Hawks Quindel, S.C.

We are a Wisconsin law firm representing labor unions, and individuals in employment, family, disability, worker's compensation, social security disability and personal injury legal matters. Through our Madison, Milwaukee, Appleton and Eau Claire offices, we help organized labor and individuals statewide prevail in their legal challenges.

Website: https://www.hq-law.com/
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Hawks Quindel, S.C. Blogs

Hawks Quindel SC
Writing On Your Rights

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Martha Burke
Ben Edelstein
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Emma Knatterud-Johnson
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Forrest Stewart
Naomi Swain
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Latest from Hawks Quindel, S.C.

After a serious injury, it’s common to focus on the immediate aftermath: medical care, lost work, and possibly a personal injury claim. But what happens if the injury prevents a return to work for weeks, months, or the foreseeable future?

That’s where short- and long-term disability (S/LTD) insurance claims become essential.

If you were covered under either an individually purchased or employer-provided S/LTD policy as of the time of your injury, you may be eligible to file a disability…
Continue Reading Long-Term Disability Benefits Can Help After an Injury, Even While a Personal Injury Case Is Pending

As the name suggests, long-term disability benefits are supposed to last for the long term. But what does that actually mean? If you’re facing a serious injury or illness, the length of time you can count on benefits is one of the first questions you’ll want answered.
First, Consult Your Policy
Every long-term disability (LTD) policy is a bit different. The “plan documents,” or full terms of the policy, will spell out your policy’s specific rules for how long…
Continue Reading How Long Do Long-Term Disability Benefits Last?

An injury is not compensable under Wisconsin’s worker’s compensation system merely because it happened at work. A worker’s compensation insurance company may deny an injured worker’s claim by asserting that the cause of the claimed injury is “idiopathic.” An idiopathic injury is an injury that arises from a worker’s personal condition and which cannot be attributed to any work-related incident or hazard. Some examples include fainting due to a medical condition that causes seizures, heart attacks, tripping over one’s…
Continue Reading What is an idiopathic injury?

Milwaukee County employees’ health insurance coverage is in the news lately, due to an error in the renewal process for the County’s health insurance contract. Unfortunately, the County’s contract with United Healthcare lapsed at the end of 2025 without a renewal in place. More than 5,000 employees and retirees are covered under this policy, WPR reported, and rely on this insurance for doctor’s visits, prescriptions, hospitalizations, and other health care.

As of this writing, Milwaukee County employees remain covered…
Continue Reading Employer’s error caused you to lose health insurance coverage? You may have legal options 

What to know if childbirth recovery, postpartum depression, or anxiety keeps you from returning to work
Pregnancy and childbirth are often described as joyful milestones—but they can also bring unexpected medical challenges. For many working parents, short-term disability (STD) insurance provides critical income replacement during pregnancy and recovery after birth. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that disability benefits don’t have to end simply because the “standard” recovery period has passed. When complications arise, benefits can frequently be extended, and…
Continue Reading Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Benefits for Pregnancy and Postpartum Complications

The reality for many individuals with severe disabilities is that they cannot afford to stop working altogether while waiting for their Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) application to be processed. The SSDI process can be lengthy and, if a claim is denied at both the initial and reconsiderations stages, it may take years to reach the hearing stage. For some claimants, more than two years can go by before a final decision is made which can be unreasonably long…
Continue Reading  I have a disability, but I am working. Am I eligible for SSDI?

Know Your Rights, and Don’t Hesitate to Act
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has a formal complaint process to help employees enforce their rights. This blog post offers some steps that you can take to file a Labor Standards Complaint if your employer isn’t fulfilling your request for access to your personnel file.

Under Wisconsin law, you have the right to access the personnel file that your employer compiles and keeps during your employment. Obtaining your personnel…
Continue Reading How to Work with the DWD to Obtain Your Personnel File

When Migraines Become Disabling
Migraines are one of the most common neurological conditions in the world, yet they are also one of the most misunderstood. Far beyond a “bad headache,” migraines can cause severe pain, visual changes, nausea, dizziness, brain fog, light and sound sensitivity, and an inability to manage even simple tasks, let alone maintain full-time employment.

For individuals with chronic migraines, defined as 15 or more headache days per month, the impact on daily functioning can be…
Continue Reading Don’t Let The Insurance Company Downplay Your Migraines: How to Prove Your Long-Term Disability Claim

A Guide from HQ Law

When a loved one passes away, families often face not only emotional hardship but also financial uncertainty. One of the most common questions we hear at HQ Law is:
“How do I know whether my loved one had a life insurance policy?”
In many cases, life insurance policies go unclaimed simply because survivors don’t know they exist. And even when a policy is located, beneficiaries may face a denied or delayed claim.

This guide…
Continue Reading How to Find a Lost Life Insurance Policy — And What to Do If Your Claim Is Denied 

For many years, alcohol use disorder (AUD) was often viewed as a matter of poor choices or a lack of willpower. Today, medical research makes it clear that this isn’t the case—AUD is a medical condition, not a moral flaw. Like other medical conditions, it can cause difficulty in daily functioning, leading to cravings, compulsive behaviors, and impaired control over drinking. These symptoms can interfere with daily life, relationships, and the ability to work.
What is Alcohol Use Disorder?
Continue Reading Disabled by Alcohol Use Disorder? You Might be Eligible for Short- or Long- Term Disability Benefits

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Understanding Long-Term Disability and COVID-19
Long-term disability (LTD) insurance is supposed to help when you can’t work because of an illness or injury. But for many people who are still suffering from the lasting effects of COVID-19, getting those benefits has been an uphill battle. Too many insurers are denying legitimate claims, leaving people struggling not only with their health but also their finances.
When Returning to Work Isn’t Safe
We represent people whose careers have been derailed by…
Continue Reading Long-Term Disability and Long COVID: Science Is Finally Catching Up

Hawks Quindel Wins Overtime Class Action Trial for KFC Managers

After yearslong litigation, Hawks Quindel recently secured a unanimous jury verdict on behalf of a class of KFC managers seeking unpaid overtime compensation. The KFC managers alleged that they were improperly classified as exempt from Wisconsin’s overtime pay laws because they spent the majority of their time performing work alongside their hourly crew members and had limited authority in managing their restaurants. After a five-day trial in which numerous witnesses testified, the jury deliberated for less than an hour…
Continue Reading Hawks Quindel Wins Overtime Class Action Trial for KFC Managers

If an employee is terminated or laid off, an employer may offer them a severance package (or separation agreement) in exchange for a waiver of claims.

Severance agreements ask an employee to waive, or release claims they may have had against their employer up until the date of signing the agreement. In exchange the employer agrees to give the employee some sort of consideration, generally a payment, other than compensation that the employee is already entitled to.

There is…
Continue Reading How long do I have to consider my severance package?

If you left your job or were let go due to a medical condition some time ago but never filed for short- or long-term disability benefits (S/LTD), the good news is that it might not be too late.

We regularly hear from people who assumed they missed their chance to file for disability insurance benefits that they had through their last employer. Maybe you thought you’d recover. Maybe you didn’t know you had S/LTD coverage. Maybe you’re only now…
Continue Reading You Stopped Working Months (or Years) Ago — Can You Still File for Short- and Long-Term Disability?

If you’ve been hurt at work in Wisconsin and your claim has been denied, you might assume your doctor’s medical opinion alone will be enough to counter the opinion of the insurance company and its hired doctor. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. One essential document stands between your doctor’s assessment and getting the benefits you deserve: the WKC-16-B form.

This form is critical in documenting your doctor’s opinion on your work injury, your work restrictions, and your permanent disability,…
Continue Reading Think Your Doctor’s Opinion Is Enough to Beat a Worker’s Compensation Denial? Not Without This Form

If you’ve been hurt at work in Wisconsin and your claim has been denied, you might assume your doctor’s medical opinion alone will be enough to counter the opinion of the insurance company and its hired doctor. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. One essential document stands between your doctor’s assessment and getting the benefits you deserve: the WKC-16-B form.

This form is critical in documenting your doctor’s opinion on your work injury, your work restrictions, and your permanent disability,…
Continue Reading Think Your Doctor’s Opinion Is Enough to Beat a Worker’s Compensation Denial? Not Without This Form.