Sydney client says suspended lawyer left her compensation claim stalled for years
A Sydney client has accused suspended lawyer Michael Inger of leaving her workers’ compensation claim stalled for years, while she waited for treatment and updates. Her allegations are under investigation by the legal regulator, and a second client has also complained; no finding has been made on the claims.
The woman says she hired Inger in May 2022 and that, after her insurer twice rejected recommended neck surgery, she asked him to take the dispute to the Personal Injury Commission. She describes repeated appointment cancellations and long periods without updates, and says she eventually changed lawyers and received surgery within nine months. Inger’s practising certificate was suspended until 30 June 2027 for failing to comply with a notice connected to the investigation, a matter separate from the underlying allegations.
- A client alleges years of delays in her compensation claim.
- The legal regulator is investigating, with no determination yet.
- Inger’s practising certificate is suspended until June 2027.
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Workers' compensation is money that injured workers can claim from their employers' insurance to cover medical treatment and lost wages whilst they recover. When insurers deny treatment that workers believe they need, they can challenge the decision through a legal dispute process.
Michael Inger is a Sydney lawyer who works on such claims. According to one client, she hired him in May 2022 to challenge her insurer's rejection of recommended neck surgery, but says he made repeated appointment cancellations and left her without updates for long periods. She eventually switched lawyers and received her surgery within nine months of doing so.
Inger's legal regulator has suspended his right to practise law until June 2027 for failing to comply with an official notice connected to the investigation into her complaint. A second client has also complained about him. No findings have been made on either complaint.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The client's account raises legitimate concerns about professional representation falling short of expected standards. She explicitly requested escalation to the Commission following insurance rejections, yet encountered repeated appointment cancellations and prolonged gaps without substantive updates. When she subsequently engaged another lawyer, the claim advanced substantially within nine months, suggesting the original representation materially failed to progress her matter appropriately.
The case against
Workers' compensation disputes often involve complexities beyond a single lawyer's control—insurance company responses, procedural requirements, and third-party delays can legitimately impede progress. Repeated rescheduling may reflect reasonable unavailability on either party's part, whilst communication gaps might reflect genuine delays in waiting on external decisions. The subsequent lawyer's faster outcome doesn't necessarily indicate negligence; different circumstances or prior groundwork could have contributed to both lawyers' outcomes.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “‘Psychological torture’: Clients of suspended lawyer Michael Inger claim they were strung along for years – until a woman living in ‘agony’ received a devastating email from the Personal Injury Commission”.