Our Workers’ Comp Community: An Opening Statement In Changing Times

Thought LeadershipOur Workers' Comp Community

Apr 7

BY JOHN MOLINAR

In the pilot episode of the cult-classic Community, we meet Jeff Winger at the precise moment his life unravels.

Jeff is a successful defense attorney whose confidence has always outpaced his credentials. He wins with charm, speed, and improvisation. But when a colleague discovers his undergraduate degree is fraudulent, Jeff is disbarred, and his career collapses overnight.

He enrolls at Greendale Community College not in search of enlightenment, but survival. He forms a Spanish study group for one purpose: access to answers. The arrangement is strategic and self-interested. He doesn’t want connection; he wants control.

But the people around that table refuse to be props in someone else’s performance. They show up with flaws and conviction, with uncertainty and heart. Their conversations dig into the realities of their lives. They challenge one another. They defend one another. Shared effort slowly replaces self-interest. And what began as a shortcut becomes something far more valuable.

The study group becomes a community.

I have often thought about that arc when considering workers’ compensation.

If you have spent any time in this field, then you already know: we are not just a practice area—we are a community.

Few of us arrived with a carefully constructed plan to build a career in workers’ comp. We came case by case, hearing by hearing. What may have started as something practical gradually became something personal.

We see each other in hearing rooms and on Zoom screens, at conferences and in hotel lobbies after long CLE days when the more candid conversations begin. We read each other’s blogs. We listen to podcasts produced by colleagues during our commute to work. We cheer when one of us is recognized for excellence. We grieve together when one of our own passes too soon. Professional familiarity becomes professional respect. Over time, respect becomes something steadier.

In a profession defined by adversarial lines, this field has always felt more communal than competitive.

We argue positions and advocate fiercely. Then we continue the conversation. That is what happens when strong convictions meet open minds.

That is community. And now, that sense of community feels more important than ever.

The Times They Are Changing

As Bob Dylan declared in his 1964 anthem, “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” change is not knocking politely at the door. It has kicked it open.

Artificial intelligence is no longer theoretical. Virtual hearings are no longer new. Data analytics is already shaping medical management and litigation strategy. Technology is seeping into every corner of what we do. Some days it feels exciting. Other days, it feels like trying to edit an email after you’ve already pressed “reply all.”

Preservation is the key. But preservation doesn’t mean resisting change. It means protecting what matters while adapting thoughtfully to what is coming. None of us will do that alone.

If we are going to navigate this next chapter successfully, it will take our collective experience, candor, and cooperative spirit. It will take our community.

As I begin the first of what I hope will be many reflections made possible by the platform Hermes Law has graciously provided, my intention is not to lecture or claim certainty. It is merely to contribute to a conversation that has been unfolding for decades and is now entering a new era.

My Origin Story

My connection to this system is not abstract.

I am the son of a railroad engineer. My dad was a blue-collar, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of guy who worked long hours in demanding, often dangerous conditions. There were bumps, bruises, and even fractures from derailments caused by equipment failure. When his hearing began to fade, it was his coworkers who finally persuaded him to file a claim. He hoped for some measure of recompense for what the job had taken from his body.

He died at fifty-two from a heart attack.

I do not romanticize that story. But I do carry it with me to each encounter with an injured worker. My dad represented the quiet strength we see every day in our workforce. People who rise before dawn, push through fatigue, and provide for their families without complaint. Our system exists because of them.

As for me, I am the oldest of five and the first in my family to graduate from college. I did not stride confidently into law school with a carefully drafted life plan. I stumbled into litigation the way toddlers learn to walk, one uncertain step at a time.

I began practicing during the transition from what many call “old law” to “new law.” I took depositions in old law cases still pending in district court, and then attended administrative hearings led by former JAG officers who brought discipline and structure to a newly formed system.

Over time, I have seen our workers’ comp world from nearly every angle. I have served as a licensed adjuster, hearing representative, business consultant, in-house counsel for a TPA, and founder of my own firm. I have also advised friends and family members when injury found its way into their lives, which gives my work a different weight.

Along the way, I have been blessed to serve our profession as a conference speaker, as a member and former chair of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Workers’ Compensation Exam Commission, and now as Chair of the Texas State Bar Workers’ Compensation Section. This year, I will be inducted into The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. That honor reflects the guidance of mentors and the friendship of colleagues far more than individual accomplishment.

Those experiences do not make me an oracle. They simply give me perspective.

The Issues We Must Tackle Together

If we are honest, the future of workers’ compensation will not be defined by a single statute or court decision. It will be shaped by broader shifts in how and where people work.

Remote and hybrid employment raise course and scope questions in kitchens, garages, and shared workspaces. The gig economy continues to blur the line between employee and independent contractor. Mental health claims and cumulative trauma disputes are increasing as the nature of work becomes less physical and more psychological.

Medical inflation and access to quality care remain constant pressures. Impairment rating disputes are growing more complex as medicine evolves. Third-party claims intersect with comp in new and creative ways.

And of course, AI.

AI will assist in claim triage, fraud detection, medical review, predictive reserving, and even drafting correspondence. It will make us more efficient. It may also tempt us to outsource judgment.

The question is not whether AI will enter our world. It already has. The question is whether we will guide it ethically and thoughtfully, preserving due process, transparency, and fairness.

We must also address something more subtle but equally important. The pipeline of lawyers entering our field. We need to mentor, teach, and inspire the next generation to see workers’ comp not as a fallback option but as meaningful and sophisticated work that touches real lives.

A Community Bound by Purpose

Workers’ compensation is a cornerstone of our legal system. It deserves thoughtful debate, steady innovation, and a willingness to listen to perspectives that differ from our own. Not because disagreement defines us, but because our distinct experience strengthens us.

Defense lawyers and claimant attorneys. Adjusters and judges. Doctors and risk managers. Each brings a lens shaped by responsibility and experience. When those perspectives are offered in good faith, they do not divide the system. They refine it. They keep it balanced and responsive.

As I step into this next chapter and begin sharing these reflections, my hope is simple. That we continue the conversations already underway. That we approach this era with openness, curiosity, and cooperation. That we preserve what is best about this system while thoughtfully shaping what comes next.

Picture a table. Not a divided one, a diverse one. Colleagues who know one another. Professionals who care deeply about fairness and integrity. People who keep showing up year after year because the work matters.

There’s plenty of room at that table.

Pull up a chair.

Let’s get to work.

AUTHOR

John Molinar is a Board Certified Workers’ Compensation attorney and industry leader, offering practical insight shaped by decades of experience across the Texas system.

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