Dear Dwight, I am sorry I lost your case, but it was not for the lack of trying. When CALTRANS offered nil, I took your case to trial, spent $59,620 on your trial, plus my office devoted hundreds of hours of attorney and staff time in trying to obtain a recovery for you. The facts of Dwight Stark v. Caltrans are public records of the Superior Court. I am sorry the effort left a bad taste in your mouth. Based on witness reports that El Camino Real was seriously dilapidated at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, I tried your case against CALTRANS even though there were no similar motorcycle crashes at the location in the preceding five years. Your case was a stretch because of the stringent legal requirement to prove a roadway is dangerous when used by the general public, but I had known you for more than 30 years as my barber and my son's barber and my acquaintanceship led me to conclude that you should have the chance to recover for his dislocated shoulder, fractured elbow and lacerated knee, especially with the long hours a barber uses his shoulders and arms cutting hair. Everyone makes mistakes and I could have refused to try your case to a jury that eventually voted against us 12-0, but I don't give up on clients or friends. On Friday, May 20, 2011, you were motorcycling home from work in Menlo Park on El Camino Real. You were traveling the same path you had used for year, going southbound on El Camino Real. Just "north" of the Stanford Shopping the roadway was 30 years old and should have been resurfaced 10 years ago. The pavement was unraveling, rutted and had potholes that generated loose gravel. You braked for traffic at a red light, locked up his front brakes, lost control and fell. You attributed the locking up of the front brakes to loose gravel on the road. You reported the loose gravel to the paramedics, but the responding Palo Alto motorcycle officer didn't see gravel in the roadway and his report blamed you for the crash because you lost control by applying you front brake as opposed to relying on the rear brake to stop. Brent White, one of the firemen that responded to the scene, testified there was loose gravel on the roadway in the area where you fell. He said the gravel stuck out in his mind because he slipped on it as he was carrying you on the gurney across the gutter and almost fell to the ground. Mr. White also testified he had never seen a roadway with as much loose gravel before or since, and that the condition of the roadway concerned him. Under Palo Alto's maintenance agreement with CALTRANS, the City of Palo Alto was responsible to sweep the roadway on a weekly basis. Mr. Hospitalier, the Manager of Maintenance Operations for the City of Palo Alto testified his phone was "ringing off the hook" with complaints from concerned residents about the condition of the roadway in the months before the crash. Mr. Hospitalier forwarded these complaints to CALTRANS. When CALTRANS did not respond to the numerous phone calls, Mr. Hospitalier submitted formal Maintenance Service Requests to CALTRANS on April 5, 2011, and April 11, 2011. CALTRANS also received complaints from the public before yourcrash: * "Large swaths of potholes and pavement erosion-has been this way for months"; * "The right & Middle lanes of S-bound El Camino ... is so rutted and torn up that they are almost undriveable"; * "the roadway is in terrible shape - many deep potholes, a lot of gravel spread around. I am a bicycle user in that area and I note the danger ... of falling. Please note that this is even a severe problem for people in automobiles - the pavement is extremely bad here!"; * "[l]oose gravel in the roadway causes poor traction"; and * Pavement from Sand Hill to University is in poor condition. This is a severe hazard to drivers and bicyclist." At trial CALTRANS admitted the roadway was in 30 years old and in serious disrepair but that it was not in a dangerous condition when used by the pubic generally and that the roadway was safe because there had not been one motorcycle crash on this section of road for years. CALTRANS statisticians testified that California has approximately 26 million cars and trucks and approximately 900,000 motorcycles. El Camino at the Stanford Shopping Center has an average daily traffic volume of approximately 38,000 cars and trucks and about 1300 motorcycles a day going in both directions or approximately 650 a day taking the same course as you. Over a period of three years in excess of 700,000 motorcycles crossed over the same section of roadway without one crash according to the Statewide Traffic Reporting System maintained by the CHP. You were the first motorcycle to go down on this section of highway. The jury heard the evidence and the testimony of our experts and decided against us. I am glad we tried your case. I am very sorry you were injured and the impact the verdict has had you. Richard Alexander read more

I believe Richard Alexander is the best personal injury lawyer in the land. But also, the person Richard Alexander is equal to that assessment because he cares about others. He is a selfless and witty person with a genuine heart and has an unsparing indignation in pursuit of recovery for his clients. His understanding of law is unsurpassed and is proven by the very large number of very big cases he wins. He has a rational perception and noble perspectives. He exercises stellar judgments. He has a graciousness that's shown in his compassion for sick and injured people and their families. He's humorous and has a great disposition. He is a great person that just happens to be a great lawyer. The term Super Lawyer is a misrepresentation of his preeminence in personal injury law. A great person and great lawyer combination is rare. His success speaks to the quality of representation his clients receive from him and the enormous number of greatly substantial verdicts he wins will speak for itself. Alexander is the CHAMP------he wins cases. His exceptional win record proves the truth of this testimonial. Greg Goodwin Retired Private Investigator read more

Richard Alexander listened to me, understood my pain and my anger. Dick took care of me like a brother because that is the kind of man he is. That makes him the ultimate advocate. Over my 20 years as a Superior Court judge, I have seen hundreds of lawyers in action and there are only a handful that have the heart you want to represent you. Dick is in that category. One of the few lawyers who trusts you with his cell phone number. Dick has superb forensic skills and a dynamic style, but more importantly, he is a first class lawyer who know the personal impact of litigation. For Dick my cause was his cause. He is a tenacious and aggressive with an engaging style. I came with an outstanding result because Dick is a first class lawyer and also with the friendship of a man whom I greatly respect. read more

After nearly 3 years of crippling pain, life altering physical and emotional debilitating injury, lack of CARE by health care 'professionals', and near family destruction, 'Dick' took control of a seemingly hopeless situation and put my health and the wellbeing of our family first and foremost on his and his Teams agenda. My family and I owe everything to a this man and his Team for saving our family, my life, and our future. No words can ever do justice for what Dick has done for my recovery and our Family ......a Family who now considers Dick and all @ Alexander Law as part of. We thank you and love you Dick...... You sir, know how much you are loved by our Family. Onward, Love ya tons!!! Thank you, Brett read more

We moved to California while our daughter's case was pending in Kentucky and we had lawyers who helped us on pro bono basis. When we moved to California, we weren't sure that we could find anyone like them and we were very stressed. Our lawyer introduced us to Nina Shapirshteyn who had agreed to represent my daughter pro bono. Nina made the finalization of our daughter's settlement a priority and everything was settled in less than month. When we needed help, Nina Shapirshteyn treated as a family member. Nina is a great credit to the legal profession for which we are very thankful. So, if you are having a bad time and looking for an outstanding attorney to help you, we highly recommend Nina Shapirshteyn. read more

Richard Alexander is a highly skilled lawyer who has provided me and members of my family with both legal advice and kind understanding that has calmed our emotions and provided a long view for making decisions. That personal support has been a treasure for me, my sister and two nieces. Genuine friendship and caring for individuals who need him come naturally to him. But more than your cheerleader, he artfully steers his clients and friends to make the best possible choices. Richard Alexander has a seemingly endless reserve of knowledge and experience that are always available to the people who are counting on him. My highest recommendation for this multi-talented man. read more

Nina Shapirshteyn is an excellent attorney. Nina represented me at a time when I was overwhelmed, disoriented and slowly recovering from a debilitating injury. Throughout the whole process she was incredibly kind and patient. Her work in the courtroom is thorough and detailed. She is always in contact and she responds to your questions within minutes. After working with her I recognized how lucky I was to be represented by one of the sharpest, most talented lawyers. I was very happy with the results of my case and can not imagine a better outcome. read more

Dick and his team are an incredible group. We have had the pleasure of working with them on two separate occasions.They were professional, informative, and relentless in their representation of us. They were well prepared and confident in the process and the law as well as compassionate for our situation. They educated us before, during and after the proceedings which help ease the anxiety of our situations. They helped keep things in perspective both good and bad which was a huge help in an emotional time. I would highly recommend them. read more

Good attorney with a great heart that is always looking out for the people's welfare. Richard is always there to help and if you are unsure if you have a valid case you can always talk to them over the phone and find out if there is something you can pursue. I am not the kind of person that enjoys court stuff and suing companies but if the insurance is not willing to pay and I am hurt and it's not my fault then that's a different story. read more

Within a 3 hour time frame, my partner and I were able to present to Mr. Alexander a most complicated set of issues and we left knowing exactly what he intended upon doing to take care of us. His incredible knowledge of medical issues coupled with their application to the law was astounding and right on point. An added plus is his ever constant personality shining through some dreadful issues...! read more

Best in San Jose. There are lots of attorneys out there, but none as good as Dick Alexander and the Alexander Law Group. Dick, Nina and Annie are as good as they come read more