Free Consultation Injury Lawyer in Long Island, NY

On Long Island the free consultation is universal, so use it as a test rather than a benefit. Cases here are filed in Supreme Court, Nassau County in Mineola or Supreme Court, Suffolk County in Riverhead, and the two counties differ enough in practice and jury expectations that an attorney's answer to "which counties do you actually try cases in" is informative on its own.

A serious consultation identifies the governing clock immediately. New York's general personal injury limitations period is three years (CPLR 214); wrongful death is two years; medical malpractice is two years and six months (CPLR 214-a). Long Island adds a trap: a large share of premises and road-defect claims involve a town, village, school district or the county, and those require a notice of claim within 90 days with suit in one year and 90 days (General Municipal Law §§ 50-e, 50-i). Claims against the State proceed in the Court of Claims on its own short schedule.

What to watch for:

• Whether you meet an attorney or only an intake screener
• Whether they check property or vehicle ownership before assuming a three-year window
• Whether they identify every available policy, including SUM coverage on your own auto policy
• Who will handle the file, and how often you will hear from them
• Language fit

Bring reports, photographs, insurance documents and medical records. General information, not legal advice.

The consultation is free and there is no upfront cost to retain. New York injury attorneys work on contingency — a percentage of the recovery, nothing if there is no recovery. One-third of the net recovery is customary in New York personal injury matters, subject to the written retainer and court approval for an infant's settlement. In medical malpractice, Judiciary Law § 474-a sets a descending statutory scale instead, from 30% of the first $250,000 down to 10% above $1,250,000.

Factors affecting the total:

• Whether the case settles before suit, during discovery, or at trial
• Case expenses — medical narratives, engineering or reconstruction experts, deposition transcripts, filing fees — and whether they are deducted before or after the fee is calculated
• Liens from no-fault, workers' compensation, health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid
• Whether arbitration on an underinsured motorist claim becomes necessary

Ask for the fee agreement in writing and confirm the expense treatment. Our consultation and referral cost nothing.

Because the value of a free consultation depends entirely on who is sitting across the table, and that is precisely the thing an injured person cannot assess alone.

• Free consultation; the referral costs you nothing.
• Reachable 24/7 at (800) 669-0060.
• English, Spanish, and Russian.
• More than 30 years matching injured people with attorneys across New York and New Jersey.
• Local case experience in both Nassau and Suffolk, not Manhattan practice applied from a distance.
• Continued involvement after the introduction.

Attorneys in Michael Brook's network raise the same warning about Long Island claims: verify who owns the road, sidewalk or property before relying on the three-year statute. Municipal ownership is common here and the notice period is 90 days.

Disclaimer: Michael Brook Attorney Referral is a referral service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal representation or legal advice. This is general information and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney about your particular facts. No result is guaranteed.