Rule ______ is clear, but most attorneys do not follow it.” “Rule ______ leaves too much di
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THE NEW YEAR DAWNS AND WE PONDER GOALS

  December 31, 2019 THE NEW YEAR DAWNS AND WE PONDER GOALS By Judge David Langham There is a circle of stones in England, Stonehenge, which was constructed about 5,000 years ago. The pyramids in Egypt are similarly ancient. Around the time of Christ, someone constructed pictures in the ground south of Lima Peru. These “Nazca Lines” depict various shapes and can only be fully appreciated from altitude. These sites are all visited, studied, and written about. They are among the wonders in our world. What they all have in common, though, is that they are the result of someone’s efforts and they have stood the test of time.   We personally pale by comparison; we perhaps daydream from time to time about our futures. But, for the most part we each become ensconced in our days’ activities. In the realm of workers’ compensation, it is likely that at least once in a while our daily tasks include mundane, repetitive, and mindless tasks. The world is full of those despite the best efforts of tech
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TECHNOLOGY VS. HUMANITY

  October 23, 2019 TECHNOLOGY VS. HUMANITY By: Hon. David Langham Recently, a very topical and interesting discussion came across one of my  social media feeds . It was distributed by William Zachary, an “industry thought-leader.” Despite that term being sometimes overused, Mr. Zachary is a true leader in that he listens as often as he speaks. Thus, when he does speak, we are well advised to pay attention. And, others in the community would benefit from listening as carefully as he does.  In this posting, Mr. Zachary describes a recent speech delivered to attorneys that defend workers’ compensation cases. In it, he reminded about the methodology that is being engaged to analyze data. The medical community has been abuzz about this for several years. While data is nothing new, the fact is that computer programs and even artificial intelligence are increasingly being thoughtfully and imaginatively engaged to analyze medical and other claims data. With technology, payers can quickly, quie
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FLORIDA LEADING THE WAR ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

  July 29, 2019 FLORIDA LEADING THE WAR ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING By David Langham Back in 2014, I wrote  Where did it Come From, Where is it Going, and How Huge is it ? It was published twice, but neither publication is available online at this time. The article addressed the sheer volume of workers’ compensation in America. As a matter of fact, workers’ compensation has begun to celebrate centennials in various states; in its modern American form it is reasonably recent, although the concept of compensating for injury literally dates back thousands of years, perhaps to 2050 B.C. according to some.   The “How Huge is it” question came from a quote written by Judge Mills of the Florida First District Court of Appeal, who said:   “Workers' compensation is a very important field of the law, if not the most important. It touches more lives than any other field of the law. It involves the payments of huge sums of money. The welfare of human beings, the success of business, and the pocketboo
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