I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. We work to be one of California’s leading estate, trust and catastrophic injury law firms. We regularly litigate cases on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is an arrangement where the lawyer agrees to a fixed percentage of a case recovery. They’re negotiated arrangements. California has particular requirements that are set out in statutory and ethical rules. These rules must be followed when attorneys and clients enter into contingency fee agreements. Contingency fees allow people who cannot afford legal services to pursue litigation. Some say that contingency fee lawyers are gamblers. I disagree. Chance-based gambling has outcomes that are uncertain. Outcomes that are based comple[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. Over many decades of law practice, I’ve had one goal – to build a plaintiff’s estate, trust and catastrophic injury firm that my own family would be proud to hire. Families across California, including the Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles, hire us in estate, trust and catastrophic injury cases. They’ve seen our leadership, commitment to clients and record of legal excellence. Results matter. Reputation matters. There’s only one Hackard Law. Call us today at 916-313-3030. Hackard Law: Attorneys Making a Difference. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJzkejdjcng&ab_channel=HackardLaw[/embed]  [...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. Diamond cutting shapes a rough stone into a faceted gem. It’s extremely difficult. The best diamond cutters use great knowledge, tools, and techniques. The diamond is usually cut to be seen from only one direction. Catastrophic injury lawsuits are like diamond cutting. The cases start with a very rough set of facts. Different views change how the facts are seen. We start with a preliminary set of rules. The case is developed. The facts are seen from different perspectives. Some views are clear. Others clouded. We update the rules. Rules well established in law, practice or common sense. Knowledge, tools and techniques transform the rough case. The case evolves from intense information gath[...]

California trust, estate & catastrophic injury litigation shifted dramatically in March 2020. Standard approaches to disputed case resolutions are put to the test. Trial dates settle cases. Covid impacts trial dates. Judges suspend, postpone, and defer 2020 trial dates into 2021. 2021 trial dates are now problematical. Our clients depend on us to advance their cases. We accept the challenge. When litigators are not in trial, they should be training for trial. The ultimate goal of trial training is to win cases. Continued training is a commitment to excellence. Continued training makes our adversary system of justice work. Continued training benefits our clients. New and existing clients deserve to kno[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. Our laws are supposed to make sense. And, most of the time they do. There’s an old law, not quite in these words, that says “You break it, you bought it.” As children we learn to be careful around precious things. And what is more precious than our loved ones? The same principle applies in car crashes. Here’s a few recent examples. A few months ago, a car crashed into a California condominium complex, hitting a gas main and setting the entire building on fire. It’s pretty clear that the driver and/or his insurance company is going to have to pay for this. He broke it, he bought it. A driver crashes his car into a gas station, setting the gas pumps on fire. Again, I think the simple rule [...]

Our laws are designed to protect all of us – our general safety. To ensure our rights against abuses by other people or institutions. Many times, after an injury the insurance company will try to pay as little as possible to protect their profits. Isn’t this upside-down logic? Our laws are meant to protect injured people first over insurance profits. In our system of justice, we don’t let criminals set the penalty for the crime. The same principles should apply in civil cases. Negligent drivers should pay the price for the injuries that they’ve caused. You deserve lawyers who will work to get you paid nothing less than every dime you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a car crash, call us at Hackard Law – 916 313-303[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. It’s been over 40 years since I represented my first client injured in a car crash case. The rules that applied over 4 decades ago still apply today. California’s system of compensation is simple. Damages are recovered when a defendant was negligent, a plaintiff was harmed, and the defendant’s negligence is a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s harm. Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care to prevent harm to oneself or to others. The most common car crash negligence cases are rear-end collisions, single vehicle crashes, T-Bone or Cross-Traffic crashes, clipping other cars when merging, and low speed accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. All of us worry about traffic safety. For our families, friends as well as ourselves. Frequent Sacramento Area commuters, like me, experience and can predict common areas of traffic congestion. Congestion is one thing, but Sacramento’s deadliest highway stretches are another. It’s always good to be careful and it helps to know which driving areas are particularly dangerous. Sacramento’s deadliest highway corridors are US Highway 50 from the I-5/US Route 50 Interchange east to just beyond Bradshaw Road and the 14 miles from the US Highway 50/CA Highway 99 Interchange south on State Highway 99 to just beyond Grant Line Road. Auto accidents involving cars, trucks and other motor vehicle crashes[...]

For many years there was nothing that we as attorneys could do. Calls from childhood victims of sexual assault often ended with unwelcome news that the claims were time barred. Now the law is different. California’s new age limit for filing childhood sexual assault claims is 40. Just as important, there’s a 3-year look-back window for previously time barred claims – even for people over 40. This 3-year window of justice closes at the end of 2022. We know it’s hard to break the silence. But, if ever there was ever a time to talk, it’s now. We’ll listen. We’ll share what we know. And, if we take your case, we charge contingency fees, which means you owe us nothing until we win or settle your case. Call Hackard Law[...]

We all know that experience is a great teacher. And, there are many experiences that we’d rather avoid. One of these is traumatic brain injury or TBI. TBI is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury. Falls are the leading cause of TBI and are the leading cause of death for persons 65 years of age or older. Overall, motor vehicle-traffic injury is the leading cause of TBI-related deaths. It’s estimated that 50,000 people in the United States die from TBI each year. I understand TBI for several reasons. I’ve represented people with TBI injuries for a long time. I personally had a brain tumor and brain surgery over 20 years ago. I know what it feels like to have symptoms stemming from brain trauma. An[...]