Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Blog
The principal attorney and founder of the Steven M. Sweat, Personal Injury Lawyers APC, Steven M. Sweat has dedicated himself to pursuing justice for his clients throughout Los Angeles and California for the past 25 years. Mr. Sweat focuses his practice in the area of plaintiffs’ personal injury law and strongly believes that people who have sustained injuries because of the negligent or wrongful actions of others deserve to be fully compensated.
Mr. Sweat was recently named as a Super Lawyer for the 10th year in a row. Before an attorney can be named as a Super Lawyer, he or she must undergo a rigorous selection process. Attorneys cannot nominate themselves. Instead, Super Lawyers receive nominations from peers. Super Lawyers also conducts in-depth research on attorneys and relies on third-party feedback and managing attorney surveys. Before selection, nominees are evaluated on 12 different indicators, including experience, settlements and verdicts, representative cases, community service and pro bono work, and several others. Attorneys who earn the highest number of points are then compared to other attorneys in the same practice area before a final selection is made. Only 5% of all attorneys are named Super Lawyers. The fact that Mr. Sweat has been named as a Super Lawyer for 10 years in a row is a testament to his legal skills and dedication to his clients.
Before attending law school, Mr. Sweat first completed his undergraduate education at Florida State University, from where he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in 1992. He then moved to California and commenced his legal education at the California Western School of Law, from where he graduated with his Juris Doctor in 1995. While he was in law school, he served as the president of the International Law Society.
Following law school, Mr. Sweat was admitted to practice law before all of the state courts of California and before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Central Districts of California. Through a combination of hard work, legal acumen, and ethics, Mr. Sweat has built a strong reputation as a dedicated and highly successful personal injury attorney who is willing to fight for his clients’ rights.
Mr. Sweat has garnered numerous awards and honors throughout his long career as an attorney. In addition to being named as a Super Lawyer for 10 years in a row, Mr. Sweat has also been named as a Lawyer of Distinction in 2019 by Lawyers of Distinction, which is a national legal organization that dedicates itself to recognizing attorneys who demonstrate excellence in the practice of law. He also received the Litigator Award from the Trial Lawyers Board of Regents in 2015, which is an award given to personal injury litigators who are recognized for being among the top 1% in their profession. In 2015, he was named to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list by the National Trial Lawyers, which is a national organization that recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated a high degree of skill in recovering compensation for plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death matters.
Actively involved in the legal community, Mr. Sweat is a member of multiple professional organizations. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is an association that limits its membership to attorneys who have recovered compensation for their clients of multiple millions of dollars in a single case. Mr. Sweat is also a member of the National Association for Civil Justice, the Consumer Attorneys of America, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America. His memberships in different professional organizations allow him to network and continually build on his legal practice and knowledge through his interactions with his peers.
Mr. Sweat has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of his clients over the past 25 years. Some of his representative verdicts and settlements include the following:
- 2007- $1 million settlement in a premises liability claim involving negligent security
- 2010 – $350,000 settlement in a premises liability claim involving negligent security
- 2011 – $350,00 settlement in a wrongful termination and disability discrimination claim
- 2012 – 1.3 million in a wrongful death claim involving a slip-and-fall accident in a retail store
- 2012 – $289,000 jury verdict in a bicycle accident involving a motor vehicle
- 2012 – $435,000 settlement in a motorcycle accident involving a motor vehicle
- 2014 – $57,325 jury verdict in a car accident case
- 2014 – $1.3 million settlement in a wrongful death claim involving inadequate maintenance of a strip mall
- 2016 – $1 million settlement in a wrongful death claim involving a motorcyclist who was struck in the HOV lane
- 2016 – $250,000+ jury verdict in a bicycle accident in which the cyclist was struck by a park ranger
- 2016 – $525,000 settlement in a bicycle accident in Glendale, CA
- 2017 – $1.5 million settlement in a civil sexual assault claim against a mental health facility in which a patient was assaulted
- 2019 – $1.1 million settlement in a wrongful death case involving a dog attack
- 2020 – $1 million+ settlement for a bicyclist who was struck by a car in Antelope, CA
- 2021 – Settlement of policy limits and umbrella coverage for a motorcyclist who was struck by a left-turning car
Mr. Sweat approaches every case as if it will head to trial. Even though he is successfully able to negotiate fair settlements for most of his clients, he always prepares his cases as if they will be tried before a jury. He works with investigators and experts to uncover relevant evidence to support his clients’ claims and presents the information to defense counsel and insurance companies in a way that helps them to understand the strength of his clients’ cases. This careful approach results in many successful settlements, and his reputation as a strong trial attorney also convinces many insurance companies and defense attorneys to settle his clients’ claims instead of risking a loss at trial.
Mr. Sweat represents people in all types of personal injury claims, including motor vehicle accidents, truck accidents, bus accidents, pedestrian accidents, premises liability matters, dog bites, and many others. He also represents employees in employment law claims, including discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour claims, and more. Mr. Sweat wants to help his clients find real solutions to the problems they are facing and does whatever he can to help to make them whole.
A published author, Mr. Sweat has written several newsletters and scholarly articles. He has written newsletters to provide information about cycling safety, auto safety, bicycle accident claims, and car accident claims. In 2018, his article, ‘Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?’ was published in the National Law Review.
In addition to his dedication to his clients and his profession, Mr. Sweat is also dedicated to helping his community. He recognizes that not all people can afford to hire attorneys, and he regularly volunteers his services at the Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles to provide legal help to those who are less fortunate. In 1996, Mr. Sweat’s volunteerism and dedication to his community were recognized. The San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program gave him the Pro Bono Publico Award. Mr. Sweat’s many achievements, his strong reputation in the legal community, and his dedication to his clients all have combined to result in his ongoing honor of being named as a Super Lawyer year after year.