We treat our clients like family. Perfect 5.0 Google Rating; Over 500 Reviews.
Some lawyers sign up lots of clients but don’t stay in contact. Not us. Our promise is if you choose to hire us, you’re going to get us. We keep our client list small so that we can devote our full financial resources and full attention to every client.
One of the few lawyers in US history to ever win a nine-figure verdict.
Some lawyers look to settle. Not us. When we accept a case, we build for trial. Our aggressive representation has resulted in large jury verdicts—including a $100,000,000.00 verdict–and life-changing settlements—including a $22,700,000.00 settlement.
Our commitment to excellence has earned us a stellar reputation.
Super Lawyers consistently recognizes us as "Rising Stars," an honor given to just 2.5% of all lawyers. The National Law Journal calls us "Top 50 Elite Trial Lawyers." Georgia Trend Magazine calls us "Legal Elite". And U.S. News & World Report lists us as a “Best Law Firm”.
We only get paid after we win your case through settlement or trial.
If we don’t win your car accident case, you don’t pay us. We will review your case for free, and represent you on a contingency fee basis which means we get paid only if we win for you through settlement or trial. Talk with us for free by calling 404-JUSTICE.
Our firm is exclusively dedicated to representing individuals who have been seriously injured and families dealing with loss. We are committed to doing everything possible to help our clients focus on recovery and rebuilding after a major life-changing loss.
With extensive experience as lead counsel in hundreds of high-stakes cases, we have achieved record-setting settlements and verdicts. In 2022, we secured one of the largest verdicts in U.S. history. In 2023, just before trial, we settled a motor vehicle accident case for $22.7 million, making it one of the largest wrongful death settlements in the past decade. The following year in 2024, we won the largest jury verdict in Georgia history for a bicycle-on-bicycle accident. Our decades of courtroom experience and deep negotiation experience provides you with a significant advantage.
Our Atlanta wrongful death attorneys put our clients first, all the time. We promise to treat every client with respect, dedication, and kindness. Our clients become our friends–which is why we consistently win Avvo’s prestigious “Client’s Choice Award”, and the reason we are selected “Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers” every year. We invite you to read our hundreds of online reviews.
Our Atlanta wrongful death lawyers have worked on important cases including a case that resulted in a jury awarding One Hundred Million Dollars. In 2023, we settled just before trial one of the largest wrongful death settlements in the last decade. We achieve our record-setting wins because we build our cases for trial. Insurance companies know which attorneys are willing to take a case to trial and which lawyers are scared of courts. The insurance companies use that information to lowball some lawyers. Not us. When we get hired, we get to work.
The number one complaint about lawyers is that lawyers don’t return calls. We never let that happen. Our clients have direct access to all of us. We regularly call and email our clients with updates and news about their case. By spending quality time with each client, we get to really know our client and understand how the loss has affected the family. The reason we are able to spend as much time as we do with each client is because we deliberately keep our caseload small. We turn down more cases than we accept so that we can focus on our existing clients.
Many of our cases are referred to us by other attorneys in Georgia who have read about our results. Attorneys who associate us with their wrongful death cases do so because they know we will take the case to trial if the other side is not willing to pay a fair settlement. Attorneys around the country frequently call us to serve as local trial counsel as they have also heard about our results. While there is no calculation to determine just how much someone’s case is worth, what we have consistently found to be true is that our meticulous preparation, attention to detail, and strategic planning almost always beats the other side.
Our law firm tried a two-week jury trial in federal court, and won a nine-figure verdict for our seriously injured client.
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Darren Tobin is a dedicated Atlanta personal injury lawyer committed to helping injury victims rebuild their lives. With a proven track record of winning record-setting verdicts and settlements, Darren is a highly accomplished trial attorney who brings unparalleled expertise to every case.
First, if you are reading this page because you lost a spouse or close family member in an accident, our heart goes out to you. We are sorry for your loss. We hope you find the information on this page helpful as you explore what to do.
Wrongful death occurs when a life is taken without legal justification. Most wrongful deaths result from accidents. Laws regarding wrongful death accidents vary state by state, but what all states share in common is the goal of bringing closure and justice.
Justice is found in two places: through the criminal justice system where the state will pursue the person or business responsible for causing a death, and through the civil justice system where the surviving family of a wrongful death victim can file a case against the responsible person or business. This page and our lawyers address the civil justice system while the district attorneys in each county address the criminal justice system.
Traffic accidents are the highest leading cause of wrongful death in Atlanta. More than 100 people die every year in Fulton County collisions. Nearly half of the victims are pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists. According to the CDC, more than 50% of elderly people are pedestrians involved in accidents. And sadly, about 20% of fatal Atlanta crashes involve a drunk driver.
Our Atlanta wrongful death lawyers have seen many different kinds of cases. We provide compassionate counseling to our grieving clients; we also provide zealous advocacy to make sure that those responsible are held accountable for their negligent actions.
Georgia law defines how wrongful death compensation should be distributed among family members. O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2(d)(1) requires a wrongful death recovery to be divided equally among the surviving spouse and children. However, the spouse will always keep at least 1/3 of the recovery regardless of how many children there are.
Estate claims are distributed according to the terms of the victim’s Will, or as provided by Georgia law if the victim died without a Will.
Georgia law also creates exceptions to these general rules. Our Georgia Wrongful Death Law FAQ explains in more detail the process of bringing and distributing the proceeds of a wrongful death claim. Of course, we welcome you to contact us with any questions you have.
O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2(a) defines the measure of wrongful death compensation as “the full value of the life of the decedent.” The value of a life is priceless, and no money can ever say what human life was worth. However, Georgia court decisions define “full value” in two ways: first, the economic loss, and second, the non-economic losses.
Economic losses include the income the victim would have earned over the course of a normal lifetime if the victim’s life had not been cut short. Economic losses also include the value of services (such as cooking or home maintenance) that the victim would have provided to family members if the victim had lived a normal lifespan.
When it comes to trying to measure the non-economic loss it is even harder. There is no formula for the measurement of non-economic losses. Georgia judges instruct juries to measure non-economic losses from the standpoint of what the victim lost by not living a full life. What does that mean? Some people love to go camping and fishing. Some people take the time to watch a sunset every night. Married people look forward to watching children and grandchildren grow up. Children get to play outside. Children get to play with friends. Teenagers start to go on dates. All of these things are treasures that make up the value of a life. And when these treasures are stripped from our clients, our Atlanta personal injury attorneys fight.
The loss of life’s pleasures is not easy to value, but our experienced wrongful death attorneys try our best. We assemble evidence to bring the victim back to life in the minds of jurors. When Georgia jurors understand what the victim has lost, we expect them to provide favorable compensation to surviving family members.
Georgia law specifies the family members who are authorized to bring a wrongful death claim. O.C.G.A § 51-4-2 designates the deceased victim’s spouse as the family member who is entitled to bring the claim. If the victim had no surviving spouse, the victim’s children can bring the claim. If the victim had no surviving children, the victim’s parents are next in line to bring the wrongful death claim.
When no spouse, children, or parents are living at the time of the victim’s death, the victim’s Estate can bring a wrongful death claim. The victim’s Estate also has a separate claim for the victim’s pain and suffering, as well as medical bills, prior to the victim’s death.
We are dedicated to helping families rebuild their lives after careless or deliberate actions cause a loved one’s death. Wrongful death compensation cannot restore a life; we know that. We don’t pretend otherwise. What we promise to do is make everyone remember the human life that is no more. We especially make the wrongdoing person remember what he did.
We are dedicated to making Atlanta and all of Georgia a safer place to live. Our Atlanta wrongdul death lawyers think drunk drivers and high drivers who cause wrecks should go to prison. The criminal justice system ensures that drunk driving and high driving drivers face criminal penalties. What we try and do as wrongful death lawyers in Atlanta is send a message to drunk drivers and the insurance companies that insure those drivers that driving drunk will lead to severe financial penalties.
The aggressive pursuit of wrongful death compensation changes the behavior of irresponsible people and businesses. We try and help our clients feel that in their own way they are saving other lives by seeking justice for a family member’s death.
As we said at the start, we are sorry for your loss. We hope this page has been helpful. If you’d like to talk with our lawyers, we are available to answer your questions in your home or in our office. We do not charge to answer questions. We promise to listen, and educate. Because we work on a contingency fee arrangement, it means you do not pay us for our time. We only get paid at the very end after we have successfully resolved your case and gotten you paid. We welcome you to email us or call us at 404-JUSTICE (404-587-8423) to speak with our experienced Atlanta wrongful death lawyers.
The statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of death. It can be tolled (extended) up to six years if the death arose because a crime had taken place, or up to five years if the estate is unprobated. Claims against government entities may have shorter deadlines, such as six months for cities. You need to know when to send an ante litem notice which requires hyper focus on the details.
Compensation is divided equally between the surviving spouse and children, but the spouse receives at least one-third regardless of the number of children. If there is no spouse and no children, then the compensation goes to the parents equally. If there is no immediate family that is living, it goes to the decedent's Estate for distribution to next of kin per intestacy laws or will.
Damages include the "full value of the life" as measured from the decedent’s eyes, e.g. (economic losses such as lost wages and non-economic which is what makes someone’s life special and worth living). In addition, the estate can collect damages for medical expenses, funeral costs, and the pre-impact pain and suffering before death. Punitive damages may apply in egregious cases.
To win a case, you need to prove negligence by showing: (1) the defendant owed a duty of care, (2) breached that duty through careless or reckless actions, (3) the breach directly caused the death, and (4) measurable damages resulted (e.g., financial losses, life lost, pain and suffering).
Most wrongful death lawyers in Georgia work on a contingency fee basis which means they do not get paid anything until they win. Most good lawyers receive between 33% to 40% of the win. You pay only if the case is won via settlement or trial. Expenses like court fees may be advanced by the lawyer.
Wrongful death litigation in Atlanta can take months to years. Simple cases may settle in 6-12 months, but complex ones involving investigations, discovery, experts, and trials can take 2-5 years or more, depending on court schedules and litigation schedules.
Most wrongful death cases in Georgia settle out of court (over 90%). Settlements obviously provide finality with quicker resolution and privacy, but if negotiations fail which can happen for a variety of reasons, the case may proceed to trial. You have the right to a jury trial and if you want a jury trial, you certainly can have one even if the insurance company offers you more than a jury may decide to award
To prove negligence you need to show: (1) duty of care was owed to the victim, (2) there was a breach of that duty through careless actions, (3) you can link a direct causation linking the breach to the death, and (4) resulting damages.
You cannot give an honest answer to this question and any lawyer that says there is an average, is not telling the truth. There is no true average. Reasons for that include the financial circumstances of the responsible party; the person who passed away; the insurance available; the skill of the lawyer representing the family; the victim’s age; the reason for the passing; and many other reasons. Settlements can range from as little as $50,000 if there is no insurance and the responsible party is penniless to $150 million. There is no way to tell or predict what a case is worth. You need an experienced trial-tested lawyer who can properly examine the case and all of the details to maximize the outcome.
Have more questions? Contact us for a free consultation with a trusted Atlanta Wrongful Death Lawyer.