Shane L. Harward built Harward PLC around a practice area that few attorneys pursue: child injury law exclusively, representing injured children and their families against property owners, medical providers, product manufacturers, school systems, and major resort corporations throughout Arizona.
Introduction
Child injury cases present legal and factual challenges that distinguish them from standard adult personal injury matters. Children are often the only witnesses to their own injuries, or the injury occurs when one adult was the only other person present. Proving liability requires investigation techniques that go beyond standard accident reconstruction: the firm works with medical professionals, reviews facility records, and builds cases that hold institutions accountable even when direct witness evidence is scarce.
Harward PLC is based in Phoenix and Scottsdale and serves Arizona statewide, including cities from Tucson and Flagstaff to Yuma and Lake Havasu. Shane Harward attended ASU Law School and developed the practice around representing children and families in injury situations that require specialized understanding of child development and the legal standards that govern facilities serving children.
The firm also handles bad faith insurance cases, recognizing that when insurance companies deny or delay legitimate injury claims, policyholders have legal recourse beyond the underlying claim.
Practice Areas
Playground Injuries
Playground equipment failures, unsafe surfaces, and inadequate supervision can result in serious injuries to children. Property owners and school districts have legal obligations to maintain safe playground environments. When those obligations are not met, the firm pursues claims on behalf of injured children.
Bicycle Accidents
Children on bicycles are vulnerable to serious injury from motor vehicle collisions, defective equipment, and road hazards. The firm handles bicycle accident claims on behalf of injured child cyclists and their families.
Water Safety Accidents
Swimming pool accidents involving children can result in catastrophic injuries or death. Pool owners, facilities, and supervision providers carry legal obligations regarding pool safety. The firm investigates these incidents to determine who bears responsibility.
Gun Injuries
When a child is injured by a firearm, the question of who is legally responsible extends beyond the immediate circumstances to questions of storage, access, and supervision. The firm evaluates the full factual picture to identify all parties who may be liable.
Birth Injuries
Birth injury claims include obstetrician negligence, delivery injuries, and maternal injuries occurring during the birth process. These are among the most complex medical malpractice cases, requiring expert testimony on the applicable standard of care and the causal connection between provider conduct and the resulting harm.
Dangerous Prescription Drugs
The firm handles claims arising from dangerous prescription drugs affecting children, including drug interactions and medications for teenage depression. When pharmaceutical products cause harm through inadequate warnings or dangerous interactions, the manufacturer or prescribing physician may bear legal responsibility.
Daycare and Pre-School Abuse or Negligence
Childcare facilities owe a high duty of care to the children entrusted to them. When abuse or negligence occurs at a daycare or pre-school, the facility and its operators can be held legally accountable. These cases often involve children who cannot fully articulate what happened, making investigation and advocacy particularly important.
School Bus Injuries
Children injured on or around school buses may have claims against the bus operator, the school district, or third parties depending on the circumstances. The firm handles these claims throughout Arizona.
Vacation, Resort, Hotel, Water Slide, and Amusement Park Injuries
When children are injured at resorts, amusement parks, water slides, or hotels, the responsible party is often a major corporation with substantial legal resources and a determined interest in minimizing liability. The firm is prepared to litigate against major corporations in these cases, pursuing full accountability regardless of the scale of the defendant.
Bad Faith Insurance
When insurance companies improperly deny or delay legitimate claims, policyholders have legal recourse. The firm handles bad faith insurance cases alongside its child injury practice.
Attorney Profiles
Shane L. Harward
Shane L. Harward is the founding attorney of Harward PLC. He holds his law degree from ASU Law School and developed a practice focused exclusively on child injury law. His specialization means that every case the firm accepts involves an injured child, and his legal strategy is shaped by the unique considerations that apply when the victim is a minor: guardianship of claims, settlement approval procedures, structured settlements, and the calculation of damages that extend across a lifetime.
The firm litigates against major corporations in resort and amusement park cases, demonstrating willingness to pursue claims against well-resourced defendants.
Location and Service Area
Offices: Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona
Phone: (480) 874-2918
Website: arizona-child-injury-attorney.com
Harward PLC serves Arizona statewide. Cities within the firm service area include Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Gilbert, Sun West, Sun City, Tucson, Flagstaff, Kingman, Bullhead City, Yuma, Lake Havasu, Fountain Hills, and Anthem.
Client Focus
The firm represents children and their families. Because children cannot bring legal claims on their own behalf, parents or guardians serve as their legal representatives in the claim process. The firm works with the family unit while keeping the injured child at the center of the legal strategy.
Cases involving child abuse at daycare or pre-school facilities are particularly sensitive. When a child cannot fully describe what happened, the attorney must build the case through physical evidence, facility records, staff histories, and medical expert analysis. The firm approach to these cases goes beyond standard personal injury investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the firm handle only cases involving children?
Yes. Harward PLC focuses exclusively on child injury law. Every case the firm accepts involves an injured child, from birth injuries through teenage years. The firm also handles bad faith insurance cases.
How does the firm handle cases where a child cannot describe what happened?
The firm investigates through medical professionals, facility records, staff histories, and expert witnesses. In child abuse and daycare negligence cases especially, the attorney builds the case through external evidence rather than relying on the child to narrate events.
Can the firm take on cases against major resort and amusement park corporations?
Yes. The firm handles vacation, resort, hotel, water slide, and amusement park injury cases against major corporations. These defendants are resourced and motivated to minimize liability, and the firm is prepared to litigate these cases through that dynamic.
What Arizona cities does the firm serve?
The firm serves Arizona statewide from Phoenix and Scottsdale offices. Service areas include Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Gilbert, Sun West, Sun City, Tucson, Flagstaff, Kingman, Bullhead City, Yuma, Lake Havasu, Fountain Hills, and Anthem.
Does the firm handle birth injury cases?
Yes. Birth injury claims, including obstetrician negligence, delivery injuries, and maternal injuries, are part of the firm child injury practice. These cases require expert testimony on medical standards of care.
Closing
Harward PLC occupies a rare position in Arizona law: a practice devoted entirely to injured children, equipped to investigate cases where the child cannot be the primary witness, and willing to litigate against major corporate defendants when children are hurt at resorts and amusement parks. Families across Arizona can reach Shane Harward at (480) 874-2918 or through arizona-child-injury-attorney.com, with offices in Phoenix and Scottsdale.