Introduction
Ara Jabagchourian writes articles and presents seminars on personal injury law that other attorneys attend and learn from. That is an uncommon credential in a field where most practitioners focus entirely on client cases. It reflects a depth of legal knowledge that places him among the practitioners whose understanding of personal injury law extends beyond case-by-case execution to the kind of systematic expertise that shapes how other lawyers approach their work. Ranked among California’s top attorneys by multiple independent organizations, with trial results recognized as among the highest and most impactful in the state, Jabagchourian brings to each case at the San Mateo office of his P.C. a methodology built on genuine expertise rather than volume.
The Law Offices of Ara Jabagchourian, P.C. is located at 1650 S. Amphlett Blvd, Suite 216, San Mateo, California 94402. The firm serves clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and statewide. Jabagchourian handles personal injury, wrongful death, business litigation, employment law, fraud, intellectual property, whistleblower and false claims, contract law, and elder abuse. Every case receives his personal involvement from intake through conclusion.
Practice Areas
Personal Injury and Wrongful Death
The personal injury practice covers a broad range of accident types and negligent conduct categories, each with its own factual and legal characteristics.
Automobile Accidents: Vehicle collision cases form a substantial portion of Bay Area personal injury work. The firm evaluates liability, documents injuries comprehensively, and builds damages models that reflect both immediate and long-term costs.
Bicycle Accidents: Cyclists injured by vehicles face particular challenges in California traffic, and their injuries are frequently severe. The firm handles bicycle accident cases with full liability and damages analysis.
Trucking Collisions: Commercial vehicle accidents require the same regulatory and evidentiary tools that any serious truck accident practice demands: federal carrier regulations, hours-of-service analysis, and evidence preservation for electronic data.
Dog Bites: California’s strict liability statute for dog bites provides injured victims strong legal footing when the applicable conditions are met.
Balcony Collapses: Structural failures causing injuries to building occupants or guests represent a distinct premises liability category. California has experienced notable balcony collapse incidents, and the firm handles these cases, which typically involve building inspection records, construction standards, and maintenance failures.
Pedestrian Accidents: Pedestrian injuries from vehicle strikes are among the most severe outcome categories in accident law. The firm’s pedestrian accident practice covers both liability and the extensive damages that serious pedestrian injuries generate.
Police Misconduct: Civil claims against law enforcement for use of excessive force and other civil rights violations require both constitutional law knowledge and the ability to navigate the procedural requirements that distinguish these cases from standard tort claims.
Utility Gas Explosions: Gas utility accidents generate catastrophic injuries and complex liability analysis involving utility companies, contractors, and regulatory standards. The firm handles these high-stakes cases.
Negligent Road Design: When road design or maintenance creates conditions that cause accidents, government entities may be liable. These cases require specific procedural steps, including government claims filing requirements, and expertise in the standards governing road design.
Business Litigation
The firm handles complex commercial disputes, including fraud litigation and contract claims, in addition to its personal injury practice. This broader civil litigation capacity means the firm can represent clients whose situations involve both personal injury and business dimensions.
Employment Law
California employment law provides extensive worker protections. The firm represents clients in employment disputes that require litigation capability in state and federal courts.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property claims, including trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters, fall within the firm’s civil litigation practice.
Whistleblower and False Claims Act
Federal and California False Claims Act cases, brought by whistleblowers who report fraud against the government, represent a distinct and demanding area of civil litigation. The firm handles these matters, which can involve complex factual investigations and substantial potential recoveries.
Elder Abuse
California law provides specific civil remedies for elder financial abuse and physical abuse. The firm handles elder abuse claims as a component of its broader litigation practice.
Attorney Profile
Ara Jabagchourian began his career with federal government experience in Washington, D.C. and progressed through large firm practice before establishing the Law Offices of Ara Jabagchourian, P.C. in San Mateo. His career arc, from federal agency through large firms to independent practice, reflects a deliberate accumulation of diverse legal experience across institutions that approach litigation differently.
His recognition as a top attorney by multiple independent statewide and national organizations reflects external evaluation of his legal work, not self-reporting. Trial verdicts recognized as among the highest and most impactful in California demonstrate that the firm achieves results in the most demanding forum available, the courtroom, not only in settlements.
The decision to write articles and present seminars for other attorneys is significant. It means Jabagchourian’s analysis of personal injury law has been reviewed, validated, and used by other legal professionals as a reference. That peer-level recognition among practitioners is a qualitatively different form of professional standing than client testimonials.
His personal involvement in every case from intake to conclusion is a structural commitment. In high-volume personal injury firms, partners often hand cases to associates after intake. Jabagchourian’s direct involvement throughout is a meaningful difference for clients whose cases involve complex liability or substantial damages.
Methodology: How Cases Are Built
The firm’s approach to case preparation reflects the level of sophistication that complex personal injury cases require. Jabagchourian uses accident reconstruction experts to establish what happened physically, human factors experts to address how human perception and reaction contributed to the accident, and biomechanical experts to document how specific forces produced specific injuries. On the damages side, orthopedic specialists document physical harm and project future care needs, and economists translate those projections into present-value figures for use in court.
The firm also employs medical liens as a case management tool, allowing injured clients to obtain necessary medical treatment and deferring payment until case resolution. Doctor testimony, coordinated with the broader expert strategy, ensures that medical evidence is presented in the form most useful to establishing damages.
Cases are reassessed continuously with client involvement. This is not a process where the attorney decides strategy alone and informs the client at milestones. The client is part of the ongoing evaluation because the client’s interests, not the attorney’s preferences, should drive the decisions.
The firm’s policy on settlement reflects genuine case-by-case judgment: it will take cases to jury when settlement terms do not reflect the actual value of the claim. This is a meaningful commitment in a field where many attorneys prefer settlements regardless of value, because trials involve time and risk. Jabagchourian’s willingness to try cases that should be tried is both an ethical position and a practical negotiating reality.
Location and Service Area
The Law Offices of Ara Jabagchourian, P.C. is located at:
1650 S. Amphlett Blvd, Suite 216
San Mateo, CA 94402
Phone: (650) 437-6840
The firm serves clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and statewide across California.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is accident reconstruction, and when does it matter in a personal injury case?
Accident reconstruction is a forensic discipline that uses physical evidence, witness statements, vehicle data, and physics calculations to determine what happened in a collision: the vehicles’ speeds and directions, the point of impact, the sequence of events, and the cause of the accident. It is most valuable in cases where liability is disputed or where the sequence of events is unclear. Jabagchourian engages reconstruction experts when the facts of a case require it, integrating their analysis into the overall evidentiary presentation.
What is the difference between settling a case and taking it to trial?
Settlement is a negotiated resolution where the defendant (or their insurer) pays an agreed amount in exchange for the plaintiff releasing future claims. It is faster, certain, and avoids trial risk. Trial produces a verdict, which may be higher or lower than any settlement offer. Jabagchourian evaluates each case on its merits: cases where settlement terms reflect full value are settled; cases where they do not are taken to trial. The firm’s track record of high-impact verdicts reflects genuine willingness to follow through on that position.
How does the firm handle medical costs during a pending case?
The firm uses medical liens, which are arrangements where medical providers treat injured clients and defer billing until the case resolves. This allows clients to receive necessary medical care without upfront payment, and the costs are addressed from any case proceeds. Jabagchourian coordinates this process as part of the overall case management structure.
What types of cases does the firm consider if they involve potential government liability, such as a defective road?
Government entity claims in California require specific procedural steps, including filing a government tort claim within six months of the incident before a lawsuit can be filed. Missing this deadline permanently bars the claim against the government entity. The firm handles negligent road design cases and is familiar with the claim presentation requirements, standards governing road design, and the liability framework that applies to public entities.
How does the firm select which cases to take?
The firm evaluates cases on the quality of the evidence available, the nature of the injuries, the liability analysis, and whether the case can be built to the standard that Jabagchourian’s methodology requires. Not every case is accepted. Those that are accepted receive full personal involvement from Jabagchourian from intake through conclusion, which is a resource commitment that limits volume.
Closing
The combination of federal experience, large firm background, top attorney rankings from multiple independent organizations, record trial verdicts, and peer recognition through legal publications and seminars positions Ara Jabagchourian at a level of professional standing that very few personal injury attorneys in California reach. The San Mateo practice reflects that standing: methodologically rigorous, continuously client-involved, and unwilling to settle cases below their actual value. For Bay Area residents and California clients with serious personal injury, wrongful death, or complex civil litigation matters, contact the firm at (650) 437-6840.
Website: arajlaw.com