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 calling me, or whether you should be calling someone else.

What I take

I take personal injury and wrongful death in California, in these areas:

• 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

If another firm turned your case down, or dropped it, bring it here. If a large firm called it "too small," bring it here. That is much of what I do.

Claims against government agencies

I take public entity claims, in the same accident types above, when a city, county, transit district, school district, 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

Seven kinds of case I turn away:

• 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.
• Product liability — a claim that a defective product caused the injury, including a vehicle or component defect, unless it is a small part of an accident case I have already taken.
• Workers' compensation — a separate system, and usually your only remedy against an employer. If a non-employer is also at fault, I will look at that third-party piece as a personal injury claim.
• Mass tort and multidistrict litigation — coordinated proceedings over a drug, device, or exposure that affects many people.
• Class actions.
• Property-damage-only claims — no injury. You settle these straight with the insurer, and my fee would take more than I would add. If an injury develops, call back.
• Matters outside California — an out-of-state accident needs a lawyer licensed there.

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.

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 — call 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).

Common questions

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 on your first call. 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?

No. 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?

Probably not. You can usually settle a property-damage-only claim straight with the insurer, and my fee would take more than I would add. If an injury shows up later, call back.

My accident happened outside California. Do you take that?

No. I am licensed in California and handle California matters. An out-of-state accident needs a lawyer licensed there.