Northern California Personal Injury Lawyers

Clifford A. Blackman

The founder and CEO of the Blackman Legal Group is Clifford A. Blackman, a lawyer practicing in California since 1976. His skills in the courtroom and in the art of negotiation have earned him a reputation as a powerful advocate for the rights of the injured and oppressed. Mr. Blackman has received million dollar verdicts and settlements in cases, which makes him one of the elite personal injury attorneys in California. His special expertise is in cases involving spine and brain injuries, and cases involving major surgery as a result of catastrophic accidents.

Recent verdicts and settlements include:

• $5,250,000 Elevator accident San Francisco, spinal surgery
• $3,100,000 Head on car crash, resulting quadriplegia
• $2,500,000 Broadside car crash, resulting paraplegia
• $2,000,000 Death of pedestrian run down by truck
• $1,050,000 Fall at Safeway, 87 year old knocked down by worker, fractured hip
• $1,000,000 Teenage boy molested by pastor from local church
• $750,000 Dislocated and Fractured elbow due to deck collapse at restaurant
• $650,000 verdict for a tax driver who was broadsided by a drunk 20 year old with only a $15,000 insurance policy
• $550,000 for a man who developed post traumatic stress disorder 6 months after a bad car accident

Mr. Blackman earned both his BA and MA in drama and television from Hofstra University in New York, and he puts his special theatrical training to good use as a trial lawyer. He has tried cases in courts throughout California as well as in other states, including Montana in 2008 (deck collapse above).

Mr. Blackman was the founder of the Bay Area Lawyers Network, a certified provider of continuing education for lawyers in California http://www.baln.org/, which hosts 9 continuing educational programs for attorneys each year at the City Club of San Francisco in a wide variety of legal topics.

San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland

For more information about Clifford A. Blackman click here

Jacob Shapiro

Jacob Shapiro is a trial attorney and litigation specialist for the Blackman Legal Group since he began practicing in 1996.

He has successfully handled thousands of personal injury and wrongful death cases in California, from auto accidents to elevator accidents and dog bite cases. Mr. Shapiro has an extremely high success rate in court winning over 95% of his cases and motions.

Recent verdicts and settlement of his include:

• $5,250,000 jury verdict for a 60 year old delivery man who suffered severe back injury in an elevator accident
• $1,050,000 jury verdict for an 87 year old woman who was knocked down in a market by an employee and suffered a broken hip
• $3,000,000 judgment for the family of a woman killed on the freeway by a tire which had fallen off another car coming in the other direction and which flew across the freeway into oncoming traffic striking her car on the windshield
• $650,000 verdict for a tax driver who was broadsided by a drunk 20 year old with only a $15,000 insurance policy

Mr. Shapiro majored in Political Science at U.C. Berkeley and received his degree with high honors in 1992. Attending law school at the University of Santa Clara, Mr. Shapiro received his Juris Doctorate in Law in 1996, graduating summa cum laude.

Mr. Shapiro finished first in his class in both tort law and business organizations and received the highest individual award in the university's extremely competitive Moot Court Competition. The award indicating exemplary oral advocacy skills was bestowed upon Mr. Shapiro by former California Supreme Court Justice, the honorable Edward A. Panelli. He is a member of the State Bar of California and a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California.

Mr. Shapiro has handled hundreds of cases to successful completion during his years with the Blackman Legal Group, including numerous trials in Bay Area courts

Redwood City, Oakland, San Jose, Walnut Creek

For more information about Jacob Shapiro click here

Albert G. Stoll, Jr.

Mr. Stoll stands up for the rights of individuals in catastrophic personal injury, insurance bad faith, nursing home neglect, elder abuse and dangerous drug cases. A highly respected trial lawyer, Al is the founder of Albert G. Stoll, Jr., a law corporation in San Francisco, and is of counsel to Blackman Legal Group.

Al has obtained the prestigious AV from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating system and in 2006 and 2007 was selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer. He has tried over fifty civil jury cases through verdict, volunteered as an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and is co-author of Plaintiff Lawyers Guide to Minor Impact Cervical and Lumbar Injuries, (Litigation One 2003). He received his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1992 and B.S. in Economics from U.C. Santa Barbara in 1990. Al is on the Board of Governors for the Consumer Attorneys of California and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.

San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento

For more information about Albert G. Stoll click here

Southern California Personal Injury Lawyers

Robert M. Klein

A native of Los Angeles, Robert Klein graduated from the University of Arizona in 1981 and South Western School of Law in 1983. In addition to belonging to the California bar, Mr. Klein was admitted to the US District Court in 1984. He is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the American Bar Association, in addition to serving as the President of the Braemoor Business Alliance.

Mr. Klein practices exclusively in plaintiff's personal injury cases. His cases include auto accidents, slip and fall, trip and fall, premises liability, dog bites, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, defective products, and professional malpractice. Mr. Klein maintains his practice in Los Angeles

A sample of his recent verdicts and settlements include:

• $1,100,000 For children for death of their mother in a single car rollover accident which occurred in Mexico.
• $610,000 For pedestrian hit by car who suffered a chronic sinus infection
• $355,000 Verdict for tenant who suffered an ankle fracture in a slip and fell at his complex; apt. owner only offered $25,000 to settle
• $325,000 Children settled for death of their father in a single car rollover accident which occurred in Mexico.
• $300,000 Broken leg suffered in head on car crash

Mr. Klein prides himself on adding a personal touch to his practice. Clients always receive a call back the same day, and can expect to speak with a lawyer not a secretary. Mr. Klein is committed to giving each client personal attention.

Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim

For more information about Robert M. Klein click here

Robert Gibson

Robert Gibson is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a prestigious group of accomplished trial attorneys working to protect your right to a jury trial. Mr. Gibson is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization consisting of the top trial lawyers in the country. After completing his undergraduate degree at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, he graduated with honors from McGeorge School of Law in 1992. He began his legal career as an insurance defense attorney with a highly respected Century City, California, law firm. Since 1996, his practice has consisted of handling cases resulting from wrongful death, automobile accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, construction accidents, slip/trip and falls, medical malpractice, civil rights violations, dog bites, product liability, swimming pool accidents and business litigation. Mr. Gibson, admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 2004, is a veteran of more than 25 jury trials and routinely takes cases all the way to trial if needed. Because of that, he has garnered the respect of both insurance representatives and defense attorneys. In addition, he routinely finds himself called upon by other lawyers to step in and try a case when other lawyers have been unable to effect a settlement.

Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Diego, Newport Beach

For more information about Robert Gibson click here

Matthew McNicholas

A partner in McNicholas & McNicholas LLP in Los Angeles, Mr. McNicholas is of counsel to Blackman Legal Group. Matthew McNicholas was recently ranked as one of the Top Twenty Lawyers in the State of California Under 40 Years Old by the California Law Business section of the Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 6, 2002). Some of his settlements and verdicts include:

• An $8,000,000 settlement for 27 tenants against their landlord for breach of the covenant of habitability, nuisance, negligence and mold related illnesses
• A $5,340,000 verdict against the LAPD Bomb Squad for an employee-victim of racial harassment and discrimination.
• A $3,450,000 settlement for a seaman who tripped and fell in a boatyard, and later developed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (Complex Nerve Disorder) as a result of his injuries.
• A $2,000,000 settlement for the family of an elderly lady run over and killed in San Francisco by a truck.
• A $842,000 verdict for a motorcyclist who was seriously injured when a passenger van made a u-turn in front of him causing a collision.
• A $500,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a 29-year-old man who died in an apartment fire in San Francisco.
• A $400,000 settlement for the employee-victim of sexual harassment whose supervisor retaliated against her when she reported the harassment.
• A $350,000 settlement for a man injured when a temporary wooden wall designed to keep people out of a construction site at a theme park blew over onto him.

A former federal law clerk with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Judge William J. Rea), Mr. McNicholas formerly externed with California Court of Appeals Justice Richard Aldrich and U.S. District Judge John G. Davies. Mr. McNicholas is a prolific writer, with many publications on trial advocacy, products liability, and tort law. These publications include Dismiss ERISA, published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal (September 5, 2001) and Eight Motion Tips From a Former Federal Law Clerk, 13 Trial Excellence 1 (January 2001). He is a frequent speaker and panelist to the Consumer Attorneys Association of California and other legal organizations. He is admitted to practice in California state and federal courts. He is a graduate of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he belonged to the Phi Delta Phi Honor Society and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law.

Mr. McNicholas is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, where he serves on the board; the Consumer Attorneys of California; the Irish American Bar Association; and the Malibu Bar Association, where he also serves as a board member.

Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County

Patrick McNicholas

He is a founding partner of McNicholas & McNicholas LLP in Los Angeles and is of counsel to Blackman Legal Group. Since his admission to the bar in 1986 Patrick McNicholas has exclusively represented plaintiffs in civil trials, including complex personal injury, class actions, and employment discrimination. Some of his major verdicts and settlements include:

• In William S. v. Bonita Unified School District, the jury awarded $10,800,000 to a minor child who was molested by a school teacher.
• Gray v. Saxon Group $10,042,866 verdict for construction worker who suffered a compound femur fracture and underwent complicated surgeries.
• Nagatoshi v. City of Los Angeles $3,591,000 verdict for Japanese-American officer against the LAPD K9 Unit for harassment, discrimination and retaliation
• The jury in Francois v. City of Los Angeles returned a verdict of $5,430,000 against the LAPD for racial discrimination.
• Jane Doe v. Public Entity $6,000,000 settlement on behalf of family for death of father while working in an MTA tunnel
• The Wirta v. Oliver & Williams jury awarded $1,750,000 for the victims of an elevator crash.
• Baby Roe v. Dr. John Doe settled confidentially for $1,250,000 for brain damage suffered by a newborn as a result of medical malpractice.

A partner of McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, Mr. McNicholas earned his law degree from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, and is admitted to California state and federal courts. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Consumer Attorneys of California Board of Governors, and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. He is an Associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. McNicholas is admitted to the California Supreme Court and all intermediate and trial courts in California, and the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Whittier College School of Law employed Mr. McNicholas as an Adjunct Professor in Trial Advocacy, and the legal community has benefited by his publications and presentations in the areas of expert examination, trial preparation, and maritime injuries. He also serves as Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court, as an Arbitrator and as a Settlement Officer for the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Mr. McNicholas has published scores of articles, including "Cross-Examination of the Defense Expert" (CAALA Law Vegas Convention, 1997); "Preparing the Employment Case for Trial" (Forum Vol. 28, No. 9, 1998); "The Danger Creation Doctrine and Section 1983: Governmental Liability for Third Party Torts" (Forum Vol. 29, No. 5, 1999); and "The Essentials of Representing the Injured Seaman" (Forum Vol. 31, No. 2, 2001).

Mr. McNicholas was selected by Los Angeles Magazine and Law and Politics as a Southern California Super Lawyer in the area of personal injury for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, and was named "top 100" lawyer by Superlawyers in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008..

Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County

Clifford A. Blackman

The founder and CEO of the Blackman Legal Group is Clifford A. Blackman, a lawyer practicing in California since 1976. His skills in the courtroom and in the art of negotiation have earned him a reputation as a powerful advocate for the rights of the injured and oppressed. Mr. Blackman has received million dollar verdicts and settlements in cases, which makes him one of the elite personal injury attorneys in California. His special expertise is in cases involving spine and brain injuries, and cases involving major surgery as a result of catastrophic accidents.

Recent verdicts and settlements include:

• $5,250,000 Elevator accident San Francisco, spinal surgery
• $3,100,000 Head on car crash, resulting quadriplegia
• $2,500,000 Broadside car crash, resulting paraplegia
• $2,000,000 Death of pedestrian run down by truck
• $1,050,000 Fall at Safeway, 87 year old knocked down by worker, fractured hip
• $1,000,000 Teenage boy molested by pastor from local church
• $750,000 Dislocated and Fractured elbow due to deck collapse at restaurant
• $650,000 verdict for a tax driver who was broadsided by a drunk 20 year old with only a $15,000 insurance policy
• $550,000 for a man who developed post traumatic stress disorder 6 months after a bad car accident

Mr. Blackman earned both his BA and MA in drama and television from Hofstra University in New York, and he puts his special theatrical training to good use as a trial lawyer. He has tried cases in courts throughout California as well as in other states, including Montana in 2008 (deck collapse above).

Mr. Blackman was the founder of the Bay Area Lawyers Network, a certified provider of continuing education for lawyers in California http://www.baln.org/, which hosts 9 continuing educational programs for attorneys each year at the City Club of San Francisco in a wide variety of legal topics.

Newport Beach, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, La Joll

For more information about Clifford A. Blackman click here

Las Vegas, Nevada (NV) Personal Injury Lawyers

Robert Gibson

Robert Gibson is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a prestigious group of accomplished trial attorneys working to protect your right to a jury trial. Mr. Gibson is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization consisting of the top trial lawyers in the country. After completing his undergraduate degree at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, he graduated with honors from McGeorge School of Law in 1992.

He began his legal career as an insurance defense attorney with a highly respected Century City, California, law firm. Since 1996, his practice has consisted of handling cases resulting from wrongful death, automobile accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, construction accidents, slip/trip and falls, medical malpractice, civil rights violations, dog bites, product liability, swimming pool accidents and business litigation. Mr. Gibson, admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 2004, is a veteran of more than 25 jury trials and routinely takes cases all the way to trial if needed. Because of that, he has garnered the respect of both insurance representatives and defense attorneys. In addition, he routinely finds himself called upon by other lawyers to step in and try a case when other lawyers have been unable to effect a settlement.

Las Vegas, Nevada

For more information about Robert Gibson click here

Of Counsel Lawyers

Special trial attorneys who have exceptional skills in different areas of practice are of counsel to Blackman Legal Group and handle cases on a regular basis throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. They are independent lawyers and are neither partners of the Blackman Legal Group nor contract lawyers for Blackman Legal Group. Of counsel lawyers are fully responsible for the cases that they handle for Blackman Legal Group.

We pride ourselves on providing the highest level of customer service to our clients, our special expertise in personal injury law, and our excellent record of settlements and verdicts. Let our decades of experience as trial lawyers go to work for you on your case as soon as possible. Call our toll-free number at your first opportunity. 1-866-528-8115, extension 325 for New Case Evaluations