What this firm actually does after a death

We obtain the coroner reports, and read them for you

The coroner’s investigation report, the autopsy report and the toxicology results are the factual spine of a wrongful death case. They also take time to produce and are not always released to families on request.

We request the full set of records from the county coroner or medical examiner, and we read them, at no charge and whether or not you hire this firm. That lets us convey what they say in a respectful and humane manner. These are clinical documents and they should not be read by the friends and family of the person who died.

We help with funeral and final expenses

We help you find and work with mortuary and funeral providers in your county, and we give you an independent read on whether what you are being quoted is fair.

We make a formal written demand on the responsible parties and their insurers that funeral expenses be paid immediately, rather than at the end of a case years later. Where there is a valid claim and no other source of immediate recovery, we may be able to help secure assistance with final expenses.

We sort out the estate side

California frequently requires an estate representative before a claim can be settled, and property, a vehicle, a bank account, a home, often cannot be transferred until that happens. Sometimes a small estate affidavit is enough. Sometimes probate must be opened.

We tell you which situation you are in, handle the straightforward transfers, and refer the complex estates to probate counsel we trust.

We investigate before the evidence disappears

• Scene inspection and photography while conditions still match the day of the incident
• Vehicle preservation and download of event data recorders
• Locating and interviewing witnesses before memories fade
• Securing surveillance video, which is frequently overwritten in days
• Retaining reconstruction, human factors, medical and economic experts
• Government claim filing where a public entity may be responsible, a six-month deadline

We handle the claim

We identify every available policy, including ones families rarely know to look for: underinsured motorist coverage, umbrella policies, employer coverage, and commercial policies behind an apparently personal vehicle.

We present the damages properly, which in a California wrongful death case means proving both economic loss and the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support. Those are not soft categories. They are the heart of the case and they have to be proved with evidence, not adjectives.

Cases this firm does not accept

Being clear about this saves people time they do not have.

• Medical malpractice of any kind. This firm does not handle medical negligence matters, not birth injury, not surgical error, not nursing home neglect, and not a death following treatment. If that is what happened, call a medical malpractice specialist today. Those claims carry far shorter deadlines than an ordinary wrongful death case and a 90-day notice requirement before suit, and waiting to find that out is how people lose them.
• Criminal defense, family law, immigration, bankruptcy and estate planning.
• Matters outside California.

If your matter is one we do not take, say so when you call and we will point you toward someone who does. That costs you nothing and it is faster than starting over.

What it costs

Accepted matters are handled on a contingency fee. The firm advances the case costs. If there is no recovery, you owe the firm no fee and no costs.

Fee terms are set out in a written agreement before any work begins, not on a website.