We are serious lawyers for serious injuries.

Nothing is more painful than a burn injury. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is an 11. The lives of survivors of gasoline and electrical burns are permanently changed.

Separate from the amputations that many suffer, scarred skin from the burn and from donor sites requires daily attention. Heat and cold are constant problems and enjoying sunlight is no longer possible. Burned and scarred skin is older skin that breaks down and becomes more problematic with age.

We have represented survivors of burns for more than 30 years.

We can make a difference for you.

We have a track record that proves we deliver - documented results in challenging and difficult cases, year after year. This is our calling and our passion.

Call to find out if we can make a difference for you or your family. There is no charge. Please contact us by email or call 1.888.777.1776.

Selecting the "right" lawyer takes time and effort.

You must look for experience in major lawsuits, a solid track record of results, financial resources to take on major defendants and a commitment to justice that is recognized by attorneys and the community.

You owe it to yourself to take the time to search this site for client videos and explore all that is offered in our Injury Library and our blog of current safety and health information, especially case reports.

We are leading lawyers who can make a difference for you. Our experience, extraordinary resources and readiness have earned us a national reputation and a national practice representing clients in difficult and challenging personal injury and wrongful death claims.

We are a specialty California law firm representing individuals and families who have suffered grievous losses. Many personal injury lawyers make their bread and butter in "soft tissue injury" cases. We do not. Watch out for lawyers "handling" thousands of cases. We don't "handle" cases, certainly no "soft tissue" injuries and we are not a quick settlement operation that churns hundreds of minor auto accidents. Just the opposite.

We represent people with serious injuries in need of serious help after devastating trauma has ruined lives and families.

Our goal is to make a substantial financial difference in your life and to restore to you, to the full extent of the law, what has been taken from you.

We know that you need a result that will last a lifetime, because burn injuries last a lifetime.

By tightly focusing on major cases we can and have made a significant difference for our clients. Three lawyers are assigned to each client and are responsible for case management. Our goal is to maximize recoveries by preparing for the earliest possible trial and you are the Chief Information Officer on your case. Regular email, office and telephone meetings with you are required. We serve a small number of clients and can provide the attention that we would want if we were you.

Many defendants, large corporations and major insurance companies, because they are running a business, do not give their full attention to a lawsuit unless a trial date is near and they know they are facing a fight.

We are not afraid to fight. And we are known for trying cases. That's becoming rare. Many times insurance company executives don't wake up until after trial has started.

That's what happened to George Liu who was never given a settlement offer until trial started. George suffered an L-1 paraplegia and before suit was filed, the insurance company for the defendant refused to pay George its policy limits of $30,000. Despite a lifetime injury and violation of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, the carrier offered zero in settlement. Halfway through trial the executives of this national insurance company woke up and agreed to pay $4.5 million on the condition the company's name never be mentioned. From zero to $4.5 million in less than a week because we answered "ready" for trial and began putting on evidence. Please see our case report for more details.

David McNabb's electrical burn injury is a classic example why you need a smart, aggressive, experienced lawyer fighting for you.

David, a technician cleaning "cold" switchgear, suffered electrical burns over 65% of his body when 12,000 volts and 3,000 amps exploded in his face. That is the equivalent of opening your front door and walking into the power of Niagara Falls. No one has had a longer period of hospitalization in the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's Burn Unit. Total medical bills of $6 million.

After nearly a year, Dave's first lawyer told him he "had no case." That lawyer was afraid to fight IBM. In our toxic work we have been up against IBM. Big Blue doesn't scare us.

The total recovery of $15.5 million included medical bills of $6 million that by law had to be re-paid to the worker's compensation carrier.

Dave is a wonderful, courageous man who never should have suffered this outrageous injury. We are proud to have saved him from a legal disaster on top of this terrible injury, but it is impossible to imagine the pain he has suffered and all that he continues to endure. Nothing made us happier than the day Dave gave us his wheel chair and walked into our office. Please see our case report for more details.

Our other work for victims of major burns include:

• $8,500,000 recovery for triple amputation electrical burn injuries suffered by a teenager trespassing on railroad property, climbing on a box car and having 12,000 volts arc from the overhead catenary wire. Richard Alexander was the first lawyer in the United States to uncover and prove the railroad's electrical system had caused on average, 24 deaths/major injuries per year, primarily to children and teenagers. This case was filed in Washington, D.C. against Conrail and Amtrak after three Washington, D.C. law firms turned it down. Featured by Charles Osgood on the CBS News. Please see our case report for more details.

• $1,680,000 recovery for Dr. Paul Chin who was rear-ended in his 1969 BMW 1600 by a convicted felon who was intoxicated and traveling at 90 miles per hour. The BMW exploded into a fireball and caused third degree burns to 65% of Dr. Chin's body. Crash testing of two full-size BMW's proved the fuel system failed at low speeds in rear end collisions. This settlement was the first known occasion of a settlement by BMW in the United States in a case alleging a design defect.

• Confidential. The Court imposed an extremely broad confidentiality order in Vagshenian v. Palo Alto Unified School District, Santa Clara County Action No. 687672, after jury selection, opening statements, and the testimony of Dr. Gregory Vagshenian. The San Jose Mercury News reported that a nine-year-old boy was burned by a model rocket engine that shot up his sleeve at a school science fair. Suit was filed against the Palo Alto Unified School District, the boy's teacher and the Stanford University engineering professor who set off the rocket, according to the Mercury. Under the gag order the victim and attorneys are only allowed to say: "The matter is concluded."

• $750,000 recovery for burn injuries caused by a defectively designed electrical switch injuring a PG&E lineman who admitted causing his own injury. His first lawyers gave up and advised him they could not prove a case for him. Smethurst v. G&W Specialty Company settled the morning of trial after extensive pre-trial discovery against the manufacturer of a 12,000 volt oil-filled switch that exploded when Smethurst turned the switch to the wrong position, contrary to good practice. Similar switches caused 10 deaths and 21 serious injuries over a 25-year period, but no warnings were ever distributed to users. Smethurst suffered burns over 60% of his body and was disabled for 14 months before returning to work as a PG&E lineman.

• On Christmas Day four teenage boys, Jason St. John, Christopher Benjamin, Jesse Cepeda and Edwin Martin, were burned to death when a defective 1978 four wheel drive Dodge Ramcharger over-turned at 20 miles per hour, landed on its roof in a creek bed and burned. Chrysler anticipated this vehicle would roll in the field and for that reason installed a roll bar in the passenger compartment, while allowing the rear mounted filler tube, which was bolted to sheet metal at the rear of the vehicle to remain unprotected in a rollover. This case is every parent's nightmare. These boys were doing nothing wrong, had not been drinking and should have survived if the fuel system had performed properly. They were outstanding youngsters, good students, respected athletes, and full of life. For their families Christmas Day will never again be the same. The total recoveries at the request of both Chrysler Corporation and the families are not to be revealed. The amounts that were paid were those recommended. It was, and will always be, an honor to have represented these families. Howard and Mary St. John, Fran and Wendy Benjamin, Phill and Gayle Martin and Arthur and Deborah Cepeda v. Chrysler Corporation, Santa Clara County Superior Court No. 722446.

• $3,000,000 for a son who burned to death in a pickup truck with a defective fuel system in Missouri. Settlement required the name of the manufacturer not be disclosed.

• $975,000 recovery for the loss of a major hand and forearm of a 35 year-old man who was working as a volunteer at a church camp in a rural Western state with a population slightly over 1 million and extremely conservative juries. A defective cross-arm on a utility pole had rotted and caused a major distribution line to drop close to the ground. Walking through the woods he contacted the wire.

We do not skimp on resources in organizing evidence or hiring the right experts for trial. When two BMWs needed to be purchased and crashed to prove a gas tank was defective for Dr. Chin - we didn't hesitate.

Having the best evidence takes money - lots of it. That is an investment we take seriously because we know our determination makes the difference between an expedient settlement and a just award. Some call us "aggressive." We call it "a passion for justice."

Watch out for the lawyer who will talk you into an early settlement because s/he cannot finance the cost of supporting your lawsuit with the experts and evidence you need.

Please watch our client videos and read their A+ reviews.

Those statements are more important to us than the ratings, which are the highest given, that we have been awarded from independent agencies: Martindale-Hubbell, Preeminent Law Firms in the United States, Avvo.com, and Super Lawyers of Northern California.

Our peers recognize us as specialists.

We have been honored as Trial Lawyers of the Year and have been nominated for Street Fighter of the Year twice by Consumer Attorneys of California. We also have been named to the Top 100 California Lawyers of the American Trial Lawyers Association.

We give back to our community.

No other law firm's members have received the Youth Commission Medal, the Man of the Year Award by the Women's Fund, the Santa Clara School of Law award for dedication to workers who have suffered injustice and the Pro Bono Award from the Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health.

Our contribution to public education is our Injury Library, a collection of articles explaining in detail the law and providing practical answers in the field of personal injury litigation. It is must reading for anyone facing a lifetime disability. See also our blog of current commentary on health, safety and legal developments.

Call to find out if we can make a difference for you or your family. There is no charge.
Please contact us byemail or call 1.888.777.1776.

We are here to help and to make a difference for you.