Auto Accidents and Personal Injury

From offices in Long Beach and Fullerton, the law firm of Hoffman & Associates helps people in Los Angeles and Orange County and throughout Southern California who have been injured in an automobile accident or other incidents of personal injury due to the negligent or wrongful conduct of another.

Serious Accidents Require Serious Legal Representation

If you have been injured in an automobile accident, the law allows you to recover compensation for your injuries and property damage from the negligent driver who caused the accident. Damages which may be recovered include your present and future medical expenses, and lost wages for the time you missed work while recovering from the accident, or if you are prevented from working at full capacity in the future due to long-term or permanent disability. You may also recover for the pain and suffering and emotional distress you experienced, and other losses you may have endured.

Obtaining this compensation is not always an easy matter, however. If litigation is required, the burden is on you as the plaintiff to prove that the accident is the defendant’s fault. You must also prove the nature and extent of injuries, and that these were caused by the accident and not some other incident. The other driver and his or her insurance company will fight hard to place the blame on you or some other factor, and often they will allege that your injuries were caused by some preexisting condition or other action on your part. However, even if you were partially to blame for the accident or injury, you may still recover from the other driver for the proportion of damages caused by their negligence. Skilled legal representation is necessary to make sure your rights are protected and that you receive a full and fair recovery.

The Myth of Insurance

It is true that California law requires all drivers to carry liability insurance (or other proof of financial responsibility) with policy limits of at least $15,000 for injury or death to one person, $30,000 for injury or death to multiple persons, and $5,000 for property damage. However, given the high costs of medical care and the severe injury that can be caused by an automobile accident, these limits often prove woefully inadequate to compensate an individual except in the most minor accidents.

To make matters worse, as many as 20% of drivers on the road in the Los Angeles area at any given time are completely uninsured, despite the existence of the mandatory law. Hopefully you carry uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage to handle these situations, but even if you carry such coverage with decent limits, obtaining a recovery from the insurance company can still require litigation to achieve a fair settlement. Insurance companies – even your own – are driven by profit motives which lead them to pay as little as possible on any given claim, or even to deny a claim altogether if they can. Being represented by a skilled attorney with a track record of success and reputation with the insurance companies is a key ingredient in obtaining full and fair compensation.

It is true that the vast majority of civil cases settle before trial, or shortly after trial has begun. Firm principal Joel Hoffman is an expert negotiator who is skilled at obtaining a favorable settlement from the defendant and his or her insurance company.

Experienced Representation in All Personal Injury Matters

Attorney Joel Hoffman applies his skills as a negotiator and courtroom advocate to a variety of personal injury matters, including slip and fall cases, dog bites, and incidents of medical malpractice. All personal injury cases contain common elements, such as proving that the defendant breached a duty of care and this breach was responsible for your injuries. Joel Hoffman’s courtroom skills and experience have resulted in significant settlements and judgments across a wide range of civil torts and personal injury cases.

Affordable, Experienced Legal Representation

Our firm handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that we do not collect a fee unless and until we recover for you. No recovery, no fee. Our fees are also based on a percentage of the recovery, so you do not have to worry about being able to afford the fee.

When you call or come by for your free initial consultation, mention the code CRE8TUV to receive a contingency fee rate of 30%, no matter whether the case settles before trial or proceeds all the way to judgment. Contingency rates customarily start at 33% if the case settles and increase as the matter moves to trial, judgment, or appeal. Be sure and take advantage of this Internet Special when you call. The deadline for filing a lawsuit starts approaching on the day of the accident. Delay in contacting a lawyer can only hurt your case, as deadlines may be missed, evidence may be lost, and important rights may be unintentionally waived. Contact Hoffman & Associates for a free consultation to get you started on the road to recovery.

TRUST AN AGGRESSIVE EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY