Website Terms of Use

1. Acceptance

This website is published by Rich Harris, A Law Corporation (the “Firm”), 8175 Limonite Avenue, Suite A, Riverside, CA 92509. By accessing or using the site you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

2. Attorney advertising

This website is an advertisement and a communication under the California Rules of Professional Conduct, including rules 7.1 through 7.5, and under California Business and Professions Code sections 6157 through 6159.2. Rich Harris is responsible for its content. Licensed to practice law in the State of California only.

Nothing on this site should be understood as a promise, guarantee or prediction about the outcome of any legal matter.

3. California only

This website is intended to be viewed by residents of California and by those who have wrongful death claims that arose in California or that are viable under California or United States federal law. The Firm and its lawyers are licensed by the State Bar of California and practice in the State of California. This website should not be construed as an offer to perform legal services in any other state.

4. No legal advice

The content here is general information about California law. It is not legal advice, it is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer who knows the facts of your situation, and it may be out of date. California law changes, and the correct answer in one case is frequently the wrong answer in another that looks similar.

Do not act, or decline to act, based on anything you read here without speaking to a lawyer.

5. No representation unless a fee agreement is signed

Reading this site, submitting the consultation form, using the live chat, sending email, or speaking with a member of the staff does not create an attorney-client relationship. The Firm has no obligation to perform legal services for you unless a fee agreement is signed by both you and the President of the Firm. Until then you are not a client of the Firm, and you remain personally and fully responsible for all time limitations imposed by law.

Until that happens, please do not send confidential or privileged information. The Firm may already represent, or may have already been consulted by, someone with interests adverse to yours, and until a conflicts check is complete an unsolicited disclosure may not be protected in the way you expect. Duties the Firm does owe to a prospective client are described in our Privacy Policy and arise under Rule of Professional Conduct 1.18.

6. Warning: time limits for bringing claims and lawsuits

California claims expire. Wrongful death claims and lawsuits must be brought within the time required by applicable law. Failure to bring a claim or lawsuit within the applicable time limit (statute of limitations) may result in the loss of your legal rights. The deadlines below are general, each has exceptions, and the exceptions are technical:

• Most wrongful death and personal injury claims against private parties: Two years from the date of death or injury (Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1)
• Claims against a California public entity or employee: A written government claim is generally due within six months; a late-claim application may be possible up to one year (Gov. Code §§ 911.2, 911.4)
• Medical malpractice (NOT handled by this firm; consult a specialist immediately): Generally one year from discovery of the injury, and in no event more than three years from the date of injury, with limited tolling exceptions. A 90-day notice of intent is also required before suit (Code Civ. Proc. §§ 340.5, 364)
• Claims involving minors or certain disabilities: May be tolled, but the government-claim deadlines above often still apply (Code Civ. Proc. § 352)

The six-month government claim deadline catches people most often, because it applies whenever a city, county, transit agency, school district, public hospital or state agency may be responsible, including many road design and public vehicle cases. Do not assume you have two years. If there is any chance a public entity is involved, speak to a lawyer immediately.

Nothing on this page tolls, extends or preserves any deadline. Only timely action does.

7. Terms of the free consultation

Free consultations are offered on a case-by-case basis. Not all matters will be offered a consultation following a preliminary discussion with a paralegal, and not all cases will be accepted. Call our office at (888) 660-4529 to determine whether your case qualifies for a free consultation. A free consultation does not obligate the Firm to represent you, nor does it obligate you to hire the Firm.

The Firm handles accepted matters on a contingency fee basis and advances case costs. If there is no recovery, the client owes no fee and no costs. The exact terms offered, if any, may vary on a case by case basis and are set out in the written fee agreement, not on this website.

8. No medical malpractice cases accepted

The Firm does not consult on or otherwise accept medical malpractice cases. This includes wrongful deaths from the negligent acts of healthcare providers or healthcare facilities. Those claims carry much shorter deadlines; if that is your situation, consult a medical malpractice specialist immediately.

9. No guarantee, warranty or prediction

Testimonials or endorsements do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts.

Any case results described on this site reflect the specific facts, injuries, insurance coverage and venue of that matter. Your matter will differ. Dramatizations, if any appear, are identified as such in accordance with Business and Professions Code section 6158.1.

10. Attorney referrals accepted

Attorney referrals are routinely accepted, with fees divided in accordance with rule 1.5.1 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable case law: a written agreement between the lawyers, the client’s written consent after full disclosure, and no increase in the fee the client pays.

11. Unsolicited commercial electronic communications

The Firm requests that you not use any of the communication tools on this site, including without limitation the Free Consultation Request form and the email address provided here, to transmit, distribute or facilitate the distribution of unsolicited commercial advertisements to the Firm. Any such use is a violation of these terms, and the Firm reserves all rights to seek damages against spammers under California and federal law, including the CAN-SPAM Act, 15 U.S.C. section 7701 and following.

If you send the Firm one or more unsolicited commercial electronic communications through the Free Consultation Request form, by email or by text message, you agree to pay the Firm the sum of $500 for each communication. You agree that venue for any such claim for payment is the Riverside County Superior Court, and that immediately upon sending an unsolicited commercial electronic communication to the Firm you will mail, by first class United States Postal Service, a $500 check payable to Rich Harris, A Law Corporation at 8175 Limonite Avenue, Suite A, Riverside, CA 92509. Every submission through the form is recorded with its IP address, timestamp and browser.

12. Third-party links and directory information

This site links to county coroner and medical examiner offices, superior courts, funeral and probate providers, state agencies and similar third parties. Those organizations are independent of the Firm. We do not control them and we do not endorse them.

Directory details change. Addresses, phone numbers and office names for the 58 California counties are published here as a convenience and are believed accurate as of the effective date above. Confirm current details with the office directly before relying on them.

13. Intellectual property

Your use of this website is subject to the copyright, trademark, service mark and intellectual property law of the United States. The text, layout, graphics and organization of this site are owned by the Firm. You may read, print and share pages for your own personal, non-commercial use, including the article PDFs offered for download. No other reproduction or republication of this website or its content is permitted without the express written permission of Rich Harris, A Law Corporation, and you may not scrape, resell or use this content to train a commercial model.

14. Disclaimer of warranties

The site is provided “as is.” To the fullest extent permitted by California law, the Firm disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including any warranty of accuracy, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted or error-free.

15. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Firm will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special or punitive damages arising from your use of this site, even if advised of the possibility.

Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including under California Civil Code section 1668, and nothing here limits a lawyer’s professional obligations to an actual client.

16. Governing law and venue

Your use of this website is at your own risk and subject to California law. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of the site will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Riverside County, California, and you consent to that venue.

17. Privacy policy

Your use of this website is subject to the Privacy Policy. By using this website you acknowledge having read, understood and accepted the Privacy Policy of the Firm.

18. Accessibility

This site is built to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. If any part of it is difficult for you to use with a screen reader or other assistive technology, call (888) 660-4529 or email docs@richharrislaw.com and we will provide the information you need in another format and fix the problem.

19. Changes

We may revise these terms at any time by posting an updated version with a new effective date. Continued use of the site after that date means you accept the revision.

20. Contact

Rich Harris, A Law Corporation
8175 Limonite Avenue, Suite A
Riverside, CA 92509
(888) 660-4529
docs@richharrislaw.com