News & Information Archives - San Fernando Valley Personal Injury Blog

Here We Go Again … Congratulations to Robert Mandell

It might seem that this is becoming routine, but The Mandell Law Firm is once again pleased to announce that our partner and lead litigator, Robert J. Mandell, has been quietly collecting more accolades. Rob has been recognized with a distinguished Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating. This rating is unique in that it is awarded by peers to deserving attorneys based on both legal ability and professional ethical standards. Not only did Rob receive a rating, he received the highest rating awarded to reviewed attorneys, AV Preeminent.

This recognition comes only after members of the Bar and Judiciary offer candid and objective feedback about their peers. A certain number of peer responses must be received in order to achieve a rating, and once those responses are reviewed, Martindale-Hubbell compiles them and awards the resulting ratings to deserving attorneys.

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How Budget Cuts Can Affect Your Legal Case

When the economy is struggling, people naturally worry about how it will affect their lives. The most common areas that come to mind are food prices, gas prices and inflation as a whole. But seldom do people take into consideration how the court systems are affected. When the economy is in trouble, it forces local agencies to make budget cuts in order to try to soften the financial burden. These cuts can create a severe ripple effect that travels all the way down to the average citizen.

Trying to streamline an already overworked and over-burdened legal system is like trying to put too much air into a tire. Since it is already bursting at the seams something has to give. In the case of the legal system, the result is not only discouraging, but outright dangerous.

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Ten Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Attorney

At one time or another, many of us will encounter circumstances in our lives that require legal assistance from a qualified attorney. If, like most people, you don’t already have an attorney that you know and trust, you may be unsure about where to start looking or even what to look for. Since this is such an important decision, there is a lot pressure to get it right. But don’t worry. You can hire the right attorney for your needs as long as you know the right questions to ask.

First, you want to find an attorney who believes in your case, and with whom you feel you can work over the long haul. Some cases can take months, even years, to resolve. Don’t hire someone you can’t stand to be around. Once you’ve found that person, you need to ask several important questions before you make your final decision. And that’s what we’re going to help you with right now.

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Today We Congratulate One of Our Own

All of us at The Mandell Law Firm are proud to announce that one of our partners, and our lead litigator, Robert J. Mandell has been selected as among The Top 1% Trial Counsel for Medical Malpractice Plaintiff Attorney’s for 2012 in California.

This designation is a very prestigious award where candidates are selected from the top professionals in the state based on MedicalMalpracticeLawyers.org’s stringent six-point scoring system. To make it even more impressive, Robert was selected based on individual medical malpractice trial performance in the previous 24 months as well as peer reviews.

This award is reserved for the most elite medical malpractice professionals in the state of California as it only applies to less than 1% of practicing attorneys.

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Learning Disabilities, Developmental Issues, and Brain Injury

Consumers have long been aware of the dangers of lead in toys and household items. Laws restricting lead use in items manufactured for children have lowered parental concern about safety issues. Even cheap children’s jewelry and toys are thought to be safer in recent years, but in many instances, lead has been replaced by cadmium in these products.

Cadmium is a toxic metal that holds the number seven slot in hazardous materials ranked by the United States Center for Disease Control. Tests show many of the toys manufactured in China over the past several years contain dangerous levels of cadmium, but Chinese factories may not be alone in their use of the metal. Personal injury attorneys in California, and around the country, are beginning to take note of this issue as strong evidence points to some of these products as causing developmental issues, learning disabilities and brain injury in children.

Associated Press Investigations in Product Liability

In 2010, the Associated Press conducted tests on a variety of jewelry and toys. Over one hundred items were purchased from retailers throughout California, Texas, Ohio and New York. Testing indicated that many of the items contained unsafe levels of cadmium. Cadmium levels as high as 80 to 90 percent appeared in a variety of bracelets and other jewelry for girls. The AP findings sparked a number of recalls based on elevated levels of cadmium.

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With Christmas fast approaching, the busiest travel season of the year is officially underway. In 2009, approximately 87.7 million Americans traveled over 50 miles from home during the holiday season. Eighty-five percent of those travelers drove. The Better Business Bureau has offered some safety tips to motorists to help prevent car accidents this holiday season.

Before you begin your trip, take your car in to a mechanic for a checkup. At a minimum, you should check the fluid levels, wipers and tire pressure. If you are planning on driving through ice or snow, you may want to consider purchasing snow tires or chains.

You should also put together a safety kit for your automobile. The kit can include flashlights, a radio, blankets, a first aid kit, non-perishable food items and water, and jumper cables. The kit could come in handy if you experience car problems, accidents, or long travel delays while you are traveling on the road.

Make sure you allow for plenty of time to make the trip. This will help you resist the urge to speed, and there are an increased number of police officers on the roads this time of year. Planning ahead and allowing for extra travel time can help if you are slowed down by road closures or other traffic snarls.

Perhaps the most important safety tip is to minimize the distractions you have in your car while you are driving. The National Safety Council estimates that over a quarter of all traffic accidents happen because people are sending texts or talking on a cell phone. Other passengers, a GPS or a radio can also be very distracting to drivers.

We hope you stay safe on the roads this holiday season. However, if you are injured in a car accident, contact the San Fernando Valley automobile accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm. Our attorneys are highly skilled and will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call us today at 818-886-6600 for a free consultation on your case.

Based on recent reports, Congressman Dave Reichert has received treatment for a “chronic subdural hematoma” that may have been caused by moderate injury to his head. Apparently, the Congressman was taken to George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. because he was not feeling well. After it was discovered that Reichert had suffered a collection of blood on the surface of his brain (subdural hematoma), doctors performed a procedure that reports say was successful. Reichert is very fortunate to have received treatment and surgery in time and doctors say that they anticipate a complete recovery.

Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, discusses that subdural hematomas typically require emergency surgery in order to diminish pressure that has collected in the brain. This procedure is highly complex and often involves drilling a small hole or larger opening in the skull, depending on how large the collection of blood or clot is.

Chronic subdural hematomas are known for frequently going unobserved for several days, and even weeks. This is why it is extremely important to seek medical attention for even the most minor of head injuries in order to prevent serious brain injury.

When serious brain injuries such as subdural hematomas or brain hemorrhages are caused by another person’s negligence, whether due to a negligent driver that causes a car accident or as the result of a medical professional’s error during surgery, a brain injury victim has legal rights.

If you or a loved one has been affected by a brain injury in the San Fernando Valley, please contact the skilled Chatsworth brain hemorrhage attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm. We have several years of experience handling brain injury cases as well as personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Call (818) 886-6600 for a free consultation and to learn more about your legal options.

Source:http://www.seattlepi.com/sound/417426_sound89173482.html

The Mandell Law Firm, a San Fernando Valley personal injury law firm, is proud to announce the unveiling of its new brain injury website at http://www.california-braininjuryattorneys.com. In dedicating our practice to assisting those seriously injured by another person’s negligence, we understand that the aftermath of a brain injury may be traumatic and overwhelming as new challenges are presented and the future seems uncertain. The Mandell Law Firm recognizes the importance of providing brain injury information and resources for victims and their family members to easily access.

Our San Fernando Valley brain injury website discusses the definitions, causes, and consequences of traumatic brain injury, closed head injuries, brain hemorrhage, and diffuse axonal injury. In our Southern California brain injury and personal injury litigation experience, we are familiar with the many ways in which a severe brain injury may be caused and the extent of physical, emotional, and financial consequences on a victim and their family. Some common causes of brain injury discussed on the website include bicycle accidents, truck collisions, motorcycle crashes, and automobile accidents that may result from a negligent motorist, drunk driver, defective product, or dangerous roadway. Several incidents of brain injury are also caused by medical malpractice, either due to birth injury, medication error, failure of a medical professional to act in a timely manner, or improper diagnosis.

Whatever the reason for your life to have been affected by a brain injury, it is our hope that the new brain injury website can be of assistance in providing Brain Injury FAQs as well as potential legal options that may be available. To access more helpful information regarding brain injury, please visit http://www.california-braininjuryattorneys.com or contact the Northridge traumatic brain injury attorneys of the Mandell Law Firm for a free consultation by calling 818-886-6600.