Thomas M. Wertz

Thomas M. Wertz understands that a workplace injury changes far more than a person’s ability to do their job. It can create uncertainty about income, medical care, and whether life will ever return to normal. For more than three decades, he has devoted his career to helping injured Iowa workers navigate those moments with experienced guidance, steadfast advocacy, and the reassurance that someone is standing beside them every step of the way.

Throughout his career, Wertz has focused almost exclusively on workers’ compensation law, representing employees whose lives have been disrupted by serious workplace injuries. While Iowa’s workers’ compensation system can be complex and intimidating, his approach has remained remarkably consistent: combine deep legal knowledge with practical, compassionate counsel that helps clients understand not only their rights, but also the road ahead.

Experience That Serves a Purpose
For Wertz, experience has never been about longevity alone. It is about understanding how the workers’ compensation system operates from every angle and using that knowledge to protect the people who depend on it most.

He often explains that insurance companies know which attorneys have dedicated their careers to workers’ compensation law. Experience, reputation, and specialized knowledge matter because they can directly influence how claims are evaluated and ultimately resolved. Injured workers often have only one opportunity to secure the benefits they deserve, making experienced representation one of the most important decisions they can make.

Over more than 35 years of practice, Wertz has built that experience through thousands of workers’ compensation claims, complex litigation, and appellate advocacy. His work before the Iowa Supreme Court has helped clarify important questions affecting injured workers throughout the state, contributing to decisions involving psychological injuries, tinnitus claims, medical benefits, and other issues that continue to shape Iowa workers’ compensation law.

Standing in the Client’s Corner
Despite his accomplishments, Wertz rarely talks about litigation first.

Instead, he talks about uncertainty.

He understands that clients often come to his office facing questions they never expected to ask. Will they be able to return to work? How will they support their family while recovering? What happens if the insurance company disputes their claim?

At a time when injured workers are often dealing with insurance adjusters, physicians, nurse case managers, and an unfamiliar legal system, Wertz believes they deserve someone firmly in their corner.

That philosophy continues to shape the firm’s approach to every case. Rather than simply handling paperwork or appearing in court, Wertz and his team focus on helping clients move forward with confidence by providing steady guidance throughout the claims process and advocating for the full benefits available under Iowa law.

Leadership Beyond the Courtroom
Wertz’s commitment to injured workers extends well beyond the clients he represents.

Throughout his career, he has helped strengthen the practice of workers’ compensation law through leadership within Iowa’s legal community, including serving as:
President of the Iowa Association for Justice
Chair of the organization’s Workers’ Compensation Section
A member of the Iowa State Bar Association’s Governing Council

His peers have also recognized his contributions through longstanding inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Workers’ Compensation Law – Claimants since 2007, along with honors including the Iowa Association for Justice’s Verne Lawyer Outstanding Member Award and its inaugural PAC Champion Award.

Those recognitions reflect more than professional achievement. They demonstrate the respect he has earned from colleagues who have witnessed his advocacy, leadership, and longstanding commitment to improving workers’ compensation law for injured Iowans.

For Wertz, however, professional success has never been measured solely by awards or appellate decisions. It is measured by helping injured workers regain stability after life-changing injuries, knowing they had an experienced advocate standing beside them when they needed one most.

That commitment continues to define Thomas M. Wertz’s career today. Through decades of specialized practice, influential appellate work, and unwavering dedication to Iowa’s injured workers, he has built a reputation not only as one of the state’s leading workers’ compensation attorneys, but as a trusted advocate for people facing some of life’s most uncertain moments.