Chicago workers’ compensation attorney
Matthew C. Jones is a Chicago workers’ compensation lawyer and partner at McHargue & Jones, LLC. Since 2006, he has represented injured workers in claims involving denied surgery, stopped disability checks, unfavorable IME opinions, disputed accidents, permanent restrictions, and jobs a worker can no longer safely perform.
Matt has tried more than 100 workers’ compensation cases before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. He became a partner in 2011 and works from the firm’s office in the Chicago Loop, representing workers in Chicago, Cook County, and throughout Illinois.
100+ IWCC trials
Leading Lawyer since 2022
Former CBA committee chair
Fluent in Spanish
“By the time someone calls me, the problem is usually concrete: a check stopped, surgery was denied, or an IME changed the direction of the case. I start with what the records say, what the job actually required, and what has to be proven. If the insurance company will not change its position, I prepare the case for hearing.”
— Matthew C. Jones
A trial lawyer for disputed Illinois workers’ comp claims
Matt’s work is not limited to filing a claim and waiting for the insurance company to respond. When a case is disputed, he reviews the accident report, early medical histories, diagnostic films, wage records, work-status notes, job demands, treating-doctor opinions, and the defense medical examination. He takes medical depositions, prepares witnesses, cross-examines doctors, and presents evidence at arbitration and on Commission review.
When medical care is denied
Matt handles cases involving delayed testing, denied therapy or injections, refused surgery, utilization review, unpaid bills, and disputes between a treating physician and an IME doctor. Read what can happen when workers’ comp denies surgery in Illinois.
When income or a job is at risk
His cases include stopped or underpaid TTD, light-duty disputes, permanent restrictions, vocational rehabilitation, wage differentials, and claims in which the worker cannot return to the old job.
When the accident itself is challenged
Employers may deny that an accident occurred, call a fall personal or unexplained, or blame a condition on age, degeneration, prior treatment, or life away from work. Those cases often turn on early histories, witnesses, photographs, job details, and credible medical testimony.
When a hearing cannot wait
A Section 19(b) petition may bring disputed treatment and temporary benefits before an arbitrator while the claim remains pending. The firm’s Illinois workers’ comp hearing and trial guide explains the process.
Over the years, Matt has represented people employed by Amazon, UPS, Walmart, the CTA, Rivian, Chicago Public Schools, and many smaller public and private employers. His clients include warehouse workers, drivers and package handlers, mechanics, factory employees, teachers and school staff, nurses, construction workers, union members, and people in many other physically demanding jobs.
Selected workers’ compensation trial wins
A lawyer’s biography should show the work, not simply call the lawyer experienced. These are examples of disputed claims Matt prepared and tried for injured workers.
Total knee replacement approved after an IME denial
After an earlier knee procedure failed to resolve a restaurant worker’s symptoms, her surgeon recommended a total knee replacement. The carrier blamed degenerative arthritis and aging. Matt presented the treating and IME testimony, and the arbitrator ordered the replacement, continued TTD, and related medical expenses.
Procter & Gamble ordered to approve knee surgery
An IME doctor disputed whether a warehouse automation technician’s meniscus condition was related to the accident. The arbitrator credited the treating evidence and ordered arthroscopic knee surgery. The defense did not appeal.
Hip replacement and back pay ordered
The carrier blamed a Spanish-speaking landscaper’s condition on preexisting arthritis after a fall from a ladder. Matt personally prepared and tried the case. The arbitrator ordered approval of the hip replacement and disputed back-pay benefits.
Aldi warehouse worker won spinal-fusion approval
After an order picker injured his back while lifting and palletizing product, the insurer disputed the injury and relied on an IME. The arbitrator favored the treating surgeon and ordered spinal-fusion surgery, medical bills, and disability benefits.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every claim depends on its facts, medical evidence, witnesses, wages, procedural history, and applicable law. Some linked pages discuss firm results; the four summaries above identify matters handled by Matthew C. Jones.
Peer recognition from Leading Lawyers
Leading Lawyers has selected Matthew C. Jones as a Leading Lawyer in workers’ compensation every year since 2022. Before that, he was selected as an Emerging Lawyer for several years. Firm partner James P. McHargue has also been selected as a Leading Lawyer in workers’ compensation every year since 2022.
Leading Lawyers states that its selections are based on peer recommendations and cannot be purchased. It limits the Leading Lawyer designation to fewer than five percent of licensed lawyers in a state and the Emerging Lawyer designation to fewer than two percent. Read the Leading Lawyers selection methodology.
Chicago roots, education, and professional leadership
Matt was born and raised in Chicago. He earned his undergraduate degree from DePaul University and graduated summa cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law in 2006. During law school, he clerked with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and received Jurisprudence Achievement Awards in Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Corporate Finance.
He joined McHargue & Jones after law school and became a partner in 2011. In addition to representing clients, Matt has held leadership roles in organizations serving the workers’ compensation bar and Chicago’s working families.
Professional service
- Legal Advisory Board, Arise Chicago, 2018–present
- Chair, Chicago Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Committee, 2017–2018
- Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association, 2006–present
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Matt is fluent in Spanish and represents Spanish-speaking injured workers directly. Interpreters are used in formal proceedings when needed to create a clear record.
Legal writing for injured workers
Matt writes and reviews the firm’s workers’ compensation material in plain language, with an emphasis on the problems people actually bring to the office: denied claims, conflicting medical opinions, stopped checks, permanent restrictions, and settlement decisions.
Start with the firm’s guide to a denied Illinois workers’ comp claim, or review the workers’ compensation settlements and case results.
Talk with Matthew about an Illinois work injury
If treatment has stalled, checks have stopped, an IME changed the direction of the claim, or the insurer is blaming a preexisting condition, McHargue & Jones can review what happened and explain the next step.
Profile reviewed September 21, 2026. This page provides general information and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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