Personal Injury attorney California

A serious injury does not wait for you to find a lawyer down the street. Ravan Law is a California personal injury law firm based in Los Angeles, and we represent people seriously hurt in car and truck crashes, Uber and Lyft collisions, dog attacks, falls, and incidents involving public agencies in communities from San Diego to Sacramento.

California law is the same in every city. What changes is the local detail: which agency owns the road, which police department writes the report, which office has to receive a claim, and which courthouse hears the case. Each page below covers those details for one community.

Call (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. No fee unless we win. Information is available in Spanish.

How a California Personal Injury Lawyer Represents You Outside Los Angeles

We work from our office at 6310 San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles. A California attorney is licensed statewide, so where you live does not limit who can represent you. Consultations are available by phone or video, and we can travel for a case when it calls for it.

• You work with us directly. We learn the facts of your case, answer your questions, and keep you updated at every stage.
• No fee unless we win. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing upfront.
• We check for a public agency first. A city bus, a county vehicle, a state highway, or a broken sidewalk puts a six-month claim deadline on your case, and we tell you the date on the first call.
• Track record. In his first year of practice, attorney Ted H. Ravan obtained more than $1 million for his clients. Clients rate our firm 4.9 on Google across 65 reviews.

Ted H. Ravan went into injury law after his grandfather was in a near-fatal incident involving a city-operated bus. That is why claims against public agencies are central to our work in every community we serve. Read more about attorney Ted H. Ravan.

Personal Injury Lawyer Locations in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County is home base. Some of the communities below are neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles, and others are separate cities with their own police, buses, and claim procedures. That difference decides where a claim goes.

• Long Beach. Port truck traffic on the I-710, commuters on the 405, and claims involving the City of Long Beach, the Port, and Long Beach Transit.
• Panorama City. Part of the City of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, where crashes on Van Nuys Boulevard and Roscoe often involve city streets, Metro buses, and LAUSD.
• Van Nuys. The Civic Center for the San Fernando Valley and a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, with the 405, Sepulveda, and the Metro G Line.
• Santa Monica. Its own city, with its own police department, Big Blue Bus, and claim process, separate from the City of Los Angeles.
• Culver City. Its own city with its own police department, Culver CityBus, and City Clerk, surrounded on nearly every side by the City of Los Angeles.
• Inglewood. Its own city beside LAX, with two freeways, a stadium, and two arenas, where a crash can involve Inglewood, LA Metro, the State, or Los Angeles.
• Burbank. A charter city with its own police, bus system, and claims procedure, an airport run by a separate public authority, and two state freeways.
• Glendale. The fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, with its own police department, bus system, and water and power utility.
• Pasadena. Its own city on the 210 and Colorado Boulevard, where a claim against the City is presented in Pasadena, not to Los Angeles or the county.

For injuries anywhere else in the county, see our Los Angeles personal injury lawyer homepage.

Orange County, San Diego, and Inland Empire Injury Lawyer Locations

• Orange County. Freeway and toll road crashes on the I-5, 405, 55, and 91, and claims against the County of Orange, OCTA, Orange County cities, and Caltrans.
• San Diego. Crashes on the 805 and the freeways near the border, and claims against the City of San Diego, the County, MTS, and the State.
• Riverside. The 91, the 60, the 215, and Inland Empire truck traffic, with claims against the City of Riverside, Riverside County, RTA, and the State.
• San Bernardino. The 10, the 215, the 210, and the road to the Cajon Pass, with claims against the City, the County, Omnitrans, and Caltrans.

Ventura County and Central Valley Personal Injury Lawyer Locations

• Ventura. The 101, the 126, and the 33, where a case from Ventura County is generally filed in Ventura County.
• Bakersfield. Highway 99, Highway 58, the 178, and freight over the Grapevine, with claims against the City of Bakersfield, Kern County, GET, and the State.
• Fresno. Highway 99 and the city’s avenues, with claims against the City of Fresno, Fresno County, and the State.

Northern California and Bay Area Personal Injury Lawyer Locations

• Sacramento. Claims involving a negligent driver, a trucking company, or a public agency such as the City, the County, SacRT, or the State.
• San Jose. Crashes, transit incidents, and falls, including claims against the City of San Jose, the County of Santa Clara, VTA, and Caltrans.
• Oakland. Container trucks on I-880 and the Maze, and claims against the City of Oakland, Alameda County, AC Transit, BART, and the State.
• Newark, CA. A Tri-City community in Alameda County, where claims can involve the City of Newark, AC Transit, or Caltrans.

Car, Truck, Uber, Slip and Fall, Dog Bite, and Sidewalk Accident Lawyer Pages by City

Six of our locations have a dedicated page for each of the claims we see most often there.

• Orange County: car accident, truck accident, Uber accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and sidewalk accident and government claims.
• Long Beach: car accident, truck accident, Uber accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and sidewalk accident and government claims.
• Panorama City: car accident, truck accident, Uber accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and sidewalk accident and government claims.
• Sacramento: car accident, truck accident, Uber accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and sidewalk accident and government claims.
• San Jose: car accident, truck accident, Uber accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and sidewalk accident and government claims.
• Newark, CA: car accident, truck accident, Uber accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and sidewalk accident and government claims.

What Changes From City to City: The Public Agency and the Six-Month Claim

Every California city, county, transit agency, and school district is its own public entity, with its own claim form and its own filing office. Santa Monica, Culver City, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Inglewood, and Long Beach are separate from the City of Los Angeles. Panorama City and Van Nuys are not separate cities, so a claim there involving a city street or sidewalk goes to the City of Los Angeles. A claim sent to the wrong agency does not stop the clock.

Before any lawsuit against a public entity, a written claim must be presented to that entity within six months of the injury under Government Code 911.2. The agency generally has 45 days to act. After a written rejection, a lawsuit generally must be filed within six months of that notice under Government Code 945.6. The two-year statute of limitations does not extend any of this. Read more about Los Angeles government claims, claims against Caltrans and the State of California, and claims against LA Metro.

What Stays the Same: California Personal Injury Law in Every Community

The rules that decide most injury claims apply the same way in Fresno as they do in Long Beach.

• Two years to file. A personal injury lawsuit against a private party generally must be filed within two years of the injury under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. See California personal injury time limits.
• Pure comparative fault. You can recover even if you were partly at fault, reduced by your share of responsibility.
• Minimum insurance. Since January 1, 2025, California’s minimum auto liability limits under SB 1107 are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident, which rarely covers a serious injury.
• Rideshare coverage. Under SB 371, effective January 1, 2026, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage for Uber and Lyft passengers is $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
• Dog bites. Civil Code 3342 makes an owner strictly liable for a bite in a public place or while the victim is lawfully on private property.
• Where a case is filed. Under Code of Civil Procedure 395, a personal injury case can generally be filed where the injury happened or where a defendant lives, so your case may belong in a county other than the one you live in. We explain that choice before anything is filed.

Learn more about each claim type on our car accident, truck accident, Uber and Lyft accident, slip and fall, dog bite, and personal injury pages.

Speak With a California Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Wherever you were hurt, the first weeks decide what evidence survives, and if a public agency is involved, the six-month claim deadline started on the day of the injury. Call Ravan Law at (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation by phone or video. We will tell you which deadline applies and how we can help. No fee unless we win.

6310 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 401, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Attorney Advertising. Ted H. Ravan, Esq., Ravan Law, Los Angeles, CA. This content is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.