Personal Injury Attorneys Near Me

Two years from the date of the injury for most negligence claims, under Florida Statute 95.11(5)(a). That deadline was four years until the 2023 tort reform shortened it. Wrongful death also runs two years, under Statute 95.11(5)(e). Claims against a government body follow a different and shorter notice track under Statute 768.28.

Board certification is The Florida Bar’s own mark of expertise in a named area of law. To be certified in Civil Trial a lawyer needs at least five years in practice, substantial involvement in trial work, at least 15 contested civil cases, favorable peer review and a passing grade on a written examination. Certification lasts five years and then has to be re-earned.

There is no hourly rate and no retainer. Personal injury work runs on a contingency fee, and Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B) sets a presumptive maximum of 33 1/3% of the first $1 million recovered before the defendant files an answer, rising to 40% after that. Case costs are separate from the fee, and your written fee agreement sets out which of those you would be responsible for if there is no recovery.

Sooner than the filing deadline suggests. You have two years to sue, but the evidence does not wait. Traffic and business camera footage is often overwritten within weeks, a trucking company only has to keep driver logs for six months, and Florida crash reports carry a 60-day confidentiality period under Statute 316.066 that limits who can obtain them.

Since the 2023 tort reform, Florida Statute 768.81(6) bars anyone found more than 50% at fault for their own harm from recovering anything. At 50% or below you still recover, reduced by your share of the blame. That bar does not apply to medical negligence claims under chapter 766, where damages are still reduced proportionately instead.

Most Florida injury claims never reach a jury, and many settle before a lawsuit is filed at all. Filing suit is often a negotiating position rather than a destination. That said, a firm that has never tried a case in front of a jury has less leverage in those negotiations, and insurers keep track of who does.

No Florida statute requires you to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer. Your own carrier is a different matter, because Statute 627.736(6)(g) makes an examination under oath a condition of receiving PIP benefits, and it reaches passengers in an insured vehicle as well. Get advice before agreeing to anything recorded.

Call 911 so a crash report exists, get checked by a doctor within 14 days to protect your PIP medical benefits, photograph the scene and the vehicles before anything moves, and take a name and number for every witness. Then report the basic facts to your own insurer and stop there.