Of the 524 firms on our 92 city lists in the United States, Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A. scores highest on malpractice focus, published results, client reviews and experience, followed by Hastings Law Firm and The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson MD, JD & Associates. Each firm keeps its best score from the cities it serves; open a city for its full list.
Best Nerve Damage Lawyers in the United States
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This spot goes to one firm for a year. It's shown first, above everyone below, and labeled Featured.
4.8181 Google reviewsRated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 181 reviews
Best for: Birth injury and hospital negligence
In its published cases, Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A. describes oxygen deprivation during delivery and Erb’s palsy; it also publishes verdicts involving deaths after hospital care.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.6102 Google reviewsRated 4.6 out of 5 on Google from 102 reviews
Best for: Misdiagnosis and surgical injury claims
Among Hastings Law Firm's published results are a $19,750,000 failure-to-diagnose settlement and a $10,700,000 negligent-prescribing jury verdict. Because it focuses on malpractice and publishes those results, it tops this list.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
5.0216 Google reviewsRated 5.0 out of 5 on Google from 216 reviews
Best for: Delayed diagnosis and anesthesia injuries
An alleged delayed diagnosis of HSV encephalitis is behind the $11.65 million result published by The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson MD, JD & Associates. For negligent anesthesia care, it reports another result of $8 million.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.724 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 24 reviews
Best for: Misdiagnosis and surgical injury claims
A $12 million misdiagnosis result stands out among the cases published by The Law Offices of Cardaro & Peek, LLC. For negligent surgery, it lists a $7.9 million result; for breast cancer misdiagnosis, it lists $7.1 million.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.7226 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 226 reviews
Best for: Birth injury and delayed diagnosis
Among Wapner Newman Attorneys At Law's listed results are $8.4 million for brain injury after a delayed diagnosis and $7 million for birth trauma causing brain damage.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Nerve damage lawyers by state
The rules change from one state to the next, so the lawyers near you are the ones to call.
If a preventable error caused nerve damage during surgery or other medical care, you may have a malpractice claim. An injury alone isn't enough. The review has to link the care you received with the harm you're experiencing. If pain or numbness develops after a procedure, or you experience paralysis, get a medical assessment. Ask a lawyer in your state whether your records give you grounds for a claim.
Understanding nerve damage after medical care
When a nerve is injured, that's nerve damage. You might feel pain or numbness, and sometimes paralysis occurs. The injuries discussed here involve medical care: surgery may be involved, or an injection or IV line, and sometimes a patient was positioned incorrectly.
What caused it matters. According to Triscaro's nerve damage page, errors during surgery or anesthesia can cause permanent nerve damage. If a nerve injury follows anesthesia or an operation, though, that alone doesn't tell you the care was negligent.
Ask what explains your diagnosis. When you speak with your treating clinician, ask which nerve seems injured and what led them to that assessment. How does it relate to the procedure you had? Write down any uncertainty that remains about the diagnosis. If it's uncertain, don't supply your own answer.
Symptoms to report and questions to ask
If you have pain or numbness, or paralysis, tell a clinician. Describe where you feel the change after care, then explain what changed and when you first noticed it. You'll still need medical assessment, even with a lawyer's review.
Describe where you're affected, using words that feel natural. Rather than writing only “nerve damage.” explain where your foot hurts or feels numb, if that's the affected area.
When you first noticed the symptom, write that down. Include whether you told someone during your hospital stay or afterward.
Ask them to explain the diagnosis in plain language. If anything remains unresolved, have the clinician tell you what it is.
When you send messages about symptoms, keep copies and save the responses, too.
When a nerve injury may be malpractice
When a surgical error causes preventable nerve damage, Arfaa Law Group describes it as a form of malpractice. Notice the word “Preventable” here. Even if you've suffered an injury, there's still the question of whether the care fell below an acceptable standard.
During a case review, the lawyer checks the standard of care and whether an error caused harm. Neither requirement is optional. Ask a lawyer in your state how those requirements apply to the procedure you had and those involved. Even a serious injury doesn't settle those questions.
To examine the standard of care, look at what the provider should've done in those circumstances. What conduct would the lawyer look into? They might investigate the operation itself, or check an injection or IV placement, or look at the patient's positioning. Rather than relying only on the new symptoms you left with, the review should point to something that may have gone wrong during care.
Did that error cause the injury?
To examine causation, ask whether the alleged error caused your nerve damage. When you describe when symptoms began, you help frame that question. Because the lawyer also needs to look through the medical records, ask which evidence could link the error to your injury and what might remain unclear.
What harm can be documented?
What's changed because of your injury? Describe which activities are affected after explaining your pain or numbness and any paralysis. If you've missed work or paid for care because of the injury, keep those records. Ask your lawyer which of those losses you may claim under the rules in your state.
As Silverman Thompson's discussion of severe nerve injuries warns, winning these cases can be challenging. Rather than checking only evidence that favors the claim, a careful review should look at where the claim is weak, too.
Prepare the records without trying to prove the case yourself
Start by noting what you know. Before asking for a review, you don't need to work out precisely how the injury happened medically. Distinguish what you experienced from what the clinician explained. If you're describing a suspicion about what happened, label it that way.
Preparing for a nerve injury case review
1
Write a short account of the care
Say where you received care and name the procedure. If you know the date, give it, then explain your symptoms before the procedure and afterward. Flag any details you're not sure of.
2
Ask how to obtain the relevant chart
If you're concerned about care, request the records for it. Would the operative report help the lawyer investigate the suspected error, or would they want the anesthesia record or nursing notes?
3
Save the follow-up record
When visits or messages concern your nerve symptoms, save those notes. Include any explanation the clinician gave you. What you remember from the conversation shouldn't be your only record.
4
Document the effect on your life
Keep the related bills or work records as you describe your specific limitations. Before discussing a dollar value, wait for a lawyer to explain what your state allows.
5
Ask about the deadline promptly
Give the lawyer your treatment date, then explain when you first learned that an injury might be linked to that treatment. Which dates matter legally is something the lawyer can determine.
What published legal discussions can tell you
When you read a law firm's article, it may explain why an injury warrants investigation. What it can't do is establish your symptoms' cause or tell you how a claim will turn out. The dates below show when the articles were published, not how long recovery takes or when you must file.
Dated law-firm discussions of nerve damage claims
Publisher
Publication date
Point addressed
Source URL
Boyers Law
February 12, 2024
A malpractice lawsuit cannot correct or cure nerve damage, but may hold responsible parties accountable.
By separating legal accountability from medical recovery, Boyers Law's article makes a useful distinction. A nerve injury won't be cured by a lawsuit. While a lawyer looks into the legal questions, keep discussing the medical care you need with your treating clinician.
Deadlines differ by state
For nerve damage malpractice, there isn't one statute of limitations covering the whole country. Deadlines vary across states. Ask a lawyer in the state where you received care to explain what its rules mean for you. When you're looking into the relevant jurisdiction, you can start with our state pages.
If an article concerns another state, don't rely on it to choose your deadline. When you come to the consultation, bring the dates you know, including the procedure date and when you first became worried that you had nerve damage. What filing deadline applies to you? Find out, too, whether other requirements affect how soon you need to act.
Choosing a lawyer for the review
Does the lawyer handle nerve injury claims arising from care like yours? If a firm lists surgical nerve damage on its website, you have somewhere to start looking. You can't tell from that listing whether it has handled an injury like yours.
What can the firm tell you about relevant cases or published results? Ask which records it would want first and how it would examine what caused the injury. Bring up fees and case expenses, too. Make sure you know who would stay in touch with you before the firm agrees to take the matter.
If you're having trouble describing your concern, related pages may help. If hospital care concerns you, see Hospital & Nursing Negligence, or read Anesthesia Errors for questions about anesthesia care. Visit Informed Consent if your concern involves what you were told before the procedure. The questions here differ. Explain what happened to you when you talk with the lawyer.
What to do next
After getting your symptoms medically assessed, write a short account to bring to a legal consultation. Explain what changed after the procedure you had. Add what you've heard from the clinicians. Before you ask for a review, you don't have to know whether the care was malpractice.
When this phrase appears in your chart, have your clinician explain the diagnosis and tell you which symptoms it accounts for. You can't prove negligence with the term. Nor does it show that a provider caused your injury. When you bring the diagnosis note to a legal review, ask what link it has to the care the lawyer is investigating.
Can nerve pain be delayed?
Have a clinician explain what the timing of your pain means in your situation. If symptoms start some time after treatment, that gap alone neither proves a connection nor rules one out. Write down when treatment occurred and when you first noticed pain. So the lawyer can compare the sequence with the medical record, include the date you reported it.
What are the signs of nerve damage in the foot after surgery?
If you have pain or numbness, or paralysis, seek an assessment to check for a possible nerve injury. You can't establish the diagnosis from symptoms alone. When describing the change in your foot, say exactly where you notice it and when it began. Save the follow-up notes if you're thinking about a malpractice review.
What is axonotmesis?
If your clinician calls your injury axonotmesis, have them explain what that term means for you using words you can understand. What led them to the diagnosis, and do they know what caused it? That label doesn't mean malpractice has been found. To assess the claim, a lawyer must look at the alleged error and whether it caused the documented harm.
What is neuropraxia?
If your clinician used “neuropraxia”, ask what was injured and have them explain what that diagnosis means for the care you need. You won't find a clinical classification or a prediction of recovery from neuropraxia here. Save the diagnosis note if you believe a medical error caused the injury. Take that note and the surrounding records to a lawyer in your state to discuss.
What is a Sunderland nerve injury?
When you find a Sunderland classification in your chart, have your clinician explain what that entry means. The name alone won't tell you the severity or expected recovery. Even with the classification, a malpractice review still requires someone to investigate the care. Along with the harm you've experienced, your lawyer still has to look at causation and whether the care met the required standard.
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