- If treatment will run for months, the claim is no longer one to handle alone.
- A contingency fee is a percentage of gross recovery, stated in the agreement, and capped there.
- One-third pre-litigation and forty percent in litigation is the California baseline. Anything materially beyond it is grounds for getting a second opinion before signing.
- Fees and costs are separate. Costs are advanced by the firm, and at The May Firm, are not repaid by the client if the case does not recover.
- The number that matters is the net, after fees, costs, insurance reimbursement, and negotiated liens.
- Lien reduction is where a meaningful amount of a client's money is won or lost.
- Two years is the statute of limitations for injury, not the planning deadline. A claim against a California public entity must be presented within 6 months, and suit is due 6 months after a written rejection (two years from the crash if no written rejection comes). A federal claim runs two years under separate rules. Just remember, these are the technical rules. However, delaying the hiring of a lawyer can make it very problematic to prove your case.
- An offer does not end a claim. A signed release or a cashed check usually does.
- Trial capability changes settlements in cases that never reach trial.
- Evidence expires. Camera footage gets overwritten, and vehicles get repaired or scrapped within weeks.
- Say nothing beyond your name and the date on a recorded statement, and keep the case off social media entirely.
- A case being in litigation does not put the client on the witness stand.
- Local means someone who can be on the scene, knows the roads and the responding agencies, and knows the court.
- The consultation is free, and calling more than one firm is recommended.
- An uninsured motorist claim has its own two-year deadline. Suing the at-fault driver preserves it, and so does agreeing in writing to arbitrate or demanding arbitration in writing.
- If you were driving uninsured, Proposition 213 bars recovery for pain and suffering even when the crash was not your fault. However, there are exceptions to that rule that an experienced injury lawyer can discuss and evaluate.
- Being partly at fault does not end a claim in California. Fault is divided, not assigned.
- The SR-1 report to the DMV is due within ten days of an injury crash or one with over $1,000 in damage.
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