Trusted Attorneys | Trusted Advisors

Overview

As a Partner with Nyhan, Adam Cox’s (he/him) practice primarily focuses on workers’ compensation trial defenses but it quickly expands in scope. Adam is a seasoned trial attorney, representing the interests of employers throughout Illinois for over two decades. He prides himself in handling complicated and high-exposure claims, while tailoring his skills to the unique demands, goals, and priorities of each client and situation.

Adam’s partnerships representing insured, self-insured, high-deductible, “assigned risk pool,” and uninsured clients have resulted in countless denials of benefits, and saved his clients millions of dollars over the years.

With a keen eye for detail and a highly tactical mindset, Adam aims to walk in lockstep with employers through the challenges presented by each case to achieve the best possible outcomes. To this end, he strives for clients to make the most informed decisions possible, strictly adhering to the adage, “lawyers advise, clients decide.” He also recognizes that choices in a case can have far-reaching consequences, with possible ripple effects beyond the mere microcosm of any single claim.

With an equity-driven mindset and a commitment to enhancing his community, Adam has served on Nyhan’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council since its inception in 2020 and previously served proudly on its Charity Committee.

In addition to his law practice, Adam also serves as the Executive Director of the Illinois Self-Insurers’ Association (ISIA), playing an integral role in directing “the voice” of Illinois self-insurers and businesses in workers’ compensation matters.

Through his work with the ISIA, Adam’s interactions with self-insured and high deductible employers, Commission personnel, and other like-minded business groups afford him with uncomparable experiences, information, and insight in the workers’ compensation arena. Adam proudly tells people, “workers’ compensation isn’t just what I do, it’s a huge part of my identity.” As a frequent lecturer and presenter on workers’ compensation topics, Adam looks forward to new opportunities to share his wealth of knowledge.

In his free time Adam can be found coaching youth athletics, attending concerts and sporting events, spending time with his wife and children, cooking and baking, and doing his best impression of Bob Villa repairing and maintaining his home.

Professional Organizations

  • Illinois Self-Insurers’ Association
    • Executive Director, 2024
    • Executive Secretary, 2018-2023
  • Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Member
    • Employment Law and Safety Committee
  • National Council of Self-Insurers, Member
  • Workers’ Compensation Lawyers’ Association (WCLA)

Community Involvement

  • Glen Ellyn Park District, Coach, 2021-present
  • Derby Glen Home Owners Association, Board of Directors including President, 2012-present

Publications

  • Contributor and Editor, “Nuts & Bolts Workshop,” 2013-Present

Presentations

  • Co-Presenter, “It’s Not All Okay for Business – What You May Have Missed Lately in Illinois Workers’ Compensation,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce, 2024
  • Presenter, “A Potpourri of Perspective: Easing Your Workers’ Compensation Pains,” American Society of Safety Professionals –  Northeastern Illinois Chapter Meeting, 2023
  • Co-Presenter, “Permanent Restrictions, Now What?,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce 15th Annual Workers’ Compensation and Safety Meeting, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “Defining ‘Risk’ in Illinois, and the interpretation of post-McAllister Decisions at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce Annual Employment and Safety Meeting, 2021
  • Co-Presenter, State Update and Concerns (Illinois), National Council of Self-Insurers Annual Conference, 2019
  • Presenter, “Legislative Update and Evaluation of Permanency Incorporating AMA Ratings,” EIIA, 2019
  • Annual Lecturer, Annual Meetings, Illinois Self-Insurers’ Association, 2018-Present
  • Frequent Lecturer, Nuts & Bolts Workshops, Illinois Self-Insurers’ Association, 2016-Present
  • Lecturer, “Claimant Fraud in Workers’ Compensation: A Litigation Perspective,” International Association of Special Investigations Unit (IASIU), 2017
  • Role of Defense Counsel, “Law & Order: Workers’ Comp Unit,” Nyhan Client Seminar, 2016

 

News

 

Representative Matters

  • Represented a national beverage distribution company for a claim of a former worker medically restricted from all work following a fall down a staircase at the worksite. Guiding a focused team approach with multiple witnesses at trial, Adam secured a full denial of all benefits claimed, despite multiple trial continuances at employee’s attorney’s requests. The exposure for benefit claims exceeded $1.5 million.
  • Represented an Illinois college in a claim with an employee who sustained a complex ankle fracture after a fall down a long staircase on a rainy day. Through investigation and insistence on application of certain case law, all benefits were ultimately denied.
  • Represented a national package delivery company in a claim demanding low back surgery after an employee fell off an allegedly defective toilet seat. Adam secured the vendor responsible for maintaining the commode and developed a defense that lead to a finding of “no accident” and a denial of all benefits claimed, including surgery.
  • Represented a national janitorial company in a claim involving a worker seeking back surgery after another employee jumped on his back, without explanation as to why. Investigation coupled with development of a medical defense defeated the claim for over five years of lost time and payment of prospective back surgery. Social media investigation discovered claimant’s alter-ego as an R&B entertainer, bragging of great success and financial stability on various platforms. At trial, claimant testified he made no money and relied on charity form his family and church to survive. Estimated exposure exceeded $200,000.
  • Represented a Chicagoland construction company in a claim by a union Sheetmetal worker for a low back injury and subsequent two-level lumbar fusion. Adam’s investigation revealed two prior back injuries within a month of the alleged work accident. Armed with this information, Adam secured a denial of all benefits at trial with a finding of “no accident.” The estimated exposure was over $300,000.
  • Represented a McLean County public transportation company in claims by a bus driver who alleged a hip injury neededing replacement and loss of occupation due to the injury. At trial, the Arbitrator found causation and awarded over $300,000 in accrued and estimated prospective benefits. Adam successfully overturned the disputed issues on review, neutralizing an award for hip replacement, and slashing the indemnity award down to less than $10,000.
  • Represented a national package delivery company for a claim where the delivery driver was shot in the back en route in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. This rendered the 35-year-old claimant a paraplegic. With future life care needs projected at over $4 million and lifetime wage loss added, the total estimated exposure exceeded $6 million for the undisputed accident. Through protracted and shrewd negotiation strategies, Adam ultimately reached a settlement, to great praise from the client, for less than $2 million.