People injured by defective products can recover money damages to compensate them for their injuries and losses.

Even if the manufacturer, seller, or supplier of the defective product did not know the product was likely to cause injury, they are still legally responsible for the injuries and damages caused by their products.

I have extensive experience representing victims of defective products, and have tried numerous jury trials, winning several million dollars.

When a loved one dies as a result of someone else’s negligence (or is killed by a defective product), the law allows some surviving family members to sue the responsible party for wrongful death. The law allows the closest surviving family members to sue– typically these will be the spouse and children, but sometimes parents and siblings will qualify.

Wrongful death cases typically require several different types of experts in areas such as accident reconstruction, medicine, and economics.

I have handled many death cases, and we know which experts to retain on your behalf to prepare the case for maximum settlement or a successful jury trial.

Wrongful death damages include the loss of love, comfort, affection, society and monetary support, such as the wages the decedent would have provided to his/her family had s/he lived. Wrongful death damages can be large if the jury finds liability.

I am a proud supporters of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and believe strongly in the proposition that increased ridership ultimately results in safer riding. Unfortunately, there are still far too many accidents in which bicyclists are injured, and when that happens I am here to help the victims.

As in cases involving motorcycle riders, injured cyclists can encounter prejudices from the very beginning. All too often the police report is sloppy and incomplete, to the detriment of the injured cyclist’s claim. I have developed strategies in my cases to overcome bias against cyclists, leveling the playing field for our clients so they can receive all of the compensation they deserve.

I have represented many motorcyclists who have suffered injuries in crashes with automobiles.

I am sensitive to unique challenges facing the successful prosecution of these claims against negligent automobile drivers, including the unjustified assumption by many non-motorcyclists that the motorcyclist is probably at fault.

Because of my skill, experience, and sincere commitment to the truth of these cases, I have been able to level the playing field for motorcyclists.

I have successfully recovered compensation for our motorcyclist clients.

Perhaps the most common personal injury resulting in a lawsuit for compensation is suffered in an automobile accident.

The “rules of the road” are generally pretty straightforward and well understood, and the responsible party is often easy to identify. However, in many cases, there can be tricky questions about contributory fault, causation of injury, and the amount of compensation that should be paid. And dealing with the insurance companies is always challenging because their goal is to pay you as little as possible.

I have handled thousands of automobile cases. I know what to do in these cases, and when to do it, so that our clients receive all of the compensation they deserve. I prepare every case as if it is going to jury trial, and in this way maximize the potential for out of court settlement for the most money possible.

Pedestrians injured in accidents are often left with serious life-changing injuries, and they need substantial compensation.

I know how devastating injuries suffered by pedestrians can be, and I have a proven track record of getting every dollar available to help our clients adjust to their new life. Recently, I was able to recover the entire liability insurance limits available, $5 million, for a seriously injured pedestrian client.

Seriously injured pedestrians need the attention to detail and persistence that I can deliver.

Every accident involving a truck, and particularly long-haul and heavy-equipment-moving trucks, requires special attention to subcontracting of drivers, driving records, permits, route approvals, weight limits, and other details that may mean the difference between winning and losing the case.

Unfortunately for the injured client, the injuries that result in the largest settlements and jury verdicts are also the most severe. Eighty-five percent of all people with head injuries (including closed head injuries) make a good recovery.  However, the other 15% are not so lucky: they suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI), and they often require lifelong medical care, and suffer the loss of lifetime earnings. Insurance carriers fight brain injury cases ferociously because of their size, and you need a good lawyer on your side to recover the full damages to which you are entitled.

In some accidents, the injured victim suffers an injury to the spinal cord, the bony vertebrae surrounding the cord, or the discs in between vertebrae.  Any of these injuries can be devastating, resulting in lifelong pain throughout the body or, at worst, paralysis. Surgery is expensive and only helps in some cases.

If the defendant is at fault, spinal injury cases have large settlement or judgment value, but insurance carriers will fight these cases hard.  They will hire aggressive lawyers and doctors to claim the injured innocent victim is not hurt very badly, or at all.  You need solid legal representation to fight for your side of the case.

Sadly, we have represented some clients with the worst injuries imaginable, including leg degloving injuries, paralysis, brain injury, untreated stroke, severe fractures requiring surgeries, 3rd degree burns, and loss of a testicle.

I approach every case with compassion for the client, and a steadfast desire to do the very best we can to obtain a settlement or trial judgment which reflects the full value of the harm to the client, including full recovery for medical bills, wage loss (past and future) and pain and suffering.

Traumatic brain injuries and other life altering injuries require the kind of innovative and thorough preparation Tom has embraced in his work. These cases require significant resources which Tom's successes have provided.

Workers injured in construction or factory settings can recover damages for personal injury or death if an accident was caused by a third party who is not the injured person’s employer. For example, a carpenter who is injured because of defective scaffolding erected by another contractor may sue for negligence. Recoverable damages include medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering.

Construction injury cases usually involve understanding the complex interplay between the workers’ compensation system and personal injury law. I have deep knowledge of this interplay based on experience handling numerous construction accident cases over the years.

These cases also typically require several different types of experts in areas such as construction safety, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and economics. We have extensive experience in this area and know which experts to retain on your behalf to prepare the case for maximum settlement or a successful jury trial.

Private bus and municipal bus and train accidents (MUNI, BART, etc.) are some of the worst injury cases, and require the level of experience and advocacy the I bring to my cases.

I have prosecuted many cases against MUNI, BART, Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit, SamTrans, Caltrain, and others, and I know how to deal with the bureaucracy that is set up to deny victims compensation.

Premises liability refers to cases where a person is injured by a dangerous or defective condition of someone else’s property, such as slip or trip and falls on slippery substances, defective sidewalks, or poorly maintained floors or stairways.

Responsible parties include retail stores, negligent homeowners, and governmental entities such as the City of San Francisco. I also have a special interest in cases where overzealous store security guards injure store patrons or passersby. Private security guards are often poorly trained or unsuited for security work.

These cases typically require several different types of experts in areas such as retail management, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and economics. I have extensive experience in this area and know which experts to retain on your behalf to prepare the case for maximum settlement or a successful jury trial.

Recoverable damages include medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering.

If you are hurt in an auto accident and the other driver has no insurance or not enough insurance, you can make a claim for all of your damages against your own insurance, provided you carry uninsured or under insured motorist coverage (UIM).

Because an estimated 3.4 million California drivers are uninsured, UIM coverage is some of the most important insurance anyone can carry, and it is relatively cheap to carry a sizeable UIM policy (such as $100,000 or more).

If you carry liability insurance, the law requires your insurance carrier to provide UIM coverage as well (unless you opt out in writing). You may be covered under the UIM policy of someone else residing in your household even if you do not carry auto insurance.

UIM cases differ from most personal injury cases in that there is no jury trial – if it cannot be settled, the claim is resolved through a binding arbitration before a neutral arbitrator. Recoverable damages include medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering.

Although your insurance carrier is required to handle your UIM claim in good faith (i.e., evaluate your claim fairly), insurance carriers often will not offer fair settlement value until we have fought them in litigation. UIM cases typically require several different types of experts in areas such as accident reconstruction, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and economics.

I have extensive experience in this area and know which experts to retain on your behalf to prepare the case for maximum settlement or a successful arbitration.

Passengers injured by negligent operation of an airplane can recover damages. Recoverable damages include medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering.

The most dramatic accident scenario is the airliner crash, but many people are injured by other more mundane aspects of airline travel, such as shifting luggage, unsafe ramps or seats, or employee conduct causing injury.

These cases typically require several different types of experts in areas such as aviation safety, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and economics. I have extensive experience in this area and know which experts to retain on your behalf to prepare the case for maximum settlement or a successful jury trial.

The law is different for international travel, and it is actually easier to prove liability for injury occurring on an international flight.

I obtained a multi-million dollar recovery in a case involving denial of urgent medical care to a passenger who suffered a stroke on an international flight.

Sometimes people are hurt at their jobs by someone other than their employer, for example, they are working for a cement contractor when they are struck by a falling paint can being used by a subcontractor on the job.

Under circumstances like this, you may be able to recover much more money for your injuries from the "third-party" (the painter in our example) than from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance.

I  have successfully prosecuted numerous "third-party" workplace-injury cases. This is an area of personal injury law that requires the hands-on experience and tenacity of senior trial lawyers like myself.

If you are assaulted by someone, you have right to sue. However, often the assailant will not have any assets to satisfy a judgment. If you are assaulted by an employee of a company, your chances of recovering damages are much better.

I have a special interest in cases where overzealous store security guards injure store patrons or passersby. Private security guards are often poorly trained or unsuited for security work.

I have also handled cases in which people are assaulted or stabbed in nightclubs, and clergy sexual abuse cases.

Assault cases typically require several different types of experts in areas such as security, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and economics. I have extensive experience in this area and know which experts to retain on your behalf to prepare the case for maximum settlement or a successful jury trial.

Recoverable damages include medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering.