What I take and what I don't

This is my policy, not a judgment about your case. It tells you whether it is worth writing to me, or whether you should be writing to someone else.

What I take

I represent people in California who were injured because someone else was careless: in car, motorcycle, rideshare, commercial-vehicle and trucking crashes; as pedestrians or cyclists; on someone else's property; by a dog. When one of those injuries is fatal, I represent the family. I take cases anywhere in the state.

• Car accidents
• Truck and commercial vehicle accidents
• Uber and Lyft accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian injuries
• Bicycle accidents
• Premises liability — falls, unsafe property, inadequate security
• Dog bites
• Wrongful death arising from any of the above

A no from another firm is not an answer

A "no" from one firm is one firm's screen on one day. Firms decline for reasons that have nothing to do with whether you were wronged: the policy is small, there's a lien or a self-funded health plan that complicates the math, you're undocumented, you were driving for Uber or Lyft and nobody can say which insurance applies, a city or Caltrans or a government vehicle was involved and the deadlines are short, you were partly at fault, the other driver had no insurance or fled.

None of those decides the question by itself. What I care about is whether someone else was responsible and whether you were actually hurt.

Claims against government agencies

I take public entity claims, in the same accident types above, when a city, county, transit district, school district, Caltrans, or the state is responsible:

• Dangerous condition of public property — a badly designed or maintained road, a sidewalk defect, a missing or broken signal or sign, an unsafe public building or park.
• Public transit — a collision or injury involving a city bus, a county bus, light rail, or a transit district vehicle.
• Government vehicles — a crash caused by a government-owned vehicle on agency business.
• Premises at public facilities — a fall or a security failure at a courthouse, a library, a school, a public pool, or the grounds of a public hospital.

Public hospitals

I take a public hospital case for premises and other non-treatment claims — a fall in the lobby, an assault from inadequate security, a defective fixture. I do not take a claim that comes from the medical care itself — diagnosis, treatment, medication, surgery — because that is medical malpractice, whether the hospital is public or private.

What I don't take

I decline:

• Property damage with no injury.
• Injuries that resolved on their own without treatment.
• Medical malpractice — a claim that comes from medical care, at any facility, public or private. Firms built for the specialized rules and experts run these. I don't.
• Workplace injuries where the only claim is workers' compensation. If a non-employer is also at fault, I will look at that third-party piece as a personal injury claim.
• Anything outside California.
• Cases where the deadline has passed.
• Cases where another lawyer currently represents you, unless you've ended that in writing.
• Product liability on its own — a claim whose whole case is that a defective product caused the injury. If a defect turns up inside a crash I am already handling, that is part of the crash case and stays with me.
• Mass tort and multidistrict litigation — coordinated proceedings over a drug, device, or exposure that affects many people.
• Class actions.

If your case is one of these, tell me anyway. I'll tell you what kind of firm handles that type of case, so you know where to look next.

If you're not sure

Tell me the facts anyway. A crash more than a year ago, uncertainty about who was at fault, you've already talked to the insurer, you signed something — none of those closes the door. Sometimes the answer is no. When it is, I'll say so plainly.

A note on timing

If you bring me a case with only days left before a filing deadline, I may not have room to investigate and file it responsibly. This is about timing, not merit — write as early as you can. I'll confirm your deadline on the first call. If a government agency may be involved, that deadline can be as short as six months, with only the narrow late-claim path after that (see the note above).

How this works

There's no phone number on this site on purpose. You tell me what happened here, in your own words. I read every intake myself, and if it's a case I might take, I call you.

I won't tell you how your case will end, guess what it's worth before I know the facts, or take a case I don't think I can help with.

Common questions

Another firm already turned my case down. Is it worth asking you?

Yes. A no from one firm is one firm's screen on one day. Firms decline for reasons that have nothing to do with whether you were wronged: the policy is small, a lien or a self-funded health plan complicates the math, you are undocumented, you were driving for Uber or Lyft and nobody can say which insurance applies, a government agency was involved and the deadlines are short, you were partly at fault, the other driver had no insurance or fled. None of those decides the question by itself.

Do you take claims against a city, a county, or the state?

Yes. I take dangerous-road and sidewalk cases, public transit collisions, government-vehicle crashes, and injuries at public facilities. These claims have a six-month deadline to present a written claim to the agency (Gov. Code, § 911.2), so tell me about a possible government role when you first write. If six months has already passed, ask anyway — there is a narrow late-claim path, and I will tell you fast whether it fits.

I was hurt at a public hospital. Do you take that?

It depends how you were hurt. I take a fall in the lobby, an assault from poor security, or another premises problem. I do not take a claim that comes from the medical care itself — diagnosis, treatment, surgery — because that is medical malpractice.

Do you handle workers’ compensation claims?

Not on their own. Workers’ compensation is a separate system with its own courts, and it is usually your only remedy against an employer. If a non-employer is also at fault — a third-party driver, a property owner, a government agency — I will look at that part as a personal injury claim.

My car was damaged but I was not hurt. Can you help?

No. I decline property damage with no injury. You can usually settle that straight with the insurer. If an injury shows up later, write again.

My accident happened outside California. Do you take that?

No. I am licensed in California and take cases anywhere in the state. An out-of-state accident needs a lawyer licensed there.

Another lawyer is representing me. Can I come to you instead?

Not while that representation is live. If you have ended it in writing, tell me and I will look at the case.

My crash was more than a year ago. Is it too late?

Tell me the facts anyway. Time matters and some deadlines are much shorter than others, but the date alone does not close the door. I decline a case where the deadline has passed, and I will tell you fast whether yours has.