Choosing an Attorney for a Slip and Fall
A fall in a store or building does not explain how a condition arose, who controlled the area or whether it should have been found. When choosing counsel, separate a temporary spill from a fixed defect and describe exactly where and when you fell. Ask each candidate which inspection, cleaning, repair or video record would clarify notice of the condition. Their answer should fit the facts, not assume a set number of minutes proves fault.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.
Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
California civil jury instructions address the unsafe condition and whether the responsible party knew or reasonably should have known about it. For a temporary condition, ask how counsel would investigate its source and duration; for a fixed feature, ask about repair history or complaints. Compare the proposed record requests and who would pursue them. The presence or absence of a warning sign is relevant context, not a complete liability ruling.
Consultation worksheet
Slip-and-fall counsel comparison
Use the same precise location and incident description with each candidate. Record both the theory and the record that could test it.
There is no submit or save action. Copy your notes before leaving this page.
Was this a temporary substance or a fixed defect? What fact supports that classification?
Which inspection, cleaning, repair, complaint or video record could address when it arose or was known?
Who possesses each missing record and how would counsel seek or preserve it?
What competing explanation or visibility issue should be examined fairly?
Who handles the claim and any lawsuit, and how are records, experts and other costs approved?
Sources for this guide
- State Bar of California: Before selecting an attorney
Explains how consumers can check a lawyer’s standing and compare candidates before choosing representation.
- State Bar of California: Fees and billing
Supports asking about the fee arrangement, case expenses, billing and the written scope of work.
- Judicial Council of California: Civil Jury Instructions (2026)
Primary California court instructions, including comparative-fault and premises-liability elements; a jury instruction is a framework, not a ruling on an individual claim.
- California Courts: Discovery in civil cases
Describes ways parties may request information and documents in civil litigation, including records held by another party or nonparty.
- California Civil Code section 1714
General California duty-of-care statute; the premises jury instructions explain the further fact-specific elements.
Compare Counsel Step by Step
- 1Describe the surface and precise spot. Note whether it was a spill, loose item, height change or other condition, and distinguish what you saw before and after falling.
- 2Identify the business, incident-report contact, witnesses and any video or cleaning records likely to be held elsewhere.
- 3Check candidate licenses and compare the specific inspection or notice theory each would test.
- 4Read written terms for record requests, expert work, expenses and representation through a possible lawsuit.
Records for Comparing Candidates
- Original photographs of the exact spot, footwear and condition, with the date and who took each image
- Incident report, witness contacts, known camera locations and any business communication
- Any available inspection, cleaning, repair or complaint history; record who may hold missing records
- Candidate notes on the notice theory, first request, lawyer responsible and written expense terms
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating the fall itself as proof that a property operator knew of the hazard
- Assuming a spill was present for a legally decisive number of minutes without evidence
- Failing to identify the precise location and possible video holder
- Choosing counsel before asking how inspection and cleaning records would be sought
How the Process Typically Works
Define the condition
Record the exact location and what was observed, including whether the surface changed afterward.
Test notice
Ask counsel what video, inspection, cleaning or repair record might show how long the condition existed or who knew of it.
Confirm the work
Agree on the responsible lawyer, record requests, communication and written cost treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a wet floor without a sign enough to prove negligence?
The missing sign is one fact, but California’s unsafe-condition instruction also asks about the condition, knowledge or reasonable discovery, action and causation. Ask counsel what inspection or video record could answer the open question.
How long must a spill have been there?
There is no safe universal number to use. CACI 1011 addresses constructive notice through a fact-specific assessment of how long the condition existed and whether reasonable inspection would have found it.
What if the condition was a broken stair rather than a spill?
Ask how counsel would investigate the feature’s condition, control, prior repair or complaint history. A fixed feature may require a different record plan from a transient spill.
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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Important Disclosures
Attorney Advertising. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, not a law firm. This website provides general information, not legal advice. Viewing a page or submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Independent participating attorneys decide whether to accept a matter, and representation begins only under a separate written agreement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.