Published 2026
When Work Breaks You
A Usable Guide for Injured Workers and Connecticut Attorneys
I didn't write this to impress other lawyers. I wrote it because too many injured workers enter the workers' compensation system confused, overwhelmed, and uncertain about what comes next.
Why this book exists
After representing thousands of injured workers over more than three decades, I wanted to create the resource I wish every client had before they filed a claim. The book explains Connecticut workers' compensation in plain English, answers the questions people are often afraid to ask, and offers practical guidance for claimants, attorneys, physicians, and anyone who works within the system.
The legal profession often rewards complexity. I've always believed the greatest expertise is demonstrated by making complicated subjects understandable. If this book helps someone better understand their rights, make a more informed decision, or feel less alone during a difficult chapter of life, then it has accomplished exactly what I hoped it would.
What's inside
The workers' compensation system isn't built to be understood by the people it's supposed to help. Deadlines you've never heard of. Forms with strange names. An insurance company that does this every day, while you're in pain, out of work, and worried.
This book hands you the map.
The deadlines that can end your case
How your benefits are really calculated
What to do, and never do, in the first days
How settlements and Medicare Set-Asides work
Third-party claims that pay what comp won't
Protections for firefighters and police
The insurance company's playbook, and your answer to every move
Who it's for
Injured workers
You didn't choose this system and you only meet it once. Start at chapter one.
Connecticut attorneys
The practitioner's chapters, and a book you can hand a client instead of explaining it twice.
Physicians
What your records are asked to prove, and why phrasing changes outcomes.
Families
The people fielding the paperwork at the kitchen table while someone recovers.
Who wrote it
James F. Aspell has represented injured Connecticut workers for more than thirty years and runs the small Farmington firm that does it. He also holds a United States Coast Guard 50 Ton Master Captain's License, which is relevant more often than it sounds.
Endorsements
Get the book
Available on Amazon.
No cart, no checkout, no upsell. The link takes you straight to Amazon.
After the book
Still holding a hard file?
Attorneys: co-counsel, referrals and second opinions on Connecticut comp files. Injured workers: my firm is the right door, and asking costs nothing.
Work With Me“The greatest expertise is demonstrated by making complicated subjects understandable.”
Say hello
Ask me anything. I answer it myself.
Readers, injured workers with a question, Connecticut attorneys, podcasters and event organisers all land in the same inbox, and none of it goes to an assistant.
James F. Aspell
Farmington, Connecticut