Synergist Law, P.C. is a boutique California personal injury firm headquartered in San Rafael. We represent people seriously hurt in car crashes, truck and commercial-vehicle collisions, unsafe-property incidents, defective-product failures, and preventable deaths throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area and across California. Managing attorney Sami Sedghani, Pharm.D., J.D. is a Super Lawyers (2022–2026) honoree, a published appellate advocate (Osaze v. Gee (2026)), and a trained clinical pharmacist — a background that provides a decisive edge on the medical side of serious-injury cases.
Who we represent
Our clients are drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, workers, tenants, patients, and families — ordinary people suddenly facing extraordinary medical bills, lost income, and insurance companies that are not on their side. We take cases from across California, with a particular focus on Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. Consultations are free, confidential, and conducted in English or Spanish. Contingency fee: no attorney’s fee unless we obtain a recovery for you. Depending on the terms of your written fee agreement, you may be responsible for case costs we advance even if there is no recovery. Your fee agreement explains this before representation begins.
Cases we handle
Our practice centers on the collision-and-premises work that drives the overwhelming majority of serious California personal injury claims, with a specialized bench for catastrophic-injury and medical-liability files that demand clinical fluency.
- Car accidents. Rear-end, head-on, intersection, left-turn, hit-and-run, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims. We handle everything from soft-tissue cases that insurers try to lowball to catastrophic multi-vehicle crashes with disputed liability.
- Truck and commercial-vehicle accidents. Big-rig, tractor-trailer, FedEx, UPS, Amazon DSP, delivery van, box truck, and company-vehicle crashes. These cases are different: higher-limit policies, federal regulations (FMCSA / 49 C.F.R.), driver qualification files, hours-of-service logs, ELD data, telematics, and corporate-defendant playbooks.
- Premises liability. Slip-and-fall, trip-and-fall, stair collapse, dog bites (California strict liability under Civil Code § 3342), and pool and spa injuries.
- Wrongful death. Representation of surviving spouses, children, and parents under CCP § 377.60, including the kinds of cases that produced our published appellate victory in Osaze v. Gee (2026).
- Product liability. Defective vehicles and vehicle components, defective medical devices, defective industrial equipment, and consumer products that caused serious injury or death. California applies strict liability for design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure-to-warn theories.
- Catastrophic and serious injuries. Including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and paralysis, amputation, and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). These are files where medical records are the case and where clinical fluency pays dividends.
- Pharmaceutical and medical-device injury. Harm from prescription drugs, implanted devices, and over-the-counter products — a specialized niche where Sami Sedghani’s UCSF Pharm.D. training and clinical experience at UCSF Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente translate directly to case strategy.
- Mobi-C cervical disc litigation. Representation of patients injured by the Mobi-C artificial cervical disc.
- Kaiser Permanente arbitration. Kaiser member medical-malpractice claims proceed through contractual arbitration, not public court — a specialized forum with its own procedures and strategic considerations.
- Employment law. Wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour claims for California employees.
What makes a California personal injury case different
California is a plaintiff-friendly state in some respects and a defense-friendly state in others. It is a pure comparative negligence jurisdiction under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, so even a plaintiff assigned 90% of the fault still recovers 10% of the damages. California also permits broad discovery, has robust pattern jury instructions (CACI), and allows significant pain-and-suffering damages. On the other side of the ledger, past medical damages are capped at amounts actually paid or incurred under Howell v. Hamilton Meats (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541; non-economic damages against multiple defendants are apportioned under Civil Code § 1431.2 (Prop 51); and public-entity defendants are protected by a six-month claims deadline under Gov. Code § 911.2.
A California personal injury case is also a medical case. For serious files, the medical story is the case: the mechanism of injury, the imaging, the diagnoses, the treatment, the prognosis, the life-care plan prepared by a credentialed life-care planner, and the way all of that is translated for a jury. Lawyers who cannot read a hospital chart, follow a surgical operative report, or cross-examine a defense IME on dosing and pharmacology leave real money on the table in catastrophic cases. Our clinical-pharmacist background gives us a first-chair read on that record.
California personal injury law that potentially impacts your case
- Statute of limitations. Most California personal injury claims run on a two-year clock from the date of injury under CCP § 335.1. Medical-malpractice, product-liability discovery-rule, and minor-plaintiff situations have different clocks.
- Government-entity claims. If a city, county, state agency, transit agency, school district, Caltrans, or any other public entity is a defendant, a formal government claim must be presented within six months of the injury under Gov. Code § 911.2. Missing this deadline is almost always case-ending.
- Comparative negligence. California applies pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab Co.. A jury can assign a percentage of fault to the plaintiff, and the recovery is reduced accordingly — but it is not eliminated, no matter how high the plaintiff’s percentage.
- Howell past-medical limitation. Under Howell v. Hamilton Meats, past-medical damages are limited to amounts actually paid or incurred, not the undiscounted amounts billed. This has made the handling of liens, write-downs, and billed-vs-paid evidence a critical skill in every California personal injury case.
- Prop 51 apportionment. Where more than one defendant is at fault, non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life) are apportioned among them in proportion to fault under Civil Code § 1431.2. Economic damages remain joint and several.
- Dog bites. California applies strict liability for dog bites under Civil Code § 3342. Prior-bite history is not required in most situations.
- Premises duty of care. California abandoned the invitee/licensee/trespasser distinctions in Rowland v. Christian (1968) 69 Cal.2d 108, imposing a uniform duty of ordinary care on property owners.
- Wrongful death. Standing and recoverable damages are defined by CCP § 377.60. Our firm’s published appellate victory in Osaze v. Gee (2026) addresses the current state of the law.
- MICRA. Medical-malpractice claims — distinct from ordinary personal injury — are governed by the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, with its own non-economic damages cap and shorter statute of limitations. Kaiser member claims proceed in contractual arbitration, not public court.
Types of damages recoverable
California personal injury damages fall into three broad buckets. The quality of the damages workup — the medical narrative, the economic-loss analysis, the life-care plan, the vocational and economist testimony — is what separates a decent settlement from a serious one.
- Economic damages. Past and future medical expenses (subject to Howell), past and future lost earnings, loss of earning capacity, out-of-pocket costs, home and vehicle modifications, future attendant care, and the full cost of future medical care documented in a life-care plan prepared by a credentialed life-care planner.
- Non-economic damages. Pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, physical impairment, disfigurement, and loss of consortium for a spouse. These are not capped in ordinary negligence cases; they are capped in medical-malpractice cases under MICRA.
- Punitive damages. Available where the defendant acted with fraud, oppression, or malice, including conscious disregard of safety (Civ. Code § 3294). Classic contexts include drunk-driving collisions, systemic trucking-company safety failures, and product-liability cases involving concealed hazards.
- Wrongful-death damages. For eligible heirs under CCP § 377.60, including the financial support the decedent would have provided, the value of household services, and the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, and moral support.
Pricing and contingency fees
Synergist Law accepts personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis. Contingency fee: no attorney’s fee unless we obtain a recovery for you. Depending on the terms of your written fee agreement, you may be responsible for case costs we advance even if there is no recovery. Your fee agreement explains this before representation begins. For general personal injury cases, the fee is set in a written contingency agreement that complies with California Business & Professions Code § 6147. A few types of claims, such as a child’s injury case, medical malpractice, or a claim against a federal agency, have fees approved by a court or capped by statute.
Every fee is disclosed up front, in writing. You will never receive a surprise invoice from this firm.
Why choose Synergist Law
- Boutique attention. Your case is handled by Sami Sedghani personally — not shuffled to a case manager or junior associate. We take a limited number of cases to give each one the attention it needs.
- Published appellate advocacy. Osaze v. Gee (2026), California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District — a published opinion that moved the law in favor of injured Californians.
- Clinical fluency on serious cases. UCSF Pharm.D. training and prior clinical practice at UCSF Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente mean the medical record, the imaging, the medications, and the treating-physician testimony are read first-chair. This matters in TBI, spinal cord, amputation, CRPS, and pharmaceutical and medical-device cases.
- Recognition. Super Lawyers 2022–2026; Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2017–2021; Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”; San Francisco Magazine Top Young Rising Attorney.
- Trial-ready posture. Insurance carriers settle cases that look like they will be tried. We work every case up as if it will be the one that goes to a jury.
- Bilingual service. Fluent Spanish representation at every step.
- Calls answered 24/7. A live receptionist answers every hour of every day, in English or Spanish. Serious cases do not wait for business hours.
- No attorney’s fee unless we recover. You may be responsible for advanced costs depending on your written fee agreement. Standard contingency representation with the firm advancing all case costs.
California personal injury FAQ
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in California?
Generally two years from the date of injury under CCP § 335.1. Government-entity cases require a formal claim within six months under Gov. Code § 911.2. Medical-malpractice, product-liability discovery-rule, and minor-plaintiff situations have different clocks. Because the deadline depends on the facts, it is better to have a licensed California attorney determine the deadline that applies than to calculate it yourself.
What is my California personal injury case worth?
There is no reliable bracket. Value depends on severity of injury, strength of liability, available insurance, venue, comparative-fault exposure, the quality of the damages workup, and the credibility of the plaintiff. Serious cases involving traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or wrongful death can be substantial. We do not quote numbers before reviewing the file.
Does California require I prove I was 0% at fault to recover?
No. California is a pure comparative negligence state under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. A jury may assign you a percentage of fault, and the recovery is reduced accordingly, but you are not barred from recovery no matter how high that percentage is.
What does “contingency fee” mean? Is there any up-front cost?
Contingency means we are paid a percentage of the recovery. There is no retainer and no hourly billing. Contingency fee: no attorney’s fee unless we obtain a recovery for you. Depending on the terms of your written fee agreement, you may be responsible for case costs we advance even if there is no recovery. Your fee agreement explains this before representation begins. A few types of claims, such as a child’s injury case, medical malpractice, or a claim against a federal agency, have fees approved by a court or capped by statute.
Should I give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company?
Not without speaking to a lawyer first. Adjusters are trained to lock in statements that will later be used to defeat or discount your claim. Statements to your own insurance company are a separate question governed by the terms of your policy.
The at-fault driver had minimum insurance. Can I still be made whole?
Possibly. California minimum limits are low, but there may be additional coverage: an umbrella policy, employer coverage (if the at-fault driver was on the job), a commercial policy, your own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, or a product-liability or roadway-defect claim against another party. We identify every available source of recovery as part of the intake.
A government agency may be partly responsible. What do I do?
Call immediately. A government-entity claim must be filed within six months under Gov. Code § 911.2. Missing that deadline is almost always case-ending. Common public-entity defendants include Caltrans (roadway design), municipalities (sidewalks, intersections, public property), transit agencies (buses, light rail), and school districts. Because the deadline depends on the facts, it is better to have a licensed California attorney determine the deadline that applies than to calculate it yourself.
My doctor is at Kaiser. Can I still sue?
Yes — but the case will proceed in contractual arbitration, not public court, under the Kaiser member arbitration agreement. We handle Kaiser arbitration cases regularly.
Do you handle cases outside Marin County?
Yes. We represent clients throughout California and try cases in Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Napa counties, among others.
What makes Synergist Law different from a bigger PI firm?
We are a boutique. You will work directly with Sami Sedghani — a Super Lawyers honoree, a published appellate advocate, and a clinically trained Pharm.D. — from intake through resolution. We take a limited caseload on purpose, so each case gets the preparation it deserves.
Talk to a Bay Area personal injury lawyer today
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured, Synergist Law, P.C. offers a free, confidential consultation. Call (415) 835-4448 twenty-four hours a day, or contact us online. Serving San Rafael, Marin County, the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and all of California. Hablamos español.
Attorney Advertising. The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. Reading this page, contacting the firm, or submitting a case inquiry does not create an attorney–client relationship. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different; prognosis, treatment, and settlement value depend on facts specific to the individual client. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed California attorney.