James Monast
Columbus Workers' Compensation Lawyer - Protecting Ohio's Injured Workers
I earned my Juris Doctorate in 1985 and my Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude with distinction in Economics and honors in Liberal Arts) in 1981, both from THE Ohio State University (Go Bucks!). I continued to send lots and lots of money to Ohio State as each of my 4 sons attended there (my daughter went to Otterbein) but still can never seem to get football tickets. I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at OSU and enjoyed undergraduate life there. Law school was not nearly as fun. Over the years, I have handled literally thousands of cases before the Ohio Industrial Commission, Court of Common Pleas, 10th District Court of Appeals, and Ohio Supreme Court. I was part of the first class of attorneys certified as workers' compensation specialists in Ohio. That was many moons ago. In 2016, I was honored to be invited by the Ohio State Bar Association to serve as a Member of the OSBA Specialty Board which develops and oversees the examination and process by which attorneys may become certified as workers' compensation specialists in Ohio.
In my free time, I have enjoyed coaching Upward Basketball and volunteering at Vacation Bible School. I'm also honored to serve as a judge at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Mediation moot court and alternative dispute/mediation competitions several times each year. An Eagle Scout myself, I've been actively involved with my sons in scouting and served for many years as assistant Cubmaster and then as assistant Scoutmaster of BSA Troop 96.
I like hiking, camping, range shooting, and Skyline chili, not necessarily in that order. I'm also an avid reader of anything from Stephen King (his old stuff is better) to church history and theology, a political history buff and enjoy spending time and too much money restoring and driving a 1978 Toyota FJ 40 Land Cruiser. I am also an endowment member of the National Rifle Association. My wife Amy and I attend Vineyard Church of Columbus and have 5 children and one grandson.
- Workers' Compensation
- Long-Term Disability Appeals / ERISA Claims
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Free Consultation
Free 30-minute Consultation -
Contingent Fees
33 1/3%
- Ohio
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Sole Practitioner, Workers' Compensation Specialist
- Monast Law Office
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- Partner
- Marchese and Monast
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- Associate
- Marchese and Monast
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- Associate
- Fullerton Law Office
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- Associate
- Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
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- Ohio State University - Columbus
- J.D. (1985) | B.A. with majors in Economics, English; J.D.
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- I spent seven years at The Ohio State University, first as an undergraduate and then for law school. The undergraduate experience was more enjoyable than law school!!!
- Honors: B.A. cum laude with distinction in Economics and with honors in the liberal arts
- Activities: Ohio Staters Inc.; Sigma Chi Fraternity; Fraternity Managers' Association Board Member
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- Client Champion Platinum
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Client Champion Silver
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Client Champion Silver
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Client Champion Silver
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Client Champion Silver
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Columbus Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- Ohio Association for Justice
- Member
- - Current
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- Ohio State Bar Association
- Certified Specialist: Workers' Compensation Law
- - Current
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- Judge, Moritz College of Law Lawrence Negotiations Moot Court Competition; Moritz College of Law Mediation Competition, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Columbus OH
- The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Columbus OH
- I've served as a Judge in these competitions several times over the years before and since 2013. The third-year students are given a mock situation and are required to negotiate the best possible outcome for their client against students representing "the other side." In the mediation series, the students attempt to solve a situation by resolving disputes before filing a lawsuit.
- Certified Specialist - Workers' Compensation Law
- Ohio State Bar Association
Workers Comp Lawyer Columbus, OH | Monast Law Office
Understanding Workers
- Q. Am I eligible for workmans comp benefits if I suffer PTSD due to an incident that happened while I was at work?
- A: Ohio does not recognize workers' compensation claims for psychological conditions alone; they must be associated with a physical injury you sustain. Other states recognize these claims but not Ohio. You would have to sustain a physical injury, even a minor one, before the psychological condition may be recognized as a workers' compensation claim.
As a teacher, you may qualify for disability under a SERS or PERS program; I'd suggest you talk with the HR folks at PERS and SERS about this, and your union rep, too. If you have some sort of disability policy through work you may also want to look into that.
You have gone through a trauma witnessing this event. Nobody disputes ... Read More
- Q. I had a cup of hot string bean juice thrown in my face by another employee at my job what are my options on what to do
- A: You have a valid work injury claim. If you have developed an emotional reaction to your injuries and the incident, you may be able to get treatment under your claim. You'd have to have a psychologist or other mental health professional confirm a diagnosis and file a motion to have the condition recognized as part of your claim so treatment may be authorized.
- Q. Ohio Worker's Compensation Tax as an Employer
- A: The BWC has an Adjudication Committee (at least they used to years ago when I worked there) where you can present your situation. It used to come up when employers were non-complying (I.e., hadn't had premiums) or coverage had lapsed for a few days and then got hit with a huge penalty. They often knocked down the liability considerably or even altogether. I'd suggest contacting employer services at the BWC; you should be able to find contact info on the BWC website, bwc.ohio.gov
