California Auto Accident Lawyers for Northern & Southern California - Serious Injury Attorneys for Car & Motorcycle Accident Cases - Serving Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. In Southern California from San Diego to Riverside San Bernardino Orange County Los Angeles Ventura Santa Barbara and Fresno. In Northern California for Auto Accident Cases in the San Francisco Bay Area Oakland Santa Clara County San Jose and Sacramento.

Our California auto accident lawyers are some of the most highly respected trial lawyers in the State of California. Our trial lawyer credentials are discussed generally in the column to the right, and then below, where we provide you the attorney qualifications questions that you should ask any California auto accident attorney whom you would consider to represent you, and then we answer the questions without your first having to ask. Please consider our credentials as California auto accident lawyers and highly respected trial lawyers, and then Submit the Case Evaluation Request Form for a Free Consultation.

Briefly, California auto accident lawyer, Mr. Henke, is "AV" rated by Martindale & Hubbell, the highest legal ability and ethical standards ratings awarded by this most respected national attorney rating directory. According to Martindale & Hubbell: "AV Peer Review Rating shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity." Mr. Henke was elected Governor of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association by the Association's several thousand strong trial lawyer membership, also by the same Association, nominated "Trial Lawyer of the Year." Mr. Henke has obtained numerous million and multimillion dollar jury verdicts and settlements, is listed as one of the "Top Lawyers in America," and a member of the "Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Mr.Henke's cases and trial work have been chronicled in scores of legitimate newspaper articles, from the front page of the New York Times to the front page of the Los Angeles Times, in state and national legal journals, California Lawyer, the National Law Journal, national and international television news segments, Tom Brokaw's NBC Nightly News, CNN, three books, and Henke has testified before Congress at the invitation of the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, inter alia, on the importance of punitive damages.

Our California auto accident attorneys are aggressive lawyers, and we assure you that is not just an empty promotional phrase. This is demonstrated perhaps most obviously in serious injury cases where either liability is contested, or where the other party appears to lack sufficient insurance and assets to fairly compensate our clients. In our most recent motorcycle accident case, we faced both problems. Liability for the accident was strenuously contested because the accident occurred after the motorcyclist was "splitting lanes" and was alleged to have "jumped out" into the intersection to turn left from between cars in two adjoining left turn lanes. Our client suffered a serious injury, specifically, a lower leg amputation, but the defendant driver had only statutory minimum insurance, which is indeed all too common in California accident litigation. California auto accident lawyer, Ray Henke, interrogated the investigating police officer in deposition to obtain his testimony that splitting lanes, including at intersections between left turn lanes, is perfectly legal under California law and was not a contributory factor in causing the accident. As a product of our investigation we were also able to show, that the defendant motorist was driving to a work site at the time of the accident and so we were able to prove that he was operating his vehicle "in the course and scope of his employment." Armed with this evidence we were able to name his employer as a defendant. We discovered that the employer had a million dollar liability policy and a multimillion dollar excess policy, and as the result we were able to obtain a multimillion dollar settlement for our client in less than 9 months from the date he sought our representation.

In some cases, our California auto accident lawyers may be called upon to be even more aggressive and indeed more creative in obtaining the evidence of the defendant's "fault" in the accident, as many times fault will not be admitted, there may be scant physical evidence, no witnesses or conflicting witnesses, and again it may require an aggressive and creative California auto accident lawyer to find sources of insurance and assets sufficient to compensate for the plaintiff's serious injuries, past and future medical expenses and past and future earnings or earning capacity. One example of our uniquely aggressive approach as the California auto accident lawyers most advanced in the use of cell phone evidence to accomplish both of these important litigation goals, we obtain the cell phone records of the defendant driver in every serious in jury auto accident case. By this evidence we can demonstrate that the defendant driver was DUI level driving impaired, four times more likely to cause an accident, and indeed, the evidence can be as powerful to turn the tide in a contested liability case as evidence that the defendant was DUI level alcohol impaired. But perhaps the most important contribution of cell phone evidence in serious injury cases is where it can be demonstrated that the call was a business call, "in the course and scope of the driver's employment" which we can then use to establish the employer's vicarious liability for the accident and recover against the employer's insurance coverage and assets. One in ten motorists on our American streets and highways at any given moment in time is actively involved in cell conversation. Most of the time there will be no witness to the fact that the driver was on his cell phone. So our California auto accident lawyers consider that it is essential that we investigate every serious injury case for cell phone use, inter alia, by obtaining the other driver's cell phone records, whether or not there is any specific information that would lead to suspicion that the driver may have been on his or her cell phone. There are no lawyers in the United States more knowledgeable about the epidemiology and experimental science demonstrating the DUI level driving impairment associated with the use of cell phones while driving, and no other California auto accident lawyers are as conversant with the many advantages to be obtained by demonstrating the the defendant motorist was driving under the influence of cell conversation. Please see our separate Cell Phone Accident page. California auto accident lawyer, Ray Henke, has published a scientific review article on the subject which has been widely republished. Henke is consulted by many groups seeking to obtain cell phone legislation nationwide. He has personally actively lobbied state legislatures nationally to adopt comprehensive cell phone legislation and has provided the formula for state activism and actively participated with other safety activists in seeking such legislation to curtail both what has become an epidemic of driving DUI impaired driving under the influence of cell phones, and the obscene incidence of serious injuries and deaths which is the result.

California Auto Accident Lawyer Ray Henke is a Highly Respected, Honored and Acclaimed Trial Lawyer in California and Nationally.

California auto accident attorney Ray Henke has the highest trial lawyer credentials. He and his firm are "AV" rated by Martindale and Hubbell, the highest lawyer and law firm rankings awarded by the most highly respected lawyer rating directory in the United States. "A" meaning "very high to preeminent" in "legal ability"; "V" meaning "very high" in general ethical standards. According to Martindale & Hubbell, "AV Peer Review Rating shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity."

California auto accident attorney Henke is a former Governor of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association, renamed Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the fifth largest trial lawyers association in the United States. California auto accident attorney Henke was nominated by the Board of the same Association for the coveted "Trial Lawyer of the Year" Award. He has had many multimillion dollar settlements and jury verdicts, including his latest, a 2.5 Million dollar settlement in motorcycle accident case in which liability was contested because the accident occurred when the motorcyclist entered the intersection splitting lanes between cars in two left turn lanes. Henke was able to obtain this large settlement only because he aggressively sought and obtained the evidence that the other driver was operating his vehicle in the course and scope of his employment, naming the employer also as a defendant in the litigation, permitting Henke to put at risk the employer's 6 million dollars in liability insurance coverage. The motorcyclist was also riding on a suspended license, but the tougher the auto or motorcycle accident case the more determined the good California auto accident lawyer must be. California law requires that you be informed that results obtained in particular cases are fact dependent, and the results will vary according to the circumstances.

California auto accident attorney Henke is listed as one of the "Top Lawyers in America," and is a member of the "Million Dollar Advocates Forum" commonly referred to as "the most prestigious group of trial lawyers in the United States."

Henke's cases have been the subject of legitimate newspaper articles from the front page of the New York Times to the front page of the Los Angeles Times, from the Washington Post to the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner. He has testified before the United States Congress at the invitation of the Chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the subject matters of his cases including on the importance of punitive damage claims. He has appeared on national and international news feature segments from Tom Brokaw's NBC Nightly News to CNN. Attorney Henke and his cases have been the subject of local and national feature articles in legal publications, California Lawyer, the National Law Journal.

For more information with regard to Henke's attorney qualifications please consult the "Henke the Trial Lawyer" page, and please consider below the attorney qualification questions which you should ask any attorney whom you would consider to represent you. Every good lawyer should understand that anyone seriously injured in an auto accident will want to chose the very best attorney to represent him and therefore should be pleased to answer your questions with regard to his qualifications. In addition to providing the questions below, Henke also provides his accurate answers to the questions without your first having to ask him.

Free Auto Accident Attorney Consultation for Those Injured in a Car or Motorcycle Accident Anywhere in Northern or Southern California. Our California Auto Accident Lawyers Serve Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego Orange County Ventura Oakland San Jose and Sacramento.

You are welcome to submit the form e-mail "Auto Accident Lawyers Case Evaluation Request" if you have been injured in a California auto accident. Attorney Henke personally will contact you to provide a an absolutely free case consultation. We will be pleased also to discuss with your our auto accident attorney and trial lawyer qualifications. We represent seriously injured victims of motorcycle and car accidents throughout the state of California. In Southern California our auto accident lawyers will consider representing those seriously injured in car accidents in San Diego Los Angeles Orange County San Bernardino Riverside Santa Monica Pasadena and San Fernando Valley auto accident attorneys Ventura and Santa Barbara. In Northern California we are your qualified and aggressive auto accident lawyers for San Francisco and the Bay Area Berkeley and Oakland, From Fresno to San Jose Santa Clara County and Sacramento.

What Should The Seriously Injured California Car or Motorcycle Accident Victim Look for In a California Auto Accident Lawyer? You Have the Right to Ask About Your Prospective California Auto Accident Attorney's Qualifications. And You Should Do So.

All good California auto accident lawyers should see the logic of your wanting to assure that you will be properly represented in your California auto accident case, and should be willing and happy to answer any questions you have about their trial lawyer qualifications, and specific recognition as superior California trial lawyers.

Below a number of specific questions are provided that you should ask in determining which California auto accident lawyer is best for you.

California auto accident attorney Henke will also provide specific, straightforward answers each of the questions, describing his superior qualifications as a trial lawyer, his standing in the trial lawyer community, some of his accomplishments as a trial lawyer, his California and national recognition as a superior trial lawyer, and his stellar track record generally in complex litigation and specifically auto accident litigation.

California Auto Accident Lawyer Qualification Questions To Ask Any California Car Accident Attorneys Whom You Would Consider To Represent You -- And Attorney Henke's Answers:

Ask: Are the California auto accident attorneys rated by Martindale and Hubble? And if so, what is their "Legal Ability" and "General Ethical Standards" rating?

Answer: California auto accident lawyer Henke's answer is that he has the very highest Martindale & Hubbell rating, "AV." "A" the "legal ability"[from Very High to Preeminent]; and "V" [Very High], the very highest "Legal Ability" and "General Ethical Standards" rating.. It is a rating that Henke has received for all of the past two decades of his career. According to Martindale & Hubbell, "AV Peer Review Rating shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity."

Ask: Has the California auto accident lawyer served as prosecuting counsel in litigation involving substantial injuries, and then obtained substantial settlements and jury verdicts?

Answer: California auto accident attorney Henke has served as lead counsel in many serious injury cases over the course of his career and has obtained numerous substantial settlements and jury verdicts, including multimillion dollar settlements and multimillion dollar jury verdicts.

Most Recent Example: 2.5 Million dollar settlement in a motorcycle accident case. Contested liability motorcycle intersection Accident The motorcycle, pulled out from between two left turn lanes The accident resulted in the motorcyclist suffering a left leg below knee amputation, broken ribs and a broken clavicle. The multimillion dollar settlement was obtained after it was discovered that the defendant driver was operating his vehicle in the course and scope of his employment and Henke named the employer as a defendant.

Required Disclaimer. The results obtained in those cases were dependent upon the facts of the cases, and the results will differ in other cases based on different facts.

Ask: Is The Lawyer Aggressive in his Prosecution of his Cases, and Can he Cite to Examples of Cases in which his Aggressive Representation Paid Off?

In answer to the question California auto accident lawyer Henke can refer to his most recently settled case, identified in answer to the question immediately above, a case in which was able to obtain the multimillion dollar settlement for his client only because he aggressively sought the information to establish that the other driver was driving his vehicle at the time of the accident in the course and scope of his employment. Once established this permitted Henke to name the employer as a defendant which proved extremely important to obtain the insurer's greater insurance policy limits to more fully compensate the plaintiff for his injuries and damages

Ask: Have the California Auto Accident Lawyers Researched the Scientific Literature Demonstrating the DUI Level Impairment Associated with Driving Under the Influence of a Cell Phone? Do They Understand The Importance of Obtaining the Other Driver's Cell Phone Records in Every Serious Injury Auto Accident Case? Do They Know How to Exploit the Litigation Advantages to be Obtained?

There is no lawyer in California more knowledgeable about the scientific literature demonstrating that those who drive under the influence of cell phone conversation are DUI level impaired and 4 times more likely to cause an accident. Please consider the Cell Phone Accident Lawyers page on this web site. Mr. Henke has read all of the scientific literature, he has prepared scientific review articles on the subject which have been published and republished in a variety of forums, including on forums advocating auto driver and motorcyclist safety and seeking comprehensive state cell phone bans.

It is essential in every serious injury case to obtain the other driver's cell phone records whether or not a witness saw the driver on the cell phone. One out of every ten auto drivers on our streets and highways at any given moment in time is actively involved in cell conversation, and there may be no witness watching the driver in the moments immediately preceding the accident. The advantages of demonstrating that the other driver was on the cell phone can be enormous, from aiding in establishing the liability of the other party to demonstrating that the other party was on a business call, in the course and scope of his employment, and hence laying the foundation to bring the employer in as a defendant, with its commonly much larger insurance coverage.

Ask: Are the California Auto Accident Lawyers members of the "Million Dollar Advocates Forum"

Answer: California Auto Accident Lawyer, Henke, has obtained numerous multimillion dollar jury verdicts and settlements. He is a member of the "Million Dollar Advocates Forum," an exclusive trial lawyer organization numbering only 2500 attorneys nationwide, commonly described as: "the most prestigious group of trial lawyers in the United States."

Ask: Have the California auto accident attorneys been recognized by their peers as established, superior trial lawyers

Answer: California Auto Accident Attorney Henke was first an invited, and then elected, and then reelected again and again Governor of CAALA, the second largest trial lawyers association in California and the fifth largest trial lawyers association in the United States.

California Auto Accident Attorney Henke was also nominated by the CAALA Board for the most highly coveted "Trial Lawyer of the Year" Award.

Attorney Henke also served for years in the prestigious position of the Editor-in-Chief of CAALAs legal journal, "THE ADVOCATE."

Ask: Have the California auto accident lawyers obtained positive recognition in and outside the legal profession?

Answer: California auto accident Lawyer Henke has a national reputation as an effective, successful and determined trial attorney as reflected in scores of newspaper articles about Mr. Henke and his trial work in legitimate state and national legal periodicals such as California Lawyer and the National Law Journal, in legitimate national newspapers, from the front page of the New York Times to the front page of the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner, in feature articles in lay and legal magazines, and national and international television, including Tom Brokaw's NBC Nightly News and CNN. Henke has also testified before Congress at the invitation of the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of Representatives on his legal work in several cases, including his use of claims for punitive damages to set examples of defendants who consciously disregard the safety, health and rights of others. (The Congressional testimony did not involve his trial work in auto accident cases but his work as a trial lawyer in other important cases in which he'd sought punitive damages, however, punitive damages can be awarded also in California auto accident cases where the other car driver by his driving demonstrated conscious disregard of the lives of other auto drivers and as the result caused an auto accident.)

Ask: Can the California car accident attorney verify that he is an effective legal advocate by citation to important published appellate victories he has achieved?

A car accident lawyer's appellate success matters because it is a good measure of the auto accident attorney's vitally important general ability to argue and persuade on legal issues. It is an ability that is not just essential on appeals. It is an ability essential to the California auto accident attorneys effectiveness in meeting all the big and small challenges presented at every stage of auto accident litigation, e.g., in pretrial motions, which can seriously affect settlement posture of the car accident case as well as the respective parties' important advantages or disadvantages at the trial. Your California car accident attorney's willingness to ask the appellate court to immediately reverse a bad pretrial decision that guts the auto accident case may also be essential to achieve the quickest and best result in your case. You California car accident attorney's legal advocacy is also a talent essential during a auto accident trial, as the trial lawyer must be able to effectively argue legal issues, e.g., the admissibility of the defendant's admission of fault in the auto accident or the inadmissibility of prejudicial medical or character evidence, or the permissibility of expert auto accident reconstruction opinion testimony, etc. Then, if you "hit big" at trial, the defendant is almost certain to appeal, and you may then require superior legal advocacy to hold on to your trial victory.

Answer: California car accident attorney Henke has had extraordinary appellate victories, both in California auto accident cases and other cases. As one example, on behalf of a single aggrieved client attorney Henke obtained the reversal of a $120,000,000.00 Ohio Federal District Court approved settlement purporting to bind 1000 product liability claimants joined in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Ohio and all others injured by the product nationwide. (This was not an auto product liability case, but the same principles would apply to mandatory class action in auto product liability cases.) On a petition for writ of mandate to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, attorney Henke also obtained the reversal of the Ohio Federal District Court's certification of the national mandatory product liability class action. Attorney Henke's argument, accepted by the Court of Appeals as requiring both decisions was that Henke's client was denied his right to the lawyer of his choice and his and his chosen lawyer's control over his individual litigation. The appellate decision effected an important and enduring change in the law severely restricting the availability of mandatory, as opposed to voluntary class actions.

As another example, when a California trial judge applied newly enacted tort reform legislation to deprive Attorney Henke's 5 clients of their punitive damage claims, Mr. Henke obtained a stay of the 5 consolidated trials and filed in the California Court of Appeals an "extraordinary writ" seeking an immediate reversal of the California trial court's order. The California Court of Appeals granted the writ, ordering the trial court to reverse its order and permit Henke's clients to pursue their punitive damage claims. It also rendered an important published appellate opinion reinterpreting the repressive California tort reform legislation to deprive it of most of its negative force and effect. Again, this was not an auto accident case, however, punitive damages are also available in California auto accident litigation where the other party demonstrated by his conduct malice and conscious disregard for the lives others. The case also demonstrates this California auto accident attorney's willingness to aggressively challenge a trial court order that negatively impacts upon his client's case. After obtaining the Court of Appeals writ ordering the trial court to reinstate Henke's clients' punitive damage claims, Henke proceeded to try the 5 consolidated cases before a single jury over the course of 5 months and obtained a multimillion dollar jury verdict which included over 2 million dollars in punitive damages.

California car accident attorney Henke has also obtained extraordinary unpublished appellate victories, including in California auto accident cases. In one case, attorney Henke obtained the reversal of a judge's summary judgment order which would have denied a paraplegic auto accident victim his day in court. In this California auto accident case, the young, teenage plaintiff, had been riding home from school in the back of his friend's pick up truck. Suit was originally brought by a very highly regarded New Jersey lawyer, appearing pro hack vice in California, on the theories of negligent and strict product liability "failure to warn" against the foreign auto manufacturer. The auto manufacturer argued and the trial court judge agreed that the dangers of riding in the back of a pick up truck are "open and obvious" as a matter of law, rendering "failure to warn" theory untenable, and "threw the case out of court." The New Jersey lawyer contacted California auto accident attorney Henke for help in overturning the trial judge's ruling. California car accident attorney Henke prosecuted the appeal, in which he cited not only to the evidence of the dangers, but to the legislative history, pointing out that in the year prior to the auto accident, then Governor Wilson had vetoed legislation which would have made it illegal to ride in the back of pick up trucks. California car accident attorney quoted to the California Court of Appeals the Governor's remarks. "If the dangers of riding in the back of a pick up truck were not 'open and obvious' to Governor Wilson," Attorney Henke argued, "then the trial court was out of line in ruling that the dangers were "open and obvious" to this teenager "as a matter of law." The Court of Appeals overturned the trial court's summary judgment in this significant California auto accident case, and ordered that the young paralyzed auto accident plaintiff be allowed his day in court.

The California auto accident lawyer's recognition by Martindale Hubbell, his recognition by his peers, his local and national reputation, his trial successes and his appellate successes are all matters which you should want to inquire about in selecting the right California auto accident lawyer for your serious injury auto accident case.

Auto Accident Lawyers for Southern, Central and Northern California. The Henke Law Offices are your Southern California Car Accident Lawyers for San Diego Los Angeles Orange County Riverside and San Bernardino, Santa Ana Ventura Santa Barbara and Fresno. Car Accident Lawyers in Northern California, We are Your Auto Accident Lawyers in the San Francisco Bay Area Berkeley and Oakland San Jose Santa Clara and Sacramento Car Accident Law Firm

As your California auto accident lawyers of choice for all of California call toll free for a free California car accident lawyer consultation. Mr. Henke's direct line is (877) 377-3233. Call and you will speak with California auto accident attorney Mr. Henke personally. Or, go to the Contact page and submit the e-mail California Auto Accident Case Evaluation Request, and you will be contacted personally by Mr. Henke within 24 hours. As California car accident lawyers the Henke Law Offices serve all of Northern, Central and Southern California, and Mr. Henke will personally consider representing any seriously injured auto accident victim in any county of the State of California. The Henke Law Offices are your Southern California auto accident lawyers in San Diego Los Angeles Orange County Riverside San Bernardino Indio Ventura Santa Barbara and Fresno. In Northern California we are your auto accident lawyers in San Francisco and the Bay Area Berkeley Oakland Santa Clara San Jose and Sacramento. Henke is licensed to practice in all the Courts of the State of California and will be pleased to consider the auto accident case of any person seriously injured in any county in the state of California.