The Firm · Case Selection
The Cases We Take
A selective practice means every case gets trial-level attention. These are the new matters the firm is currently prioritizing. If your matter is in one of the few areas the firm does not handle, we will tell you that right away and point you to the State Bar’s referral service.
David L. Milligan — Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Contingency fee. Free, confidential consultation.
New matters the firm is currently prioritizing
The Law Offices of David L. Milligan is a deliberately selective practice. The following are the matters the firm is currently seeking to accept — serious-injury cases where liability is clear, the injuries are documented, and there is an insurer or company able to pay. Other pages on this site describe the firm’s experience or existing matters and do not necessarily indicate that the firm is accepting new cases in those categories.
- •Serious motor-vehicle collisions — hard-impact crashes with diagnosed injuries and prompt treatment.
- •Commercial truck and big-rig collisions — tractor-trailers, delivery fleets, and company vehicles.
- •Motorcycle collisions caused by another driver.
- •Documented traumatic brain injury — where there was a loss of consciousness, abnormal imaging, or a physician’s concussion or TBI diagnosis.
- •Catastrophic burn injuries — burns requiring hospitalization, a burn unit, or skin grafting.
- •Severe dog attacks — maulings causing facial injury, significant scarring, nerve or tendon damage, or surgery.
- •Other catastrophic injury — spinal cord injury, amputation, and injuries requiring surgery or lifelong care.
- •Wrongful death.
- •Sexual abuse in juvenile facilities — survivors of abuse in juvenile halls and youth detention facilities. Reviewed confidentially and statewide.
Cases are taken from intake through jury verdict, on a contingency-fee basis. Costs remain ultimately the client’s responsibility.
The firm also reviews, case by case: premises liability and slip-and-fall, negligent security, elder and dependent-adult abuse or neglect in care facilities, defective products, environmental and toxic exposure, aviation, sex-trafficking survivor claims, childhood sexual abuse in foster care, schools, churches and youth programs, government-entity claims, and injuries that happened outside California. These are not listed above because they are not automatically scheduled for a consultation — not because the firm turns them away. If your matter is one of these, contact the office and it will be reviewed.
The firm does not accept medical malpractice, dental malpractice, or claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Where a matter falls outside this practice, we say so promptly and, where we can, point you toward counsel who handles that work.
Do I have a case? An honest screen
Do I have a car accident case worth pursuing?
These are the factors the firm weighs on a motor-vehicle case. They are not eligibility rules, and no one of them decides anything — each case turns on its own facts:
- •Hard impact. Factors may include whether a vehicle was towed, declared a total loss, sustained substantial damage, or had airbags deploy. Property damage is only one consideration and does not determine whether an injury or claim is valid. Insurers may dispute whether a lower-damage collision caused the claimed injuries, so the firm evaluates the medical evidence and collision facts together.
- •Clear fault. The other driver was cited, rear-ended you, ran a light or sign, or was plainly at fault.
- •Prompt treatment and a real diagnosis. Ambulance or emergency room, or a doctor within roughly two weeks — and a physician who has actually named the injury.
- •A source of recovery. The at-fault party carries insurance or is a company, or you carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
This is general information, not legal advice, and nothing here is a promise about any result. If your situation is close to the line, call — that is what the conversation is for.
What about abuse in a juvenile facility?
Those are reviewed individually and confidentially — the motor-vehicle factors above do not apply. Deadlines in these cases depend on when the conduct occurred, your age, when the harm was discovered, any prior litigation or settlement, and who the defendant is. This page cannot tell you whether a claim is still timely. If you think you may have a claim, contact us promptly rather than assuming it is too late.
What happens if my case is not a fit for the firm?
If your matter is in an area the firm does not handle at all — medical or dental malpractice, workers’ compensation, adult prison or jail, police conduct, or a non-injury matter — we say so on the first call and point you to the State Bar of California’s Lawyer Referral Services at (866) 442-2529, so you lose no time. Anything else goes to the office for review before any decision is made, and you should never wait on that review to protect your own rights.
Do you accept referrals from other attorneys?
Yes. The firm serves as co-counsel and trial counsel for lawyers across California and pays referral fees in compliance with Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5.1. See our For Referring Attorneys page.
“The very essence of civil liberty certainly consists in the right of every individual to claim the protection of the laws, whenever he receives an injury.”
Chief Justice John Marshall · Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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Please do not submit sensitive or unnecessary details. An inquiry does not create an attorney–client relationship; representation begins only through a signed written agreement.
Important: This page is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Submitting an inquiry does not create an attorney–client relationship; that relationship is formed only by a written agreement signed after we evaluate the matter for conflicts and merit. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Statutory citations are illustrative; the legal framework applicable to a specific case depends on the facts. The Law Offices of David L. Milligan, APC is licensed in California.