People often come into a consultation with one question sitting in the back of their mind: What is my case worth? It makes sense. An injury can turn your entire life upside down. But the truth is that there is no chart, calculator, or universal formula that determines case value. Evaluation is a process. It unfolds over time. It depends on the evidence, the people, the medicine, and the story.

When people ask me how to choose a personal injury lawyer, they usually expect me to talk about the biggest billboard, the catchiest slogan, or the largest verdict splashed across a website. But after years in the courtroom — first defending the City of Los Angeles, then representing people whose lives changed in an instant — and after surviving a life-changing auto accident myself, I’ve learned that the real answer is much simpler and much more human.