Best Dog Bite Lawyers in California
JOHN DEMAS
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Recognized as one of the top plaintiff’s attorneys in California and founder of the Demas Law Group, John Demas has been exclusively representing injured victims for nearly thirty years. John is passionate about helping people, and has earned a stellar reputation for his dedication and successful results for his clients.
As a result of his long history of success, John has been selected by his peers as a Northern California Super Lawyer, an honor limited to less than approximately 1% of plaintiff personal injury attorneys, every year for nearly 15 consecutive years. He has been named a Top 100 Attorney for Northern California for several years running. The Top 100 list is an even more exclusive group of attorneys chosen by other attorneys, as the very best among the best lawyers in the state.
In addition, for several years, he has been selected by his peers and judges as one of the Top 25 attorneys in all of Sacramento. He is continuously recognized as the Best of the Bar by the Sacramento Business Journal and among the Best Attorneys in Sacramento by Sacramento Magazine.
John has been granted membership to The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a respected professional organization with exclusive membership limited to less than 1% of the country’s civil attorneys. ABOTA membership is by invitation only—extended to attorneys who have extensive trial experience and are distinguished for their high personal character and professional reputation.
John also has an “AV” rating, the highest possible national rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The “AV” rating is derived from confidential assessments by attorneys and judges in the community. In addition to the highest attainable legal ability ratings, he has been given the highest marks for “adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability, and diligence.”
Howard Kornberg
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Howard Kornberg has a passion for practicing law, particularly when it comes to helping those who have been injured due to the careless or negligent actions of another person, company, or entity. Attorney Kornberg says that he started this law firm to fight for equal justice and access to the courts for all people in all walks of life. His firm is dedicated to standing up against powerful insurance companies and corporations that manufacture dangerous and defective consumer products or cause environmental damage.
Attorney Howard Kornberg obtained his bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA and his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University. He has been on the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of Cedars Sinai Hospital and a Member of the Board of Directors Committee for Quality of Care Improvement at Cedars Sinai Hospital.
Attorney Kornberg has received numerous peer awards Based on excellence. He is an ABOTA Member (American Board of Trial Advocates) and has received an AV rating from Martindale Hubble. Attorney Kornberg has been a court-appointed Judge Pro Tempore and has been a Superior Court of Los Angeles volunteer Arbitrator for over 100 cases.
Attorney Howard Kornberg has never had a malpractice suit against him, never been disciplined by the State Bar, and his license has never been revoked or suspended.
ROGER BONAKDAR
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Prior to founding the Bonakdar Law Firm, Mr. Roger Bonakdar was a member of two prominent Central Valley law firms—one specializing in civil litigation, and the other specializing in criminal defense. Through these ventures, Mr. Bonakdar has gained a mastery of a broad spectrum of legal issues and a history of success defending clients charged with criminal offenses, fighting for individuals who suffer personal injuries, as well as representing San Joaquin Valley businesses in litigated matters. Before venturing into private practice, Mr. Bonakdar also worked with the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General.
Mr. Bonakdar earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, San Diego and his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University, School of Law. Mr. Roger Bonakdar has many academic achievements, including Witkin Awards in several areas such as Civil Procedure, Contracts and Consumer Law. Mr. Bonakdar was also recognized by Santa Clara University, School of Law as a “Scholar of Public Interest & Social Justice Law,” with emphasis in Consumer Law.
Mr. Bonakdar is a San Joaquin Valley native who created the Bonakdar Law Firm in order to make justice available to your community—his community.
Laurence H. Mandell
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
His expertise encompasses all aspects of personal injury matters including automobile collisions, motorcycle crashes, dog bites, premises liability, construction injuries, and product liability. For over 40 years he has concentrated on obtaining the highest recovery possible on behalf of his clients by way of settlement and jury verdicts. Dating back to 1984 he was able to secure millions of dollars for an injury victim who was crushed by a semi-truck while performing his duties as a security guard at a beer distribution facility.
Throughout the years there are so many unique cases that he has handled including devastating motorcycle crashes, bicycle-related injuries, significant pedestrian injuries, product liability cases, life-altering dog bite injuries, premises liability cases (trip and fall), and construction site injuries. He has taken on insurance companies and big business to ensure that his clients received the maximum recovery and full justice for their harms and losses. He does not leave any stone unturned in seeking justice and establishing the fault of the wrongdoer. Larry’s compassion and trustworthiness are among his qualities that continue to bring repeat clients and referrals for his expertise.
Cases
- He has recently played an instrumental role in obtaining recoveries in multimillion dollar cases including
- Mass tort liability-($14 million)
- Brain injury case ($3.5 million)
- Orthopedic injury ($7 million)
- Wrongful death ($2.8 million)
- Drowning case ($1 million)
Awards
His dedication to the law has garnered awards for his representation including the five-time recipient of the Client of Distinction award and Martindale Hubbell’s highest award for attorney excellence (AV rating). He has served and acknowledged by the Los Angeles Superior Court for his service as a mediator and settlement officer. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and the prestigious Trial Lawyers College.
Publications
His publications include the Dog Bite article September 2020 issue (Who Let the Dogs Out) for the Advocate Magazine which is part of the nation’s largest consumer attorneys organization (CAALA). He has also published for the Valley Lawyers Magazine (Ride On) on bicycle laws and safety, January 2021 issue.
Brian Chase
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Assisting injured people to obtain justice from big corporations when they manufacture dangerous products that cause injuries due to placing profit over safety. Helping accident victims collect what they are due from insurance companies that believe they are solely in business to collect premiums, as opposed to the business of paying valid claims. The satisfaction of helping someone recover their life after an accident or injury, especially one from the wrongdoing of others. This is what matters most to Brian Chase.
Brian Chase is managing partner and senior trial attorney that heads up the litigation department of the firm. Mr. Chase was named Litigator of the Year, Top 1% by the Natl. Assoc. of Distinguished Counsel, Litigator of the Year by the AIOTL and Top Plaintiff Lawyer, Daily Journal, Lawyer of the Year, Million Dollar Advocate, American Academy of Attorneys $500M Club, Best Law Firm, and dozens of other top-rated honors.
Brian is the 2023 Chair of the Orange County Bar Association’s Tort & Trial section. Brian is responsible for
putting together the monthly seminars/programs teaching both plaintiffs and defense attorneys how to better litigate their cases on behalf of their clients.
He was the former President of the Consumer Attorneys of California and is a Past President of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. He is a current member of ABOTA, an organization that upholds the highest standards of trial attorneys. In 2014 he was named Trial Lawyer of the Year in products liability by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association.
He is listed as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association since 2007. He’s also been listed as the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He’s earned the title of Southern California SuperLawyer since 2007 and a Top 50 Orange County SuperLawyer for the past 15 years.
Brian is a board member of the Brain Society of California which was established to help those who have suffered a serious traumatic brain injury. He is also a member of The Trial Lawyer Institute and Diversity Law Institute.
In 2009, Mr. Chase had his book “Still Unsafe at Any Speed”- dealing with the auto industry and defective vehicles, published. He released an update in 2019 titled, “The Second Collision”, a follow-up about the catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths caused by auto defects.
He is a frequent lecturer nationwide on litigation-related topics and has been a frequent guest on radio and television, including appearances on “CBS Special Reports,” “Peter Jennings/World News Tonight,” “Fox 11 News” and “America’s Best Lawyers.”
Brian was the lead attorney on four important, precedent-setting appellate opinions: Martinez-Mazon v. Ford Motor Company (auto products defect case dealing with Forum Non-Conveniens); Romine v. Johnson Controls (auto products defects case dealing with consumer expectation test for proving defect); Schreiber v. Estate of Kiser (California Supreme Court case dealing with expert witness designations); and Hernandez v. State of California (dealing with governmental design immunity).
Ian Silverthorne
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Silverthorne Attorneys is a personal injury law firm in Orange County that was founded by lead attorney Ian Silverthorne. Ian grew up in a small town in Maine and made the trek out to Southern California alone to pursue an education and the dream of becoming an attorney.
Ian received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Cal State Fullerton before he attended Chapman University’s School of Law. While attending school, he worked as the intake director for a law firm in Orange County.
After graduating from Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law and passing the California State Bar, Ian began work on creating and running Silverthorne Attorneys from the ground up. Since beginning the practice in 2012, Ian our team at Silverthorne Attorneys has been able to recover several seven-figure settlements for our clients and their families. From car accidents and dog bites, to wrongful deaths and premises liability cases; Ian has been able to go to bat for his clients against the insurance companies. Ian was featured in entrepreneur.com in an article on how to creating a thriving business.
The top priority and focus of our firm is the people we represent. Our mission is to provide our clients with the best service possible as we work one-on-one with our clients.
We have made it our mission to build a personal injury law firm that stands for integrity. Every personal injury attorney in our firm has years of experience taking on insurance adjusters and we never back down when you are being taken advantage of. Our motivation is simple – help those who have been injured and their families that are being treated unfairly by insurance companies.
Ian is not shy when it comes to taking on insurance adjusters. He is not one to give up or back down if he feels as though our clients are not getting the treatment they deserve. As head attorney, Ian has successfully gone up against insurance companies, even in cases that seem impossible, and has been able to get our clients the compensation they need in order to get their lives back.
When it comes to pursuing your case with conviction and honesty, there is no other personal injury law firm that has your best interests at heart other than Ian and the team at Silverthorne Attorneys.
Matt Meyer
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Matt Meyer is a founding partner of MKP Law Group, LLP and has worked on both sides of personal injury cases. He began his career defending Fortune 500 and insurance companies in high-stakes litigation. Unfortunately, he discovered that years of representing corporations–instead of people–was not good for the soul. Now, working exclusively as a trial attorney on behalf of injured plaintiffs, Matt has gotten back in touch with his passion and his purpose. He is again advocating for real people, and as your lawyer, he will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Prior to working as a lawyer, Matt was a journalist, telling stories of real people. His reporting days reinforced his natural drive to be the voice for those who need to be heard.
Matt received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Iowa and his Juris Doctor from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, NE. He is a member of the California State Bar and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. In his spare time, Matt enjoys checking out new restaurants, hiking and hanging with his rescue dogs, Hank and Linus.
Education
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
B.A. Journalism
Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, Nebraska
Juris Doctor
Brian Breiter
Personal Injury/Dog Bite Lawyer
Mr. Breiter was nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2020 & 2019 by CAALA (Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles) for his numerous 7 figure verdicts over the past few years. He is a Lifetime Fellow of ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates) and has been named to National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Mr. Breiter has been named 9 consecutive years by Southern California and South Florida SuperLawyers.
Brian Breiter is a civil trial lawyer practicing since 1995 in the area of Plaintiff’s Personal Injury. With over 100 Million dollars in settlements and verdicts, Mr. Breiter has dedicated his practice to helping consumers during their most difficult times. Mr. Breiter is licensed in California and Florida. Mr. Breiter represents clients throughout the entire state of California and Florida and speaks fluent Spanish.
Brian is a former adjunct professor at the Pepperdine Law School where he taught “Improvisational Mediation” to fellow lawyers, mediators and judges. He also taught at the University of Calgary School of Law. He uses his skills as a professional actor for 30 years in the courtroom and depositions like no other in his field.
The office concentrates on wrongful death, brian injury, serious orthopedic injuries, automobile accidents, motorcycle crashes, trucking accidents, dog bites, and slip and fall cases in both California and Florida.
When Friendly Fangs Turn Fierce: Unveiling Dog Bite Liability and the Crucial Role of a Dog Bite Lawyer
Dogs, often cherished companions, can bring immense joy and loyalty into our lives. But even the most well-behaved canine can inflict a serious bite, leaving victims with physical and emotional scars. In the aftermath of such an unfortunate event, understanding dog bite liability and the critical role of a dog bite lawyer becomes paramount. This comprehensive guide delves into the complexities of dog bite laws, explores factors influencing liability, and emphasizes the significant benefits of securing legal representation.
A Legal Landscape of Bites: Unveiling Dog Bite Liability
Dog bite laws vary across the United States, with some states adhering to a “one-bite rule” and others following “strict liability” statutes. Here’s a breakdown of these key concepts:
- One-Bite Rule: This traditional rule holds dog owners liable only if the dog has a documented history of biting or exhibiting aggressive behavior. The onus falls on the victim to prove the dog’s propensity to bite, which can be challenging.
- Strict Liability Statutes: An increasing number of states have adopted strict liability laws. Under these laws, dog owners are generally held responsible for any bites inflicted by their dogs, regardless of prior incidents. This simplifies the process for victims by removing the need to prove the dog’s biting history.
Beyond the Bite: Factors Determining Dog Bite Liability
While the “one-bite rule” or “strict liability” forms the foundation of dog bite cases, additional factors can influence liability:
- Severity of the Bite: The extent of the injuries and the victim’s need for medical treatment play a critical role. More severe bites, resulting in extensive medical costs and long-term complications, typically translate to increased liability for the dog owner.
- Provocation: If the victim provoked the dog, such as by trespassing on private property, teasing the animal, or physically threatening it, their ability to recover damages might be diminished. However, the level of provocation needs to be significant to impact liability.
- Location of the Bite: Dog bite incidents occurring on private property versus public spaces can sometimes influence liability depending on specific state laws and leash laws. In some states, dog owners have a greater responsibility to control their dogs in public spaces.
- Breed of the Dog: While breed stereotypes are not always accurate, certain breeds historically associated with aggression, like pit bulls, might face a higher burden of proof for the owner to establish lack of negligence. However, the focus should be on the dog’s behavior, not its breed.
The Aftermath of a Bite: Why You Need a Dog Bite Lawyer
Facing a dog bite injury can be physically, emotionally, and financially taxing. Here’s why retaining a skilled dog bite lawyer can make a significant difference in securing a fair outcome:
- Understanding Complex Laws: Dog bite laws are nuanced and vary by state. A lawyer with experience in your jurisdiction can navigate the legalities, identify the applicable laws, and determine the best course of action for your specific case.
- Building a Strong Case: A lawyer will meticulously investigate the incident, gathering evidence (witness statements, medical records, animal control reports, photos of the bite wounds), and build a compelling case to establish the dog owner’s liability.
- Negotiating with Insurance Companies: Dog bite claims often involve dealing with the dog owner’s insurance company. An experienced lawyer can handle this complex process, skillfully negotiating with the insurer to secure the compensation you deserve for medical expenses, lost wages due to injury, pain and suffering, and potential future medical needs.
- Understanding Complexities of Medical Care: Dog bites can result in significant medical costs, including potential reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatments. A lawyer can work with your medical providers to ensure your medical needs are accounted for in any settlement or court award, and may even consult with medical experts to strengthen your case.
- Emotional Support and Guidance: Dog bite injuries can be emotionally traumatic, especially for children. A lawyer can provide invaluable support and guidance throughout the legal process, helping you navigate the complexities and advocating for your best interests. They can also connect you with resources to address any emotional trauma you’ve experienced.
Finding the Right Advocate: Resources for Legal Representation
- Seek Recommendations: Talk to friends, family, or colleagues who have faced dog bite injuries and inquire about their lawyers.
- State Bar Association: Contact your state’s bar association for referrals to qualified personal injury attorneys specializing in dog bite cases. Many state bar associations have lawyer referral services available.
- Online Resources: Several online legal directories allow you to search for dog bite lawyers in your area based on location, experience, and client reviews.