California Personal Injury Law Guide

What to verify first in California

Classify the claim and defendant first; claims involving public entities or professional care can follow different procedures.

Choose the issue

Filing deadline questionsSeparate ordinary injury, death, professional-negligence, and government time limits in California. Wrongful deathCheck claimant authority, estate issues, damages, evidence, and timing in California. Professional negligenceCheck records, experts, pre-suit procedure, discovery, and repose questions in California. Car accidentsCheck fault, coverage, reports, evidence, and filing questions after a California crash.

Facts to organize

Record the exact location, dates, people and entities involved, injury and treatment timeline, insurance information, notices, and documents already signed or received.

Venue and local records

For an event in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose or elsewhere in California, identify the agency that created any report, the court that would hear the matter, and the custodian of short-lived video, logs, or electronic data.

Check the official California sources

These official California sources are the safest starting points for checking statutes, procedure, and insurance questions.

California judiciary — The California judiciary publishes court structure, rules, forms, locations, and opinions.
California legislature or official code — The California legislature or official code portal provides current statutory text and legislative updates.
California insurance regulator — The California insurance regulator publishes consumer and insurer information relevant to many injury claims.

Links checked August 29, 2026. Confirm the current text, effective date, and any local rule before relying on a deadline or procedure.