A crash on Highway 4 or a fall in a parking lot off Lone Tree Way can turn ordinary life in Antioch upside down within seconds. In the days that follow, injured people often have questions about who to call and what their claim may be worth. Below are five personal injury attorneys and firms that people in Antioch and East Contra Costa County can consider, beginning with Bay Area Injury Law Firm. After the list, we cover the California deadlines and fee rules worth understanding before you hire anyone.
The five options covered here are:
- Bay Area Injury Law Firm
- O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley LLP
- Scott H. Z. Sumner
- Michael Edmund Cardoza
- Mark Paul Grundman
1. Bay Area Injury Law Firm
Bay Area Injury Law Firm is a personal injury practice that represents injured people across the Bay Area, Antioch included. Its attorneys are on the side of the person who was hurt, never the insurance company.
Who is the attorney behind Bay Area Injury Law Firm?
Joseph Chan, Esq., founded the firm and serves as its principal attorney. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. According to the firm, it works to give each client personal attention and responsive communication from the first conversation until the claim is resolved. Clients can work with the office in English, Spanish, Cantonese, or Burmese, which matters in a community as diverse as Antioch.
What types of injury cases can the firm help with?
The firm’s practice centers on roadway injuries, which fits a commuter city where many residents drive Highway 4 or cross the Antioch Bridge every day. Its practice areas include:
- Car and truck collisions
- Motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian injuries
- Accidents involving rideshare and app-based delivery drivers, where several insurance policies may be involved
- Bus accidents and catastrophic injuries that change a person’s life over the long term
What is it like to work with the firm?
The firm takes injury cases on a contingency fee, so attorney fees are paid from a recovery rather than out of pocket at the start. It can help clients find nearby medical providers, and it deals with insurance adjusters directly so clients do not have to.
2. O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley LLP
O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley is a Walnut Creek law firm that handles personal injury matters in Contra Costa County. It also handles criminal cases.
3. Scott H. Z. Sumner
Scott H. Z. Sumner is a personal injury attorney who practices in Contra Costa County, the county that includes Antioch.
4. Michael Edmund Cardoza
Michael Edmund Cardoza is a personal injury attorney in Contra Costa County. Antioch residents looking for a lawyer in their own county may come across his practice.
5. Mark Paul Grundman
Mark Paul Grundman is a personal injury attorney who practices in Contra Costa County and is another local option for people injured in East County.
What California rules should Antioch accident victims understand before hiring a lawyer?
Several state rules shape every injury claim in Antioch, whichever attorney you hire.
The deadline to file a lawsuit for most personal injuries is two years from the date of the injury, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Claims against a public agency move much faster. If a Tri Delta Transit bus, a city vehicle, or a poorly maintained public road played a part, Government Code section 911.2 generally requires a written claim within six months.
Shared fault does not end a case in California. Under the state’s pure comparative fault rule, a person found 20 percent responsible for a crash can still recover 80 percent of their damages.
Fees are regulated too. Business and Professions Code section 6147 requires contingency agreements to be in writing. The agreement must state the fee percentage, explain how litigation costs are handled, and note that the fee is negotiable and not set by law.
How should you decide which Antioch injury attorney to call?
Choose an attorney who has handled cases like yours, answers your questions directly, and tells you who will actually work on your file. Talk to more than one lawyer if you can, and compare how each one explains your options and fees. Above all, move soon. Witnesses become harder to find, video gets recorded over, and California’s deadlines keep running whether or not you have picked a lawyer. A short conversation now can protect your recovery and your claim.
Attorney advertising. This list reflects the publisher’s selection and is not a ranking by any independent organization or by the State Bar of California. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.