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Knowledge, experience, and dedication have brought the lawyers of The Epstein Law Firm to the forefront of their profession. From personal injury to civil litigation, they have built a strong record of success in achieving justice for their clients.
Our practice is diverse and well-established. Recognizing that every case is unique, we always begin by listening to you.
The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. has been successfully representing clients throughout New Jersey since 1973
With more than 860,000 residents, Essex County is New Jersey’s second-most populous county — and one of its busiest. Serious injuries happen here every day: multi-vehicle crashes on I-280 and the Garden State Parkway, pedestrian and rideshare collisions around Newark Penn Station, falls on commercial properties, and accidents at construction sites from Newark to Livingston. When someone else’s carelessness causes those injuries, New Jersey law gives the injured person the right to seek compensation from those at fault.
The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. has represented injured New Jersey clients since 1973. Every case starts with listening — what happened, what the injury has cost you in medical bills and lost income, and how daily life has changed. From there we build outward: investigating who is responsible, preserving evidence before it disappears, documenting the full extent of your losses, and preparing the case as though it will be tried, so the insurance company takes it seriously from the start.
If you were hurt in Essex County because of someone else’s negligence, you can discuss your personal injury claim in a free consultation. Personal injury cases are generally handled on a contingency basis, so you do not pay an attorney’s fee unless compensation is recovered.
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The Epstein Law Firm can review your personal injury claim and explain the evidence, deadlines, and next steps that may apply.
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When your injuries are serious, you need more than someone who will forward paperwork to an insurance adjuster. You need a lawyer who can identify the right defendants, document the full effect of the injury, and prepare the case for litigation if the insurer will not offer a fair resolution.
The Epstein Law Firm has represented New Jersey clients since 1973. The firm reports more than 120 years of combined legal experience and more than $150 million recovered. Its published results include a $13.585 million confidential settlement, a $10 million bus-accident recovery, an $8.2 million confidential settlement, a $4.2 million wrongful-death recovery, a $4 million car-accident recovery, and a $4.75 million confidential settlement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Michael J. Epstein earned his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He clerked for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Marie L. Garibaldi and U.S. District Judge Alfred M. Wolin before entering private practice. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney, has served as president of the Bergen County Bar Association, and has been recognized by Best Lawyers and New Jersey Super Lawyers.
The firm’s history began with Barry D. Epstein, who has practiced civil litigation with an emphasis on personal injury, products liability, and medical malpractice. Barry has been designated as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey since 1984 and served as president of the New Jersey State Bar Association from May 2000 through May 2001.
The firm’s published client reviews repeatedly describe prompt communication, responsiveness, and compassion. Consultations are free, and personal injury cases are generally handled on a contingency basis, so clients do not pay an attorney’s fee unless compensation is recovered.
Essex County is the state’s second-most populous county, and its roads carry some of the heaviest traffic in New Jersey. The patterns of serious injury here follow the county’s busiest corridors. Interstate 280 runs east-west through East Orange, Orange, and West Orange into Newark, and its merge zones and construction stretches see frequent multi-vehicle crashes. The Garden State Parkway cuts north-south through Irvington and Newark, while Route 21 (McCarter Highway) runs along the Passaic River with heavy truck and commuter traffic. Routes 1 & 9 carry constant seaport and airport-related truck traffic along the county’s eastern edge.
Pedestrian and transit injuries concentrate in the urban core: the streets around Newark Penn Station, the Broad Street commercial district, and corridors like Springfield Avenue in Irvington and Bloomfield Avenue through Newark, Bloomfield, and Montclair, where buses, rideshares, and foot traffic mix all day. Parking lots and garages around the Short Hills Mall area in Millburn, downtown Newark developments, and active construction sites from Harrison to the Oranges produce falls and equipment-related injuries. Recreational areas carry their own risks — the winding roads of South Mountain Reservation and the traffic around Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, and the park drives through Branch Brook Park in Newark and Belleville.
Different kinds of accidents create different legal challenges. A truck crash can involve federal motor-carrier records and several insurers; a fall on commercial property turns on maintenance logs and notice; a medical malpractice claim requires an affidavit of merit from a qualified physician. The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. handles the full range of personal injury matters, including:
When you hire The Epstein Law Firm, P.A., your case gets a team that prepares every claim as though it will be decided by a jury. Here is what that means in practice:
Evidence fades quickly in a county this busy — surveillance footage gets overwritten, vehicles get repaired, and witnesses move on. New Jersey law also sets firm deadlines, including a two-year limit for most injury lawsuits and a 90-day notice requirement for claims against public entities. Contact The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. today for a free case evaluation, and let us start protecting your claim while the evidence is still available.
The Epstein Law Firm can review the evidence, insurance issues, and next steps that may matter in your personal injury claim.
The steps you take in the first hours after an accident protect both your health and your legal options. Call 911 immediately so police and EMS respond — in Newark, that is the Newark Police Division, headquartered at 480 Clinton Avenue (non-emergency (973) 733-6000); in the county’s other municipalities, the local police department responds, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office at 50 West Market Street, Newark, (973) 621-4111, handles county roadways and facilities. Ask for the report number and find out how to obtain a copy of the crash report.
Get medical attention right away, even if you feel fine — some serious injuries take hours or days to surface. University Hospital at 150 Bergen Street in Newark is northern New Jersey’s only Level I trauma center. Then, photograph the scene, the vehicles, road or property conditions, and your visible injuries; collect names and phone numbers of witnesses; and save torn clothing, damaged items, and dashcam footage. Notify your own auto insurer promptly so personal injury protection (PIP) benefits can begin. Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before you have legal guidance.
Strong cases are built on documentation gathered early. The most persuasive evidence in a county injury claim usually includes:
Above all, avoid gaps in treatment. Follow your doctor’s plan and keep every appointment — weeks of unexplained silence between visits gives the insurer room to argue you were not seriously hurt.
New Jersey sets strict time limits on injury claims. The general statute of limitations for personal injury is two years from the date of the accident (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2), and missing it can end your case entirely. Limited exceptions exist — the discovery rule can extend the deadline when an injury was not immediately knowable, and claims for minors are tolled — but you should never assume an exception applies to you. Wrongful death claims also generally carry a two-year limit (N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3).
Auto accident claims run through New Jersey’s no-fault system: your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays initial medical expenses regardless of fault (N.J.S.A. 39:6A-1 et seq.). Whether you can also sue for pain and suffering depends on your policy’s lawsuit option — the “limitation on lawsuit” (verbal threshold) option restricts pain-and-suffering claims to injuries meeting defined serious-injury categories (N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8), while the “no limitation” option preserves broader rights. New Jersey is a modified comparative negligence state: you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, with your recovery reduced by your share of fault (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1). Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.1) often becomes critical when the at-fault driver has little or no insurance.
Many injured people worry that some share of blame destroys their case. Under New Jersey’s modified comparative negligence rule, it does not — as long as you were not more than 50% responsible, you can still recover, with your award reduced by your percentage of fault (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1). A jury, not the insurance adjuster, ultimately assigns those percentages.
Local examples are common: a driver turning left across Bloomfield Avenue misjudges an oncoming car that was speeding; a pedestrian crosses mid-block on Springfield Avenue where the nearest crosswalk is far away; a motorist follows too closely on I-280 when traffic suddenly compresses. In each scenario, fault may be shared — say 30% to you and 70% to the other party, in which case a $100,000 award becomes $70,000. What matters is that adjusters routinely exaggerate your share to shrink the payout. Never admit fault at the scene, and let an attorney evaluate how responsibility will actually be apportioned before you discuss blame with anyone.
Identifying every responsible party matters, because different defendants bring different insurance coverage. Depending on the facts, liability may fall on:
A personal injury claim seeks to make you financially whole. Economic damages cover measurable losses: past and future medical bills, lost wages and diminished earning capacity, property damage, and out-of-pocket costs like prescriptions, travel to treatment, and household help. Non-economic damages address what cannot be tallied on a receipt: pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement and scarring, emotional distress, and — for a spouse — loss of consortium.
When negligence causes a death, New Jersey’s Wrongful Death Act allows certain family members to recover pecuniary losses such as lost financial support and services (N.J.S.A. 2A:31-2), while the Survivor Act preserves the claims the deceased person could have brought (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-3). Punitive damages are rare and capped by statute. Be aware that PIP payments, health insurance, and other collateral sources can affect what you ultimately keep (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-97) — another reason the full picture of damages should be calculated before any settlement discussion.
When a government entity may be responsible — a county road defect, an NJ Transit bus or light rail collision, an injury at a county facility, or a crash involving a municipal vehicle — New Jersey’s Tort Claims Act imposes special rules and a brutally short deadline. You must serve a formal notice of claim on the public entity within 90 days of the incident (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8): the municipal clerk for a town or city, county counsel for the county, the Attorney General for the state, and NJ Transit for transit claims. Miss the 90 days and your claim is generally barred; a court may allow late notice within one year only upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances (N.J.S.A. 59:8-9).
Public entities are not liable the way private parties are. For a dangerous condition of public property, you must show the condition created a foreseeable risk, that the entity had notice of it, and that its response was palpably unreasonable (N.J.S.A. 59:4-2) — think unrepaired potholes or washouts on county-maintained roads, or a broken stair at a public building. Public employees enjoy immunities for discretionary decisions. Because these cases turn on notice, timelines, and immunities from day one, speak with an attorney immediately if a government entity could be involved.
Personal injury lawsuits arising in Essex County are filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex Vicinage. Civil cases are heard at the Veterans Courthouse, 50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ 07102, (973) 776-9300; the Civil Division Customer Service Center sits in the Hall of Records, 465 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Room 201, Newark. Family matters are handled at the Wynona Lipman Family Court, 350 University Avenue, Newark. Traffic tickets, ordinance violations, and minor matters go to the municipal court of the town where the incident occurred.
For emergency care, University Hospital at 150 Bergen Street, Newark, is northern New Jersey’s only Level I trauma center — the destination for the county’s most severe injuries. For police records, the Newark Police Division is headquartered at 480 Clinton Avenue, Newark, NJ 07108 (non-emergency (973) 733-6000); other municipalities have their own departments, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office at 50 West Market Street, Newark, (973) 621-4111, covers county roadways and facilities. The Epstein Law Firm’s Montclair office sits right in Essex County, so our attorneys are regularly in these courthouses and familiar with the local procedures.
Investigation starts immediately, because evidence in a busy county disappears fast. We move to identify the correct responding agency and obtain the police report, visit the scene to document conditions before they change, and send written preservation demands for surveillance footage, vehicle data, and business records before they are overwritten or destroyed. Vehicles are inspected, and in serious crashes we retain accident reconstruction experts to analyze crush damage, roadway evidence, and electronic data.
From there we build the full picture: canvassing for witnesses, assembling a complete medical chronology from every provider, and mapping every available layer of insurance — PIP, the at-fault driver’s liability policy, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, commercial and excess policies, and umbrella coverage. When the insurer will not pay fairly, we file in the Essex Vicinage and prepare the case for a jury. Local familiarity matters throughout: knowing which department responded, which courthouse the case belongs in, and how this county’s roads and traffic patterns actually work.
Essex County sits in northeastern New Jersey and is the state’s second-most populous county, with 863,728 residents counted in the 2020 census. Its county seat is Newark, also New Jersey’s most populous city. Named for the county in England, Essex County is part of the New York City metropolitan area. The eastern half of the county, closer to New York City, is densely populated and urban, while the western portion tends to be suburban. Municipalities in eastern Essex County have undergone significant redevelopment in recent decades following the mid-20th-century loss of manufacturing industries.
Serious injuries from across the county are treated at facilities including University Hospital in Newark, the only state-designated Level I Trauma Center for Northern New Jersey. Contested personal injury lawsuits arising in the county are generally heard in the Essex Vicinage of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Newark.
Essex County’s geography changes how accidents happen and how they should be investigated. Major corridors including Interstate 280, the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike, and Route 21 carry heavy commuter and commercial traffic through the county, while Newark Penn Station serves as one of the region’s busiest rail hubs and Newark Liberty International Airport sits on the county’s eastern edge. A crash on an interstate involves different records and responsible agencies than a fall on a municipal sidewalk or a collision on a county road.
The county’s character also shifts from east to west. The dense urban corridor around Newark, Irvington, and East Orange produces heavy pedestrian, bus, rideshare, and delivery traffic, while the suburban west — Millburn, Livingston, the Caldwells, and Montclair — sees more commuter and school-zone collisions. An investigation must begin by identifying who controlled the precise location: the state, the county, the municipality, a transit agency, a private owner, or a contractor.
Contested personal injury lawsuits arising in Essex County generally proceed in the Essex Vicinage of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Newark. Early investigation matters everywhere, but particularly here: surveillance footage, vehicle data, and witness accounts can disappear quickly in a county this busy.
The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. has been successfully representing clients throughout Essex County, NJ since 1973 including the cities listed below.
Our top-rated accident attorneys have an office located nearby Essex County at 340 West Passaic Street, Rochelle Park, NJ 07662. Call today for a free consultation.
The Epstein Law Firm serves clients from three New Jersey locations:
Call (201) 231-7847 for a free consultation.
The Epstein Law Firm represents injured clients throughout Essex County, including:
If you were injured anywhere in Essex County, call (201) 231-7847 for a free consultation.
These answers provide general information. The type of accident, parties involved, available evidence, insurance coverage, and applicable exceptions can change the legal analysis.
You may have a personal injury case if another party failed to use legally required care, that conduct caused your injury, and you suffered compensable losses. An accident or poor outcome alone does not prove negligence, and each type of case has its own liability standard.
A lawyer will usually examine how the event occurred, who controlled the relevant vehicle, property, product, work, or treatment, and whether the available evidence connects that party’s conduct to the injury. Medical documentation and proof of financial or personal loss are also important. Early review also helps identify deadlines and evidence that can disappear quickly, such as surveillance footage or vehicle data.
Sources: New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.10A—Negligence and Ordinary Care; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 6.10—Proximate Cause.
Get appropriate medical care, report the incident, document conditions if it is safe, and preserve records and physical evidence. If you suffered a head impact, monitor symptoms and obtain emergency help for worsening headaches, repeated vomiting, seizures, unusual behavior, slurred speech, increasing confusion, or difficulty waking.
Keep discharge instructions, bills, photographs, insurance correspondence, and witness information together. After a motor-vehicle collision, obtain the police information and determine whether an MVC accident report is required. Do not delay necessary treatment to photograph a scene or collect evidence. Save the contact information for any responding police department and note the report number so the report can be requested later.
Sources: CDC Symptoms of Mild TBI and Concussion; HHS Your Medical Records; New Jersey MVC Forms.
New Jersey generally allows two years to file an action for personal injury caused by another party’s wrongful act, neglect, or default. The deadline is measured from when the claim accrues, but the legally controlling date can depend on the facts.
Exceptions and different periods may apply to minors, birth-related medical malpractice, delayed discovery, public-entity claims, wrongful death, and other matters. Because missing the correct deadline can prevent a lawsuit, the date should be reviewed before assuming that the general two-year rule controls. A lawyer can also evaluate whether a discovery-rule argument or a tolling provision applies when an injury was not immediately apparent.
Sources: New Jersey Statute 2A:14-2—Actions for Injury Caused by Wrongful Act; NJ Courts Civil and Law Division Frequently Asked Questions.
A claim involving a state, county, municipal, or other public entity requires immediate attention because New Jersey’s Tort Claims Act generally requires notice within 90 days after accrual. Filing an insurance claim or incident report may not satisfy the statutory notice requirement.
The correct recipient depends on the entity involved. New Jersey’s state claim portal is for claims against state departments, agencies, officials, and employees; claims against Essex County or a municipality generally must be submitted directly to that entity. Courts may permit some late notices within one year, but only under statutory conditions.
Sources: New Jersey Treasury Tort and Liability Notice; New Jersey Statute 59:8-9—Notice of Late Claim.
You may still recover under New Jersey’s modified comparative-negligence law if your responsibility was not greater than the negligence attributed to the party or combined parties from whom you seek recovery. Any award is reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, an injured person found 20% responsible would generally receive 80% of the assessed damages. If the injured person’s fault is greater than the responsible defendant or combined defendants, recovery is barred. Fault percentages depend on the evidence and are not determined solely by an insurer’s initial opinion. Because insurers often argue the injured person shares the blame, how fault is allocated can become the central fight in settlement talks.
Sources: New Jersey Statute 2A:15-5.1—Comparative Negligence; New Jersey Statute 2A:15-5.2—Findings and Percentage of Fault.
Personal Injury Protection generally pays covered medical expenses and certain economic losses after an auto accident regardless of who caused the crash, subject to the policy’s terms, deductibles, limits, and coverage selections. A liability claim against the responsible driver is separate.
The ability to recover pain-and-suffering damages may depend on whether the applicable policy provides an unlimited or limited right to sue. Under the limited option, the injury generally must satisfy a statutory category. The policy, household coverage, vehicle involved, and injured person’s status should all be reviewed. Keep copies of every explanation of benefits and provider bill, so disputes about what PIP paid can be resolved from records rather than memory.
Sources: NJDOBI Standard Auto Insurance Policy; NJDOBI Auto Insurance Consumer Information; New Jersey Statute 39:6A-8—Limitation on Noneconomic-Loss Claims.
Preserve photographs, videos, reports, witness information, medical records, bills, insurance communications, and proof of lost income. Keep any damaged product, clothing, or other property in its present condition when you legally possess it, and avoid repairs or disposal until preservation has been discussed.
You do not need to obtain every possible record yourself. A lawyer may request surveillance footage, contracts, maintenance records, vehicle data, employment files, or government records. Patients generally have a right under HIPAA to obtain copies of medical and billing records from covered providers and plans. It also helps to write down what you remember as soon as you can, while details like lighting, weather, and exact positions are still fresh.
Sources: HHS Your Medical Records; New Jersey MVC Forms and Record Requests.
A claim may provide compensation for reasonable medical expenses, future care, rehabilitation, lost income, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and other supported losses. Property damage may also be recoverable in an appropriate case.
There is no universal settlement amount. Value depends on liability, medical evidence, prognosis, insurance limits, prior conditions, future needs, credibility, and the injury’s effect on work and daily life. Comparative negligence and claim-specific restrictions may reduce or limit recovery. Document how the injury affects daily routines, since journals, photographs, and testimony from family members can help show losses that bills alone do not capture.
Sources: NJ Courts Model Civil Jury Charges; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 8.11C—Loss of Earnings; New Jersey Statute 2A:15-5.2—Findings and Damages.
Many New Jersey personal injury matters are handled under a written contingent-fee agreement, meaning the lawyer’s fee depends on obtaining a recovery. New Jersey Court Rule 1:21-7 regulates contingent fees in tort cases and establishes maximum percentages that vary by the amount recovered and certain client circumstances.
The agreement should explain how the fee is calculated and how litigation costs, medical liens, or other deductions will be addressed. Attorney fees and case expenses are different, so prospective clients should ask what happens to expenses if there is no recovery. Initial consultations for personal injury matters are typically free, so you can understand the fee structure before committing.
Sources: New Jersey Supreme Court 2014 Omnibus Rule Amendment Order—Rule 1:21-7; New Jersey Supreme Court Civil Practice Committee 2024–2026 Report.
There is no fixed timetable. A straightforward claim may resolve after treatment and investigation, while a case involving severe injuries, multiple defendants, disputed responsibility, expert testimony, or litigation can take substantially longer.
A lawyer generally should not recommend final settlement before the medical outlook and major future losses can be evaluated. If a lawsuit is filed, the case may include pleadings, written discovery, depositions, expert reports, motions, settlement discussions, and trial preparation. Court schedules and the parties’ cooperation also affect timing. Cases filed in the Essex Vicinage proceed through New Jersey’s civil track system, and discovery schedules, motion practice, and court availability all influence timing.
Sources: NJ Courts Civil and Law Division Frequently Asked Questions; NJ Courts Civil Practice Division; NJ Courts How to File a Superior Court Civil Complaint.
We want to express our deepest gratitude for the exceptional work you did to insure that our father’s unfortunate accident did not go unrecognized; my dear dad would have appreciated your professionalism, unstoppable work ethic and most of all your compassion every step of the way. Please know we have the highest regard and the utmost respect for you. Deb & Joe
We want to express our deepest gratitude for the exceptional work you did to insure that our father’s unfortunate accident did not go unrecognized; my dear dad would have appreciated your professionalism, unstoppable work ethic and most of all your compassion every step of the way. Please know we have the highest regard and the utmost respect for you.
Thank you again for all of your help, support and advice. You’ve made a trying and difficult time much easier to deal with for my family and myself. You will never have any idea how much your efforts were, and will forever be appreciated. F. D.
Thank you again for all of your help, support and advice. You’ve made a trying and difficult time much easier to deal with for my family and myself. You will never have any idea how much your efforts were, and will forever be appreciated.
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340 West Passaic Street Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
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560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 1000-A Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (By Appointment Only)
201-734-3763
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18-20 Lackawanna Plaza, Suite 200 Montclair, NJ 07042 (By Appointment Only)
973-381-8410
The Epstein Law Firm
The Epstein Law Firm