Firm Named #1 Law Firm for Best Workplace Culture

We are proud and honored to announce we have been named Arizona’s #1 Law Firm for Best Workplace Culture and the #2 firm in both Healthcare Law and Firm with Under 22 Lawyers by Ranking Arizona: The Best of Arizona Business. Ranking Arizona publishes the results of the largest annual poll of the Arizona business community. Residents are asked to share their opinions of the best products, services, and individuals in the state.

We’ve earned this distinction through the development and execution of studied, meticulously considered strategies aimed at obtaining optimal results for our clients. We have also remained a small firm in order to encourage the sharing of ideas and information in an environment fostered by mutual trust. We pride ourselves on recruiting only the top attorneys in education, skills, and temperament.

We offer dentists, physicians, and other professionals compassion, thoughtful and meticulous legal representation, and are dedicated to making the claims process as painless as possible for each client.  Our Firm offers unparalleled strategy, advocacy, and adaptability.  Our clients have immediate attorney access, including their direct telephone lines and emails.  Each case has a minimum of two attorneys and a paralegal working on it, with senior partners directly involved in developing each case.

Our keen legal, medical, and disability industry insight allows us to know what really matters in a case, and we are able to leverage this experience to deliver success.  We are pleased that our dedication has earned us this recognition for both our legal expertise and our firm’s collaborative ethos, which allows us to work together tirelessly in order to exceed our clients’ most optimistic expectations.

 

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Attorney Ed Comitz Addresses Disability Insurance Issues Faced By Professional Athletes

Ed Comitz was recently asked to speak at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law by Greenberg Traurig partner and leading sports agent, Dana Hooper, to address the key issues that professional athletes and their agents may encounter when dealing with disability insurance.  Topics included the types of insurance coverage most often purchased by professional athletes, the tactics insurance companies use to deny athlete’s claims, and the importance of an attorney and/or agent’s role in the disability insurance context.  The seminar also discussed the pros and cons of loss of value coverage for college athletes expected to go pro, and examined some of the challenges faced by injured athletes seeking to prove that a pre-draft injury caused them to fall in draft order and miss out on securing an upper-tier contract.

Mr. Comitz has represented high-earning professionals for nearly 25 years on the toughest insurance cases.  As a result, he is intimately familiar with the disability insurance industry, and uses this knowledge to assist athletes from the “big four” sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) seeking to negotiate favorable contracts with the premier, high-dollar insurance companies.  He also advises professional athletes regarding the types of provisions to avoid in disability policies, the significance of the questions asked on disability insurance applications, and the importance of carefully reviewing insurance applications to ensure that they are accurate and do not provide the insurance company with any basis for voiding the policy, should a claim need to be filed later on down the road.  When athletes are approaching free agency and intend to test the market, Mr. Comitz helps the athletes assess whether they need to purchase insurance to protect anticipated future income, should they suffer a serious injury before they are able to secure a contract with a new team.  He also assists athletes with the legal issues that arise when an athlete is out for a few games, or an entire season, due to health concerns, and represents star athletes who have suffered a career-ending injuries and need to collect permanent disability benefits.

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Attorney Derek Funk Named in Top Valley Lawyers 2017

North Valley Magazine has named attorney Derek Funk as a Top Valley Lawyer for 2017. The list was compiled using a third-party attorney ranking system and showcases only 35 of the area’s best attorneys.

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Attorney Ed Comitz Posts CE Course on Dentaltown

Ed Comitz’s Continuing Education course “Disability Insurance Roulette: Why is it So Hard to Collect on My Policy” is now available through Dentaltown.  This CE is an electronically delivered, self-instructional program and is designated for 2 hours of CE credit.  In this course, Ed discusses why it is so difficult for dentists to collect disability benefits and how to avoid the most common mistakes made by dentists when filing disability claims.  Ed also covers the key provisions to look for in disability insurance policies and provides an overview of the disability claims process.  Finally, the course discusses how disability insurance claims are investigated and administered, and identifies common strategies used by insurance companies to deny claims.

Information on how to register can be found here

For more information regarding what to look for in a policy, see this podcast interview where Ed Comitz discusses the importance of disability insurance with Dentaltown’s Howard Farran.

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Edward O. Comitz Named
Southwest Super Lawyer for 2017

Ed Comitz has been named a 2017 Southwest Super Lawyer for excellence in the field of insurance for the sixth consecutive year.

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.  Only 5% of attorneys in the Southwest receive this distinction. The selection process is comprised of independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

 

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Ed Comitz selected as an Arizona Business Leader in 2017

Ed Comitz has been named as an Arizona Business Leader in 2017 by Arizona Business Magazine.  The 500 business leaders were selected from a pool over of 5,000 names considered.  Editor in Chief, Michael Gossie, writes of the 500 leaders selected, “They are catalysts for Arizona’s economy.  They are leaders.  They are innovators. They have influence.  And when they speak, they make things happen.”

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Ed Comitz Named as Top Lawyer in Field of Insurance Law

Ed Comitz, one of the firm’s founding members, was recently named as a Top Lawyer and one of Phoenix’s best attorneys in the field of insurance law in Phoenix Magazine’s special, 50th Anniversary Issue.

Mr. Comitz’s practice primarily focuses on helping physicians and dentists secure private disability insurance benefits.  Mr. Comitz and the legal team at Comitz | Stanley also represent doctors in several other areas, including practice transitions, employment law, business litigation, estate planning, regulatory compliance, and licensing issues.

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Attorney at Law Magazine Features Ed Comitz

Attorney at Law Magazine recently featured one of the firm’s founding members, Ed Comitz, as its “Attorney of the Month.”  Go to Attorney at Law Magazine  to read the full interview and learn about Ed’s unique niche, how he manages the disability insurance practice section, and why he decided to advocate for physicians and dentists filing disability insurance claims.

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Karla Thompson Discusses Common Claim Mistakes
in U.S. News & World Report

Attorney Karla Thompson recently spoke with Geoff Williams, a journalist for U.S. News & World Report Money, about common mistakes consumers make when they file insurance claims.

In the article, Ms. Thompson discusses one of the chief errors that can lead to a claim being denied: talking to claims analysts on the phone.  Mr. Williams writes:

If you’re a conversationalist and enjoy talking, be careful. Karla Baker Thompson is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based insurance attorney who specializes in representing professionals with disability insurance claims.

“Most people don’t realize how claims handlers are trained to ask loaded questions whenever they talk to policyholders, and to memorialize everything the claimant says in a written memo after the call,” Thompson says. “The questions might seem routine or mundane to the policyholder, but the answers they elicit can have serious consequences, including denial of the claim.”

Thompson offers the example of a claims handler asking what you’ve been doing that day.

“If you say you went out to pick up a prescription, you’re not just making small talk. You’ve just led that claims adjuster to believe – whether accurately or not – that you’re capable of leaving the house, getting in your car, driving, filling out paperwork, and possibly lifting and carrying bags,” Thompson says.

Maybe, Thompson adds, someone drove you to get that prescription, or maybe you did go out yourself but you came back and felt miserable afterward.

“If you’re just speaking off the cuff, you may not be giving the proper context to your answers,” she says. “Worse, you could say something inaccurate by mistake.”

Other examples in the article include assuming your insurance company is right and not getting the proper documentation to support your claim.

Check out the article in its entirety to learn more: Don’t Make These Mistakes When Filing an Insurance Claim.

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“Working Through Pain:
How Chronic Conditions Affect Dentists”

Dentists are particularly at risk for disability due to the strenuous nature of their job.  Dentists are also some of the most likely to keep working through the pain–even if they shouldn’t be.  Our new article in Dentaltown Magazine explores how working through chronic pain can affect dentists in their personal and professional lives.  Read the full article at Dentaltown today.

“Working Through Pain: How Chronic Conditions Affect Dentists”

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Ed Comitz and Patrick Stanley Named to Arizona’s Finest Lawyers

Edward Comitz and Patrick Stanley have been selected by their peers as Members of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers. Mr. Comitz and Mr. Stanley practice in the areas of healthcare, disability insurance and commercial litigation. The AFL has a limited membership of individuals who have attained positions of honor and trust in the legal community through their noteworthy achievements.

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All About Disability Insurance with Dentaltown’s Howard Farran DDS, MBA

Edward Comitz is talking about disability insurance with Howard Farran, the founder and publisher of Dentaltown Magazine. Ed will be discussing why and when to buy disability insurance and what to avoid or look for when you do.

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Patrick Stanley Selected as a Sustaining Member of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers

Firm member Patrick Stanley, whose practice areas include disability insurance and healthcare litigation, was selected as a Sustaining Member of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers. Nominations to Arizona’s Finest Lawyers are governed by strict ideologies and are made by Sustaining Members, selectees, and members of the Executive and Advisory Boards. The AFL seeks to build a diverse membership of individuals who, through noteworthy achievement, have reached positions of honor and trust. A Sustaining Member must be highly skilled, have a well-known reputation for honor and professional behavior, and be dedicated to AFL’s mission and goals.

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Ed Comitz Selected as one of Arizona’s Top 100 Lawyers by Az Business Magazine

Attorney Ed Comitz was chosen by AZ Business as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona. Attorneys throughout the state were nominated by their firms and their peers.  From that pool of over 1,000 attorneys, the editorial team and industry experts narrowed down the list to the 100 best lawyers in the state based upon their professional success, impact on the firm, impact on the community and impact on the legal profession.

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Edward Comitz Named as an Arizona Business Leader in Healthcare Law

Edward O. Comitz has been selected as an Arizona Business Leader in the area of Healthcare Law.  According to the editor in chief, Arizona Business Magazine made its final selections from a pool of over 5,000 of “the best and brightest Arizona business leaders in healthcare, real estate, construction, education, banking, financial services and law.  Over the course of more than two dozen meetings, that list of 5,000 leaders under consideration was pared down to about 500 names, which the selection panel considered to be the most influential leaders in their industries, broken down into categories.”

Other Arizona leaders named in 2015 include U.S. Senator John McCain, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, and sports executive and former owner of the Phoenix Suns, Jerry Colangelo.

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Ed Comitz Presenting Course “Disability Insurance: Will It Be There When You Need It?” at Western Regional Dental Convention on Friday April 4 and Saturday April 5, 2014

Attorney Ed Comitz will be giving a presentation called “Disability Insurance: Will It Be There When You Need It? Choosing Policies, Pursuing Benefits and Litigating Claims” on April 4th (Course Code F08) and April 5th (Course Code S06) at 8:30 a.m. at the Western Regional Dental Convention in Phoenix, Arizona.  The course is worth three CE credits for dentists who attend.  Registration information is available on the Western Regional Dental Convention’s website.

We are also an exhibitor at the dental convention.  Please feel free to stop by our Booth 537 (directly across from the Internet Cafe) if you have questions about your disability insurance policy or claim.

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Firm Named #1 Healthcare Law Firm

We are excited to announce that our firm has been named Arizona’s #1 Healthcare Law Firm by Ranking Arizona: The Best of Arizona Business.

Ranking Arizona publishes the results of an annual poll of the Arizona business community. Residents are asked to share their opinions of the best products, services and people in the state, including who they would recommend doing business with.  We were selected as the state’s top healthcare law firm for its work representing physicians and dentists, including its handling of disability insurance claims for healthcare professionals.

The firm was also named as one of the top 5 Arizona law firms with 20 or fewer attorneys, the top 5 commercial litigation firms, and the top 10 real estate law firms.

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The Injured Physician: Is Your Work Ethic Hurting You and Your Patients?

Disability insurance attorneys Edward O. Comitz and Patrick T. Stanley recently had their article “The Injured Physician:  Is Your Work Ethic Hurting You and Your Patients?” published in the Winter 2013 edition of AzMedicine, the quarterly publication of the Arizona Medical Association.

In the article, Mr. Comitz and Mr. Stanley review some of the unintended consequences, both professional and personal, of a physician continuing to work through adversity, and the potential impact on his or her disability insurance coverage.  For example, a physician who has modified his practice or work schedule in an effort to accommodate a disability may effectively change his occupational definition as it is defined in his “own occupation” disability insurance policy, making it difficult, if not impossible, to collect benefits when they are most needed.

The article also analyzes some of the pitfalls of “residual disability” or “partial disability” riders, such as the manner in which the insurer will determine the amount of benefits paid and differences in how long the insurance company is required to pay benefits.

The Arizona Medical Association periodically updates its website with recent editions of AzMedicine, or you may contact our office to obtain a copy of the full article and/or to speak with a disability insurance attorney.

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Attorney Ed Comitz Interviewed by The Street re Disability Insurance

Scottsdale attorney Edward O. Comitz was recently consulted by the popular financial website The Street regarding his thoughts on whether it’s a good financial decision to purchase an individual disability insurance policy.   Based on the high premiums and his experience as an attorney who specializes in assisting sick or injured claimants with obtaining the individual disability insurance benefits to which they are entitled, Mr. Comitz advised that, with the exception of medical professionals such as dentists and surgeons – for whom even a minor injury can be career-ending – disability insurance is not a good investment unless you are also prepared to incur the costs of hiring an attorney if your claim is denied or terminated.

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New: Disability Insurance Newsletter

We receive many, many requests for more information on disability insurance companies, disability insurance claims, and other relevant news and updates.

This blog is a great way for us to keep you informed about general disability news and claim topics, but we wanted a way to keep those most interested in what our firm does up to date in a more comprehensive way.

Coming soon, we will be distributing a monthly e-mail newsletter.  The newsletter will contain information not included on this blog, such as:

  • Detailed tips for filing disability insurance claims with various carriers;
  • Examples of best practices vs. worst practices when interacting with your insurer;
  • Updates on recent disability cases relevant to your claim or potential claim;
  • Specific answers to common questions, which newsletter recipients can submit anonymously; and
  • Information on lectures and classes you can attend to hear the firm’s attorneys speak about choosing disability insurance policies and filing claims.

If you are interested in subscribing (at no cost, of course), please sign up here:

Disability Insurance Newsletter.

Your name is not required.  Please rest assured that we will not use or distribute your e-mail address for any other reason.

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