★★★★★
"They told me what the case was worth, and then they got more. Margaret answered her own phone the day my employer cut my hours."
$1.4Mrecovered
Hartwell & Reed represents seriously injured clients across the state. We cap our caseload at 40 so every file gets the attention a life-changing case deserves.
Most injured people we meet are stuck in three quiet pressures, all at once. Naming them is the first step toward a fair outcome.
Their job is to settle low and fast. Yours is to recover. Without counsel reading the policy and citing comparable verdicts, the first offer is almost always a fraction of the case's real value.
You're not working. Bills don't pause. Liens stack up against a recovery that hasn't happened yet. The pressure to take any check — just to breathe — becomes louder than the math.
Statutes of limitation, treatment gaps, recorded statements, surveillance. Every week without representation is a week the defense uses to shrink your case — quietly, on the record.
Most firms run 200–400 active files per attorney. We don't. A capped caseload means the partner who shakes your hand is the partner who reads your medical records, drafts your demand, and sits at trial.
Most cases should settle. The best leverage to settle them fairly is a defense team that knows we'll try them. We build every file as if it's going to a jury, then negotiate from that position of strength.
A capped caseload, partner-led from intake to disbursement — so the file the defense sees is built for trial, and the offer that arrives reflects it.
You leave with a written next-steps memo and a clear sense of whether your case has merit, what it's likely worth, and how the contingency math works for your specific facts.
Margaret or David reviews the file with you — not an intake screener.
Range based on injury, jurisdiction, and 5+ comparable recent verdicts.
We pull the at-fault policy + your UIM and identify all coverage layers.
Hard deadlines and treatment-gap risk dates, sent to you in writing.
"They told me what the case was worth, and then they got more. Margaret answered her own phone the day my employer cut my hours."
"My first lawyer treated me like a number. David read every page of my medical records and asked me how my kids were holding up. The case became real."
"They explained the contingency in plain English and didn't pressure me to sign that day. I called three other firms. Hartwell was the only one I trusted."
"The adjuster offered $35,000. Hartwell took the file, filed suit, and walked out with seven figures. I didn't know that gap was even possible."
"Quarterly calls. Not one missed. After eighteen months I knew the names of the paralegal, the lien negotiator, and the medical reviewer. That's not normal."
"My husband couldn't work for two years. Margaret negotiated our medical liens from $312,000 down to $94,000. That's the money that fed our family."
No retainer. No hourly bills. No charges for the medical review, the demand letter, the experts, or the filing fees. If we don't recover for you, you don't owe us anything. The fee comes only out of the settlement or verdict — clearly itemized, signed by you, before disbursement.
Our standard contingency is 33.3% of the gross recovery if the case settles before suit is filed, and 40% if we file and litigate. Costs (experts, filings, depositions) are advanced by the firm and reimbursed only from the recovery. If there's no recovery, you owe nothing — including costs.
Most pre-suit settlements resolve within 6–14 months from the end of treatment. Cases that require filing suit typically run 14–26 months. We give you a realistic timeline at intake and update it on every quarterly call — never just "soon."
Almost never. It complicates matters, but we work around it. The first thing we do is pull the transcript and identify what they'll try to use against you — then build the medical and witness record that contextualizes every quote.
Roughly 93% of our cases settle without trial. We prepare every file as if it will go to trial — which is exactly why most settle for fair value. If trial is the right call, we tell you why, in writing, before filing.
Volume firms make money on settlement velocity, not case value. We do the opposite — fewer files, deeper preparation, higher per-case outcomes. The math works for both sides: clients get more, we get repeat referrals from a quiet pipeline rather than ad spend.
Call us anyway. We'll tell you honestly. About 30% of the people who reach out are referred elsewhere or told their case isn't worth pursuing — that's a fair answer too, and it costs you nothing to hear it from a partner.
No. Intake, document signing, and quarterly updates can be done by video or phone. We travel to clients who can't travel — hospital, home, rehab facility — at no additional cost.
It depends on the state and the type of claim — personal injury statutes typically run 1–3 years from the date of injury, with shorter notice deadlines for government defendants. Don't guess. The free case review includes a written deadline calendar specific to your facts.
Speak with Margaret or David directly — not an intake screener. We'll tell you whether you have a case, what it's likely worth, and what the next step looks like. No pressure, no obligation.
Call (555) 555-0130 · Request a callback