Gfeller Laurie’s specialized Transportation practice group is a full-service legal team skilled in all legal aspects of the transportation industry. Our collaborative team is comprised of attorneys from multiple Gfeller Laurie offices. They coordinate with each other to meet our clients’ needs effectively and efficiently in multiple states so that our clients can focus on moving their business forward. A Gfeller Laurie partner always serves as the client’s central point of contact, and our team has an in-depth understanding of the trucking industry as well as individual clients and the legal issues and risks they face in their daily operations. We know trucking cases are nuanced and governed by a unique set of rules and legal norms. Our experienced attorneys handle rapid response investigations of catastrophic accidents, and promptly investigate and defend catastrophic injury claims, property damage claims, and product liability inquiries. Our multidisciplinary team also assists trucking clients in minimizing risks.
Our attorneys are highly experienced and well known in the defense world. When we take in a new matter, we immediately evaluate it to determine the best strategy to achieve a successful resolution either through direct settlement discussions, ADR, or trial. We believe that if a case is properly prepared for trial, it will necessarily be positioned with maximum leverage for a favorable pre-trial resolution as well. We devise our game plan and then execute it.
We take a long-tailed view on liability. From a value-added perspective, we regularly advise insureds on how to learn from litigation and avoid liability claims going forward. We view our relationships with clients not as a business relationship, but as a partnership. In fact, many of our litigation clients (for whom we were originally appointed as defense counsel) have engaged us for potential claim investigation,
related counseling, and risk management services well after their original lawsuit has been resolved. Many of our clients see the value of this type of comprehensive, end-to-end legal service.
Our experienced, collaborative team works across all of our offices and legal disciplines to provide trucking and transportation-focused companies with all the counsel and representation they need to keep their businesses rolling—from prompt investigation and aggressive defense of a catastrophic injury case, discussion of property damage allegations, diminished value claims, to proactive advice on avoiding future liability, risk mitigation or insurance coverage concerns.
Because of our experience, we offer greater efficiency, seamless service, and streamlined communications across all our offices (often through one or two main contacts), which thereby helps our clients minimize risk and wasted time, while maximizing resolution of cases and reducing unnecessary legal fees. We understand the stresses of litigation and do our best to make sure that our clients’ cases are resolved as expeditiously as possible.
In addition to our handling of cases, we also offer 24-hour Emergency Response handling. Our attorneys have handled emergency response calls involving deaths, catastrophic property damage, and bodily injury claims throughout the Northeast. We coordinate with a team of investigators, engineers, and accident reconstruction experts to make sure that no stone is left unturned. Our attorneys work with these experts so that our clients have as much information as possible, as early as possible, to make sure they are in the best position possible to correctly evaluate their liability position and damages exposure. Our attorneys have a streamlined investigation manual of steps to follow so that all necessary information is collected and preserved to best manage any ongoing investigation and future liability defense.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Contacting local police;
- Photographing the scene;
- Securing the client’s vehicle as soon as possible;
- Performing an EDR download and inspection of all vehicles involved in the accident;
- Collecting any surveillance video that may exist;
Our team includes attorneys who have worked for AMLaw 150 Law Firms handling high stakes litigation in some of the toughest venues within the United States, including New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When pre-trial resolution is not possible, our litigators are prepared to defend against liability and overzealous damages claims. We have strong relationships with leading experts within accident reconstruction, biomechanical analysis, orthopedic medicine, traumatic brain injury evaluations, diminished value claims, vocational rehabilitation, and other disciplines.
Our goal is to make sure that when a crash occurs, or litigation arises, that our clients are well taken care of, well-prepared for their defense and that the best possible outcome is reached on their behalf.