Our Family Has Given A Voice To The Injured For Over 50 Combined Years
Newark Personal Injury Lawyer
Most people searching for a Newark personal injury lawyer are not asking whether they have a case. They already know something happened, someone else caused it, and they need help. What they are actually trying to figure out is who to trust.
Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP is a father-and-son personal injury firm that has represented injured New Jersey clients for more than five decades combined.
Our office in East Orange serves Newark and the rest of Essex County. Richard Goldstein opened the firm in 1997, and his son Michael J. Goldstein now runs it alongside him, which shapes how every case is staffed and reviewed.
Reach us through the online contact form to talk through what happened.
What Kind of Firm Is Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP?
Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP is a family-owned personal injury firm in East Orange, New Jersey, founded in 1997. Richard Goldstein and his son Michael J. Goldstein are the partners, and the firm’s four attorneys share more than 50 combined years of trial and litigation experience.
A Father-and-Son Partnership With Trial Credentials
The partnership structure shapes how every case is staffed and reviewed. Michael J. Goldstein is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney, a designation held by a small percentage of attorneys in the state. Certification requires demonstrated trial experience, peer review, and an examination administered by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Board on Attorney Certification.
Our practice operates as a boutique. That structure supports personal attention throughout representation and direct partner involvement in the cases we accept.
A Treating-Doctor Network That Supports Access to Care
Medical treatment is a practical concern for many injury clients before it is a legal one. Over the years, our firm has built relationships with Newark and Essex County medical providers who treat injured clients on a lien basis when appropriate.
Those relationships help clients access imaging, orthopedic care, and physical therapy in situations where health insurance may not be available or sufficient.
Practical operating details clients often ask about include:
- Intake and consultations are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole
- The firm accepts injury cases on contingency, so there is no fee unless we recover money
- The office is open for scheduled meetings, and after-hours calls are returned by the on-call attorney
- Both partners take an active role in the cases the firm accepts
Client feedback reflects the approach. Our firm currently maintains a 4.7-star rating on Google based on more than 300 client reviews, with recurring praise for direct communication and multilingual intake.
What Types of Cases Does Our Newark Personal Injury Practice Handle?
Our Newark personal injury practice handles injury and wrongful-death claims arising from motor vehicle crashes, premises liability, and related negligence cases across Essex County. The table below outlines the case types we regularly accept.
| Practice Area | What We Handle |
|---|---|
| Rideshare and car accidents | Auto crashes, Uber and Lyft passenger claims, hit-and-run cases, distracted and impaired driving |
| Truck accidents | Tractor-trailer, delivery truck, and commercial motor vehicle collisions |
| Motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents | Injury claims involving vulnerable road users across Newark and surrounding towns |
| Premises liability | Slip and falls, ceiling and roof collapses, negligent security, and dangerous property conditions |
| Dog bites and animal attacks | Injury claims under New Jersey’s strict-liability dog bite statute |
| Wrongful death | Fatal injury claims brought on behalf of eligible surviving family members |
| Catastrophic injury | Brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other injuries requiring lifetime care |
We do not accept every type of claim. Cases outside our practice areas or outside New Jersey are referred to firms better positioned to handle them.
What Does a Newark Personal Injury Case Actually Look Like?
A Newark personal injury case involves medical treatment, an insurance claim, and in many cases a lawsuit filed in Essex County Superior Court. The process moves in stages, and understanding the stages helps clients set realistic expectations about timing and outcome.
Typical stages in a New Jersey personal injury case include:
- Intake and investigation. We collect medical records, police reports, witness information, and photographs of the scene
- Medical treatment. The client treats until reaching maximum medical improvement, which is the point where recovery has plateaued
- Demand and negotiation. We prepare a demand package and negotiate with the responsible party’s insurance carrier
- Litigation. If negotiation fails, we file suit in Superior Court, complete discovery, and prepare for trial
- Resolution. Cases resolve through settlement, mediation, arbitration, or a jury verdict
Most cases resolve without a trial. Firms that maintain a credible trial posture may be positioned differently in settlement negotiations. Our trial preparation approach shapes the negotiation posture from the first demand letter.
What Damages May You Recover in a Newark Injury Claim?
A Newark personal injury client may recover economic damages for measurable losses and non-economic damages for the human effect of the injury. The categories are defined by New Jersey tort law and shaped by the specific facts of each case.
Damages available in a New Jersey injury claim often include:
- Medical expenses, both the treatment already received and future care projected by treating physicians
- Lost income and reduced earning capacity, including time missed from work and any long-term impact on the client’s ability to earn
- Pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life, calibrated to injury severity and prognosis
- Wrongful-death damages for surviving family members, including qualifying financial losses under New Jersey’s wrongful death statute
- Punitive damages in rare cases where clear and convincing evidence establishes conduct meeting the state’s heightened standard
Case values vary widely because injury severity, liability strength, and available insurance vary widely. Recent results from our firm include recoveries of $1,100,000, $825,000, $800,000, $695,000, and $609,000.
Past results do not guarantee any particular outcome in a future case, and every claim is evaluated on its own facts.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in New Jersey?
New Jersey generally gives injured people two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. Missing that window ends most cases, whatever the strength of the underlying facts.
The Two-Year Deadline and Its Wrongful-Death Counterpart
Different claim types run on different clocks, and both apply to the same underlying incident in some cases. Wrongful death claims are governed by N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3, which sets a two-year window running from the date of death rather than the date of the injury that caused it.
The 90-Day Notice Rule for Public-Entity Claims
Claims against a government defendant move on a much faster preliminary clock than standard injury claims.
Claims against a public entity such as a city, county, state agency, or public transportation authority trigger the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, which generally requires a notice of claim within 90 days after the claim accrues. Late notice may be permitted by court order in limited circumstances.
Two years feels like plenty of time. Medical treatment through maximum improvement, records collection, expert retention, and pre-suit demand letters often take many months before a lawsuit is even filed. Waiting until the deadline approaches leaves less room to prepare.
How Much Does a Newark Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
A Newark personal injury lawyer typically costs nothing upfront. Our firm, and most reputable personal injury firms in New Jersey, accepts injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning the client pays no attorney fee unless the case results in a recovery.
How Contingency Fees Work Under New Jersey Rules
Contingency fees in New Jersey injury cases are not set at the lawyer’s discretion.
The contingency fee percentage is a portion of the total recovery, and New Jersey attorney fees in tort cases are governed by Rule 1:21-7 of the New Jersey Court Rules, which sets sliding-scale limits on contingent fees in tort actions.
The rule caps the percentage a lawyer may charge based on the size of the recovery.
Case Costs and What Clients Pay Out of Pocket
Attorney fees are one part of the picture, and case costs work differently in ways that often surprise clients. Case costs such as filing fees, expert witnesses, and medical records are typically advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery.
A written retainer agreement provided at the start of representation spells out the fee structure and costs in detail.
FAQs for Newark Personal Injury Lawyer
Do I actually need a lawyer for my injury case, or is the insurance company enough to handle it?
Maybe, you may not need a lawyer for a very minor injury with clear liability and full insurance coverage, but more serious or disputed claims may benefit from legal representation. An initial call helps you decide before committing to either path.
What if I already gave a recorded statement to the other side’s insurance company?
Yes, a Newark personal injury case may still move forward if you gave a recorded statement to the other side’s insurance company, though the statement complicates the claim. Adjusters use these recordings to lock in early accounts that may not reflect the full injury picture. Legal counsel helps address the effect of any prior statements.
How long does it take to settle a personal injury case in New Jersey?
Most New Jersey personal injury cases resolve within one to two years from the date of retention, though timing depends heavily on injury severity, treatment length, insurance behavior, and whether the case proceeds to litigation. Complex or catastrophic cases often take longer because full damages are not clear until treatment stabilizes.
Can I switch lawyers if I am not happy with my current one?
Yes, an injured person may switch personal injury lawyers at nearly any stage of a case. New Jersey ethics rules allow clients to change counsel, and the outgoing lawyer’s fee is typically resolved between the two firms rather than paid separately by the client. A brief consultation helps determine whether switching makes practical sense.
What if I do not speak English as my first language?
Yes, our firm handles Newark personal injury cases for clients whose first language is not English. Intake and consultations are available in Spanish and Haitian Creole, in addition to English. Communicating in your first language keeps important case details from getting lost.
Speak With a Newark Personal Injury Lawyer About Where to Start
Richard Goldstein, Personal Injury Attorney
The first thing a caller wants to know is who they are actually going to talk to. At Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP, the answer is straightforward.
A partner or attorney at the firm reviews new inquiries and returns calls directly, so the person on the other end of the line is a lawyer who works on cases like yours.
Our office has represented injured New Jersey residents from East Orange since 1997. A father and son run the firm, and the four-attorney team handles every case with the personal attention that the boutique structure allows. Intake and consultations are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and the firm accepts injury cases on contingency, so there is no fee unless we recover money.
Reach us through the online contact form to describe what happened. The first conversation costs nothing and gives you a clear read on whether we are the right firm for your case, whether another firm would serve you better, or whether the situation does not currently support a claim.
Whichever answer applies, you leave the call knowing more than when you started.
East Orange Office
60 Evergreen Place
Suite 502
East Orange, NJ 07018
