John Roach, Esq. | August 12, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
The number that matters in a personal injury case is not the settlement figure. It is the amount that actually reaches you after every medical lien, reimbursement claim, and bill has been resolved. Two clients can settle for the identical gross amount and walk away… read more
John Roach, Esq. | August 10, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
The scene is familiar to almost every injured driver I represent: the tow trucks have gone, the pain is setting in, and then the traffic collision report arrives — and it blames you. Maybe the officer wrote that you were speeding. Maybe the diagram puts… read more
John Roach, Esq. | July 27, 2026 | Attorney Tips
In an earlier article, I covered the basic insurance adjuster tactics every injured person should expect after a car accident — the fast lowball, the request for a recorded statement, the friendly voice that is anything but. But adjusters have a deeper playbook, and the… read more
John Roach, Esq. | July 25, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
A skull fracture is one of the few injuries where the visible damage is often the smallest part of the story. The skull exists to protect the brain, and when it breaks, the force required to break it has almost always done something to the… read more
John Roach, Esq. | July 15, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
One of the first moves an insurance company makes after a crash is to shift blame onto you. “You were going a little fast.” “You should have seen them.” “You weren’t wearing your seatbelt.” This is not idle conversation. It is the deliberate use of… read more
John Roach, Esq. | June 17, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
Calling a personal injury lawyer for the first time is intimidating. People don’t know what it will cost, how long the call will take, what they need to have ready, whether the lawyer will take their case, or whether they should even call at all…. read more
John Roach, Esq. | June 13, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
A mother watches a speeding car strike her child in a crosswalk. A husband, on the phone with his wife, hears the metal-on-metal of a collision and then silence. A daughter sees her father fall and strike his head. In each case the person watching… read more
John Roach, Esq. | June 6, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
Few discovery questions generate as much disagreement among plaintiff-side practitioners as how to answer a special interrogatory asking for the witnesses who can speak to a client’s pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other non-economic damages. I’ve watched this argument play out among colleagues more… read more
John Roach, Esq. | May 29, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
A few years ago, a new client came to my office with a serious spine injury and a problem. Her previous attorney had filed her case in California’s limited civil court — a forum that caps recovery at $35,000 — without realizing the full extent… read more
John Roach, Esq. | March 17, 2026 | Attorney Tips \ California Law
The California Supreme Court’s decision in People v. Sanchez (2016) 63 Cal.4th 665 fundamentally changed how hearsay intersects with expert testimony in California courts. Although Sanchez arose from a gang enhancement case, its principles apply broadly to civil litigation — including personal injury cases where… read more