How to Find the Right TBI Attorney in California (2026): What to Look For
- Tom Feher, Esq.
From Tom Feher, Esq.
“Brain injuries are the most undervalued cases in personal injury, because the damage does not show on an X-ray and the victim often looks fine. A mild TBI can still upend someone’s career, marriage, and personality. When you choose an attorney, ask a simple question: have they actually tried brain-injury cases, and do they work with neuropsychologists and life-care planners? Those experts translate an invisible injury into proof a jury and an insurer will pay for. That is the difference between a nuisance offer and full value.”
Thomas Feher, Esq. · Founding Attorney, Feher Law APC · 50+ jury trials to verdict · $150M+ recovered
To find the right California TBI attorney, look for specific traumatic brain injury trial experience, a network of medical and life-care-planning experts, the resources to fund a complex case, and a track record of large brain-injury recoveries. Brain injuries are frequently undervalued by insurers, so the lawyer’s ability to prove an invisible injury is what determines your outcome.
Key Takeaways
- Experience matters most: choose a lawyer who has actually litigated and tried traumatic brain injury cases, not just general injury claims.
- Expert network is essential: strong TBI cases rely on neurologists, neuropsychologists, and life-care planners to prove the injury and its future cost.
- Resources count: brain-injury cases are expensive to litigate; the firm must be able to front expert and litigation costs.
- Deadline: generally two years to file in California (CCP 335.1); six months if a government entity is involved.
- Even a ‘mild’ TBI or concussion can cause lasting cognitive, emotional, and financial harm and deserves full evaluation.
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California Traumatic Brain Injury Settlement Ranges (2026)
TBI values span a very wide range because outcomes range from full recovery to permanent disability. These figures are general context, not a prediction for any specific case.
| TBI Severity | Typical Settlement Range | Key Value Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Mild TBI / concussion (resolved) | $25,000 – $150,000 | Documented symptoms, full recovery |
| Mild TBI with lasting effects | $150,000 – $750,000 | Persistent cognitive or mood changes |
| Moderate TBI | $500,000 – $2,500,000 | Ongoing deficits, lost earning capacity |
| Severe TBI | $2,000,000 – $10,000,000+ | Life-care needs, permanent disability |
| Catastrophic / total disability | $5,000,000 – $20,000,000+ | 24-hour care, full loss of earnings |
What to Look For in a TBI Attorney
Genuine brain-injury experience. Ask directly how many TBI cases the lawyer has handled and tried. General personal-injury experience is not the same as understanding the medicine and proof problems of a brain injury. An expert network. The right attorney already works with neurologists, neuropsychologists, radiologists, and life-care planners who can document the injury and its lifetime cost. Financial resources. TBI cases require expensive experts and imaging; the firm must be able to advance those costs. Trial willingness. Insurers pay full value only when they believe the lawyer will try the case. A track record of significant brain-injury and catastrophic-injury results.
Evidence disappears fast. Do not wait.
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Questions to Ask Before You Hire
- How many traumatic brain injury cases have you personally handled, and how many have you taken to trial?
- Which medical and life-care-planning experts do you work with on TBI cases?
- Do you advance the costs of experts and imaging, or do I pay those up front?
- What is your contingency fee, and what happens to costs if we do not win?
- Will you personally handle my case, or will it be passed to a junior associate?
- Can you share examples of brain-injury or catastrophic-injury results you have obtained?
Clear, specific answers signal a firm that handles these cases regularly. Vague answers are a warning sign.
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Why Brain Injuries Are So Often Undervalued
A TBI is frequently an invisible injury. Standard CT and MRI scans can look normal even when a person has real, lasting deficits in memory, focus, mood, and executive function. Insurers exploit this, arguing that because the victim ‘looks fine,’ the injury is minor. Overcoming that requires neuropsychological testing, statements from family and coworkers about changes in the person, and sometimes advanced imaging. A lawyer who has done this before knows how to build the record that makes an invisible injury undeniable, which directly drives the value of the claim.
Proving a TBI: The Medical and Expert Roadmap
Strong cases layer several kinds of proof. Emergency and diagnostic records (Glasgow Coma Scale score, CT/MRI). Treating physicians in neurology and rehabilitation. Neuropsychological evaluation that objectively measures cognitive deficits. Before-and-after witnesses who describe how the person has changed. And a life-care planner and economist who calculate the lifetime cost of future treatment, therapy, and lost earning capacity. This roadmap is why the attorney’s expert network is not a nicety but the core of the case.
Deadlines and Costs You Should Understand
You generally have two years from the injury to file suit in California under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1, and only six months to file a claim if a government entity caused the injury. TBI cases are among the most expensive to litigate because of the experts involved, so choose a firm that advances those costs and works on contingency. That way you owe nothing unless there is a recovery, and the firm’s financial interest is aligned with maximizing your result.
What to Expect When You Work With Feher Law
- Free initial consultation: We review the injury, the medical records, and how the TBI is affecting your life at no cost.
- Medical and expert coordination: We connect the case with the right neurologists, neuropsychologists, and life-care planners to document the injury.
- Full damages workup: We calculate the lifetime cost of care and lost earning capacity so the claim reflects the true harm, not just current bills.
- Insurer and defense pressure: We build a trial-ready case so the insurer cannot dismiss an invisible injury as minor.
- No fee unless we win: We advance the costs and work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Why California Brain Injury Clients Choose Feher Law
Brain-injury cases reward experience, resources, and a lawyer who will go the distance. Thomas Feher, Esq. has taken more than 50 cases to verdict and, with the Feher Law team, has recovered over $150 million for injured Californians, including catastrophic and life-altering injuries. We work with the medical and life-care experts these cases demand, we advance the costs, and we prepare every case as if it will be tried. We serve clients throughout California on contingency, so your consultation is free and you owe nothing unless we win.
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Get a free, no-obligation case review with our team at (310) 340-1112 – Free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Focus on specific traumatic brain injury trial experience, an established network of neurologists, neuropsychologists, and life-care planners, the financial resources to advance expert costs, and a track record of significant brain-injury results. Ask each firm directly how many TBI cases they have tried.
Generally two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. If a government entity is responsible, you must file an administrative claim within six months. Because a TBI victim may not immediately grasp the severity of the injury, it is important to consult a lawyer early.
Because a TBI often does not appear on a standard CT or MRI and the victim may look physically normal. Insurers use that to argue the injury is minor. Overcoming it requires neuropsychological testing and witnesses to the person's changes, which an experienced TBI attorney knows how to assemble.
It varies widely. A concussion that fully resolves may settle in the tens of thousands, while a 'mild' TBI that leaves lasting problems with memory, focus, or mood can be worth several hundred thousand dollars or more. The key is documenting the lasting effects rather than accepting the 'mild' label at face value.
At our firm, we advance the cost of experts and imaging as part of a contingency arrangement. You do not pay those costs out of pocket; they are recovered from the settlement or verdict, and you owe nothing if there is no recovery.
Typically a treating neurologist, a neuropsychologist who performs cognitive testing, a radiologist, a physical or occupational therapist, a life-care planner who projects future treatment needs, and an economist who calculates lost earning capacity and the lifetime cost of care.
Yes. California allows recovery for future medical treatment, future lost earning capacity, and the lifetime cost of care, in addition to past bills and lost wages. A life-care planner and economist quantify these future losses, which are often the largest part of a serious TBI claim.
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee and advance the litigation and expert costs. You pay only a percentage of the recovery, and only if we win. The consultation is free.
Last reviewed by Thomas Feher, Esq. – July 2026
