banner

About us

 

Law Firm Profile

scale2

Vargas Chapman Woods handles workers’ compensation and personal injury claims throughout the State of Connecticut. We attend hearings at all eight Workers’ Compensation district offices, located in Middletown, New Britain, Hartford, New Haven, Norwich, Bridgeport, Waterbury and Stamford. We also handle civil matters in the Middletown, New Haven, New Britain, Hartford, New London, Litchfield, and Bridgeport judicial districts, among others. With 75 plus combined years of practice, our attorneys and staff have developed a reputation for excellence in personal injury and workers compensation.  The firm’s stellar reputation is the result of our high standards, service excellence, knowledge, interpersonal relationships, and commitment to obtaining the best possible results for our clients.


Our Attorneys

At Vargas Chapman Woods, we’re thrilled to have assembled such a high-profile team of stellar attorneys. Look below to find out more about us and how we can help you.

Amado J. Vargas

Amado J. Vargas

Attorney Vargas has the distinguished honor of having served for 20 notable years as a State of Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commissioner. He presided over workers’ compensation cases at all trial levels and served under the Weicker, Rowland, Rell and Malloy administrations. After graduating with honors from the Temple University School of Law in 1987. He was admitted to the Connecticut and Pennsylvania Bars and the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, in 1988. His earlier career involved working as an attorney practicing workers’ compensation law, and with the Connecticut Attorney General’s office under Senator Joe Lieberman. Attorney Vargas has in-depth and wide-breadth experience within all aspects of workers’ compensation including workplace accidents and injuries, disability classification, occupational diseases, benefits and insurance coverage. He has unique expertise as the presiding Commissioner over the CT asbestos litigation docket hearing complex asbestos related cases for over 13 years.

Associations and Memberships

  • Connecticut Bar Exam, Consultant/Exam Grader, 1989 – Present
  • American Bar Association – Member
  • Connecticut Bar Association – Member
  • Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association – Member
  • Received first annual Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association Achievement Award – 1994
  • University of Connecticut – School of Law, Quinnipiac University – School of Law and the Connecticut Bar Association – Guest lecturer on the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Act
  • YMCA of Waterbury – Board member
  • Connecticut Legal Services – ABC Program & Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity mentor/mentee programs – Board member

 


David D. Chapman

David D. Chapman

David D. Chapman was admitted to the Connecticut and U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut in 1985. He received in B.A. from the prestigious Columbia University in 1979 and earned his J.D. from Western New England College School of Law in 1985. He has also earned a BV® Distinguished Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell™ listing for his professionalism and ethics. Attorney Chapman handles workers’ compensation matters and has successfully argued before the Compensation Review Board, Appellate Court, and Connecticut Supreme Court. He brings over 30 years of experience to the firm.

Associations and memberships

  • Connecticut Bar Association (Member, Workers’ Compensation Executive Committee)
  • Middlesex County Bar Association

Representative cases

  • Fimiani v. Star Gallo Distributors, Inc., 248 Conn. 635, 729 A.2d 212 (1999)
  • Fimiani v. Star Gallo Distributors, Inc., 48 Conn. App. 474, 710 A.2d 1374 (Conn. App. 1998)

Meghan A. Woods

Meghan A. Woods

A graduate of Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2011, Meghan A. Woods was admitted to the Connecticut Bar and the U.S. District Court District of Connecticut in 2011, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for Veterans Benefits in 2012. Attorney Woods has been in the legal field for over ten years working on both workers’ compensation and personal injury matters. She has successfully argued before the Compensation Review Board and practices in the majority of the judicial districts in Connecticut.

Associations and memberships

  • Connecticut Bar Association
  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
  • Middlesex County Bar Association
  • Secretary’s Legal Assistance Program for Voting Rights
  • Mock Trial Judge, UConn Law School
  • Mock Trial Judge, Quinnipiac University
  • Editor, Compensation Quarterly, 2020 – present

Publications

  • Author, Callaghan v. Car Parts International: Math Revisited, Compensation Quarterly, Vol. 29 No. 4 Winter 2020
  • Interviewer, Robotic Surgery FAQ’s with Dr. Hanbing Zhou, Compensation Quarterly, Vol. 30 No. 2, Summer 2020
  • Coordinating Editor, Compensation Quarterly, Vol. 30 No. 4, Winter 2021

Awards and Recognitions

Attorney Woods was honored in 2018 with the receipt of the Top 10 Attorneys Under 40 in Connecticut Award by The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Inc. In 2019, she obtained a $2,500,000.00 workers’ compensation settlement for a client who was left a quadriplegic and whose story was featured in the Connecticut Law Tribune, The Forum, and other online and print publications. She also obtained a $2,000,000.00 settlement in 2019 that was featured in the Connecticut Law Tribune, the VerdictSearch reporter, and other publications, and was asked to have the story featured in CBS’ Justice in America television series. Attorney Woods was also nominated for Lawyers of Distinction recognizing excellence in the practice of law in 2019.

For two years in a row, in 2021 and 2022, she was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, recognizing her for a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, an honor reserved for less than 2.5% of all attorneys in the State of Connecticut.”

Meghan Woods

Rated by Super Lawyers

loading …

naopia badge

 

Biographical details

  • Recipient, Distinguished Academic Achievement in Workers Compensation

Representative Cases

  • Solis v. City of Middletown, CRB 6043 CRB-8-15-10 (2017)


Taylor W. Johnson

 

*Picture Coming Soon….

 

Taylor Johnson practices primarily in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation. He seeks efficient and just resolution for all his clients whether through settlement, Trial, or alternative dispute resolution.

Prior to joining Vargas Chapman Woods, Attorney Johnson worked as a Trial attorney in a staff counsel office of a Fortune 100 insurance company. At that firm he was tasked with defending complex personal injury cases involving serious and/or catastrophic injury. While there, Attorney Johnson handled all aspects of the claim, from the initiation of suit to trying the case to a jury verdict. He had many successful verdicts, and his trial skills contribute to the firm’s trial practice, both in personal injury and workers’ compensation matters.

Attorney Johnson has also served as a clerk to the Honorable Judges of the Hartford Superior Court. He has a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of Connecticut and graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2011 where he was a member of the school’s Honor Board. Attorney Johnson has been admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut since 2011.

Attorney Johnson lives in South Windsor with his wife and two sons. He is engaged in his community and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the South Windsor Child Development Center in South Windsor, CT. He is also proud to coach his sons’ Little League teams.

Associations and Memberships

Board of Directors, South Windsor Child Development Center
Little League coach, South Windsor
Connecticut Bar Association – Member
Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association – Member
Connecticut Trial Lawyers’ Association – Member
Oliver Ellsworth Inns of Court – Past Member
Roger Williams University School of Law, Honor Board

 


Michelle Pieta

Michelle Pieta

Ms. Pieta has worked as a hearing representative for over 20 years. She brings extensive experience and knowledge of the workers’ compensation system, and is a zealous advocate for the firm’s clients. She has appeared before all of the Commissioners in the Workers’ Compensation Commission and has attended hearings in all eight district offices.

 


Our Staff

Vargas Chapman Woods would be unable to provide our desired level of commitment to our clients without our staff. They are all hardworking individuals who take pride in their work, and care for their clients and the results they obtain for them.

  • Abby Aresco  – Workers’ Compensation Legal Assistant
  • Patricia Brown – Personal Injury Paralegal
  • Carmelina Chapman – Administrative Assistant
  • Chelsea Duplease – Workers’ Compensation Legal Assistant
  • Destiny Galeano – Legal Assistant
  • Tatum Hair – Legal Assistant
  • Gracie Kraft – Workers’ Compensation Legal Assistant
  • Amina Kuljancic – Law Clerk
  • Taylor Milardo – Legal Assistant
  • Alanis Rivera-Irizarry  – Workers’ Compensation Legal Assistant
  • William Woods  – Administrative Assistant

Career Fair vcw law

DISCLAIMER:

The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not legal advice. You should consult an attorney regarding your individual situation. Every case is different. We are happy to receive your calls or emails to discuss your unique situation. Just remember, no attorney client relationship exists just because you’ve reached out to us.