Do I need a lawyer after a car accident in Los Angeles?
The local steps are quoted from Los Angeles agency pages and the California rules from state law, each with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
The short answer
Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County, so a car crash lawsuit from the city is filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. If your crash is worth $12,500 or less you can file it yourself in small claims. Before any of that, the insurer will want the Los Angeles crash report, and if your car was towed the storage bill is growing while you decide. Nobody who is paid to take your case can tell you honestly whether you need one, so this page shows you the three things that actually decide it: what your own paperwork says, what California does about fault, and how much time is left.
Before you call anyone, get the report
Every insurer and every lawyer will ask for the crash report first. It is the document that says who the officer believed caused it. In Los Angeles you get it here.
Where your report comes from
LAPD crash reports are ordered online through a LexisNexis police reports portal that the department links from its own request page.
“If you would like to obtain your Traffic Collision Report online, please click on the link below:”
How long you wait for it
Allow at least 45 days after the crash before the LAPD report has been reviewed, approved and released.
“please allow a minimum of 45 days from the date of the collision to allow the report to be reviewed and approved for release.”
Whose name is on it
The Los Angeles Police Department responds to crashes on city streets in Los Angeles, and its non emergency line is 1-877-ASK-LAPD, or 1-877-275-5273.
The bill that grows while you decide
Towing and storage in Los Angeles
A car towed after a crash in Los Angeles goes to one of the city's Official Police Garages. Paying by card it is $220.00 for the first hour of towing, $68.00 a day of storage and a $115.00 city release fee, and the charges must be paid before you get the car back.
“The towing and storage charges must be paid before the release of a vehicle.”
Storage is charged by the day, and an impound lot can sell a car that nobody claims. That clock runs whether or not anyone has admitted fault, so deal with the car first and argue about blame after.
Where a Los Angeles case is filed, and when you don't need a lawyer at all
The court that would hear it
Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County, so a car crash lawsuit from the city is filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. If your crash is worth $12,500 or less you can file it yourself in small claims.
“Generally, you can only sue for up to $12,500 in Small Claims Court (or up to $6,250 if you're a business).”
A small claim you file yourself costs a filing fee and an afternoon. A claim worth more than the small claims limit, or one where you are hurt, is the kind people bring a lawyer into. Neither choice is ours to make for you.
How fault changes what you get
If you were partly at fault
California uses pure comparative negligence. You can still recover money even if you were mostly at fault for the crash; your payout is just reduced by your own percentage of fault, no matter how high it is.
“the doctrine of comparative negligence should be applied in this state in its so-called 'pure' form under which the assessment of liability in proportion to fault proceeds in spite of the fact that the plaintiff is equally at fault as or more at fault than the defendant”
How long you have
- 2 years
- to sue for injuriesCal. Code Civ. Proc. 335.1
- 3 years
- to sue for car or property damageCal. Code Civ. Proc. 338(c)
- 2 years
- for a family to sue after a deathCal. Code Civ. Proc. 335.1
- 6 months
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedCal. Gov. Code 911.2
How injury lawyers charge in California
Contingency fee rules
California does not cap contingency fee percentages for ordinary car crash injury cases; those fees only have to be reasonable and in writing under the state's professional conduct rules. A specific fee cap in state law applies only to medical malpractice cases, not standard car accident claims.
“Twenty-five percent of the dollar amount recovered" when settlement occurs before filing a civil complaint or arbitration demand... "Thirty-three percent of the dollar amount recovered" after filing a complaint or arbitration demand”
Questions to ask any lawyer before you sign
- What percentage do you charge, and does it change if the case goes to trial?
- Who pays case costs like records and expert fees if we lose?
- Will you handle my case yourself, or pass it to someone else?
- How long do cases like mine usually take here?
- What is the deadline for my claim, and when will you file?
Other California rules that can change what you get
- If a Los Angeles vehicle or a road defect was involved
If a government vehicle, employee, or road is involved, you must present a claim to that government within 6 months of the crash for injury, death, or property damage, or you can lose the right to sue.
Cal. Gov. Code 911.2- If the insurer is the problem
To complain about an insurance company in California, file electronically through the California Department of Insurance's online complaint system, linked from its Getting Help page.
Source
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
The state law behind these steps
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.