Is a lawyer required for a workers' comp claim?
No. California law does not require you to have an attorney to file a claim, get medical treatment, or receive benefits through the workers' compensation system. You can report your injury to your employer, fill out a DWC-1 claim form, and deal directly with the insurance adjuster on your own. Many small, clear-cut injuries (a short-term sprain with no lasting effects, for example) get resolved without a lawyer ever getting involved.
That said, "allowed to" and "advisable" are two different things. Workers' comp insurance companies have adjusters and defense attorneys whose job is to limit what they pay. You are often dealing with that system while still recovering from an injury, missing paychecks, and trying to understand unfamiliar forms and deadlines. The system is set up to run efficiently for insurers, not necessarily to explain your rights to you in plain language.
Under Labor Code section 4903.1 and related rules, attorney fees in workers' comp cases are typically paid out of your recovery and approved by a workers' compensation judge, not charged upfront as an hourly bill.
This article is general information about California workers' compensation, not legal advice about your situation. Every case is different.
Yazdchi Law, P.C. — Eman Yazdchi, responsible attorney. Office: Palmdale, California. Attorney advertising.