With many options, it can be difficult to choose the right Maryland accident and injury lawyer for your case. To help you decide whether the Santa Maria Law Center is the best choice for you, let me tell you 10 things about my methods and philosophies of handling serious Maryland accident and injury cases.

1. The people who know my work best, my former clients, give me glowing recommendations.

For more than 30 years, I have had the highest possible rating from the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory. I have also been honored for that long by Who’s Who In American Law. And I have been selected as a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of lawyers who have earned seven figure recoveries. But the achievement I am most proud of is that I have earned the appreciation of my former clients. You can read what a number of them say on the testimonials page of this website.

2. I have successfully represented thousands of clients.

There is simply no substitute for a wide range of experience negotiating settlements and conducting trials. Successful representations may include large financial recoveries. I have had my share of those and some of them are listed on the “prior cases” page of this website. But a successful representation is not only about the amount recovered. It is about meeting a client’s needs, compassionately helping them through a difficult time and making their life a little better.

3. I believe that a lawyer’s greatest asset is credibility.

Credibility and trustworthiness —- with clients, judges, jurors, insurance adjusters and opposing counsel -— are an accident and injury lawyer’s greatest asset. That means acting with civility, keeping promises and always presenting your case vigorously but fairly. I try to always remember that every human interaction is a chance to build trust or destroy it.

4. We will always meet at the place which is most convenient for you.

That might be the hospital, your home, your workplace or the location of the incident that caused your injury. This is not only more convenient for you, but it is also very helpful to me in preparing your case. When we submit your claim, we tell a story, the story of your accident, your injuries and how they have affected you. Seeing you in “real life,” and not just in my office, helps me be a better storyteller.

5. Client service, and client convenience, are obsessions with me.

I have constructed my practice so I can offer standard-setting service to the clients who entrust their serious Maryland accident and injury claim to me. In this office, we always give the type of service we would want to receive.

6. I settle most cases for fair value without a trial.

Although I am a trial lawyer, I have come to believe that trials represent failures. If both sides work hard enough, we should be able to figure out fair settlements without the time, expense and uncertainty that come with trials. Settlements benefits both sides. Therefore, my approach with insurance companies is essentially this: look, we have a joint problem to solve. Let’s work together to figure out a fair way to compensate this injured person. This is a different approach than the purely adversarial relationship that many accident and injury lawyers develop with adjusters. My approach results in most of my cases being settled for a fair amount before trial, often even before suit is filed.

7. I only accept a limited number of cases so I can give more attention to each case.

Earlier in my career, I had caseloads of 100 to 150 cases. Now I focus on a much smaller number of cases. This allows me to do the extra things I could not do when I was responsible for so many cases. Who do you think knows your case better when I negotiate with an insurance adjuster who is responsible for 150 cases, or more? And who do you think will be better prepared for trial, the defense lawyer with 100 or more cases, or me with, perhaps, two dozen cases?

8. I handle your case personally.

If you are like me, you want to do business with people, not companies. If you hire me, I will be your contact person at this law firm. You don’t have to deal with secretaries, paralegals or junior lawyers. Calls, texts, emails, faxes – they are all routed straight to me. I am the one you hired and I will be there when you need me.

9. I rely extensively on technology.

For example, I communicate with clients using land lines, mobile phones, email, text messaging or any other way you would like. To gather information from my clients, I use secure online forms that my clients can complete at their convenience. I use online resources to investigate cases. And in my trial practice. I also use my skills as an expert photographer to illustrate my clients’ stories.

10. My legal expertise is an inch wide and a mile deep.

By this, I mean that I focus on accident and injury cases. They are all I do. I also write about accident and injury cases. I authored the first lawyer-written self-help book for car accident victims who want to settle their own claims, The Car Accident Claims Kit. In addition, I created the most popular online source of consumer information for car accident victims. Although I am no longer responsible for All-About-Car-Accidents.com, the website still features many of my articles.

If you have been seriously injured and my methods and philosophies are what you are looking for, contact us any time for a confidential and free discussion of your case.