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Getting hurt changes everything, even if the injury happened just a few blocks from your front door. The familiar streets, the routines, the sense of ease that comes with living in a place you know well — all of it gets disrupted when you're suddenly dealing with medical bills, insurance calls, and a body that doesn't feel like your own. In those moments, most people don't know where to start. They need someone they can trust, someone who answers the phone, and someone who understands what life in this part of Michigan actually looks like.
Liss, Shapero & Mitnick has been a real part of the Berkley community for more than 20 years. Not just a firm with a Coolidge Highway address, but an actual neighbor. Our attorneys have walked the same sidewalks, eaten at the same local spots, and built relationships with the people who keep this city running. With over 50 years of combined legal expertise and more than $100 million recovered for injured clients across Metro Detroit, we bring serious experience to every case — paired with the kind of personal attention that larger firms simply don't offer.
What "Neighborhood" Actually Means for a Law Firm
A lot of law firms list a local address. That doesn't make them local. There's a real difference between a firm that opened a satellite office in a suburb to capture search traffic and one that has been showing up in this community, year after year, in ways that have nothing to do with advertising.
LSM Lawyers has genuine ties to Berkley. Our team knows the schools, the neighborhoods, the local businesses, and the people who serve this city in uniform. When we say we're part of this community, we mean it in the most ordinary and honest sense: we're here, we've always been here, and we plan to stay.
That kind of familiarity carries real weight in a legal case. We know the local roads and intersections where accidents tend to happen. We understand how Oakland County's courts and insurance landscape work. And when a client calls us, they're not explaining their neighborhood to someone who has to Google it first.
Why Local Knowledge Can Matter in Your Case
- Familiarity with high-risk local intersections and road conditions on Coolidge Highway, 12 Mile Road, and surrounding streets
- Experience navigating Oakland County courts and working with local insurance adjusters
- Community relationships that reflect the firm's long-term investment in Berkley, not a short-term business strategy
- A team that knows your zip code isn't just a targeting parameter — it's home
Common Injuries That Happen Right Here in Berkley and Metro Detroit
On the Road
Coolidge Highway runs straight through Berkley, and like many busy Metro Detroit corridors, it sees its share of serious crashes. We handle motor vehicle accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles. Whether the collision happened at a familiar intersection or on an expressway ramp, the legal questions that follow are ones our team has answered hundreds of times.
On Foot and on Bikes
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents are more common than most people realize, especially in walkable neighborhoods and areas near schools. When a driver isn't paying attention, the person outside the vehicle pays the steepest price. These cases often involve serious injuries and, too often, wrongful death claims.
At Local Businesses and Properties
Slip and fall accidents at grocery stores, restaurants, parking lots, and other properties happen regularly across Berkley and the surrounding area. Property owners have a legal obligation to maintain safe conditions for visitors. When they don't, and someone gets hurt, that's a premises liability claim — and it's something we handle with care and experience.
Dog Bites and Animal Attacks
Michigan has strong laws protecting dog bite victims. These incidents often occur in residential neighborhoods, during walks, or at someone's home. Many victims are children. If you or a family member was bitten or attacked, you may have a valid claim regardless of whether the dog had a prior history of aggression.
What LSM Handles: Practice Areas Serving Berkley Residents
Our firm focuses on a wide range of personal injury cases for clients across Berkley, Oak Park, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, and throughout Oakland and Wayne counties. Below is an overview of the practice areas we handle most often for local clients.
- Motor vehicle accidents — cars, motorcycles, trucks, and commercial vehicles
- Premises liability and slip and fall — injuries caused by unsafe property conditions
- Dog bites and animal attacks — Michigan strict liability cases
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents — including cases involving distracted or impaired drivers
- Nursing home neglect and elder injury — abuse, neglect, and negligent supervision in care facilities
- Construction and workplace injuries — serious injuries on job sites and in industrial settings
- Boating accidents — injuries on Michigan's lakes and waterways
- Wrongful death — representing families who have lost someone due to another party's negligence
Understanding Your Rights After an Injury in Michigan
Michigan No-Fault Insurance
Michigan's no-fault system requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, which pays for medical expenses and a portion of lost wages after an accident — regardless of who caused it. However, no-fault benefits have limits, and they don't cover everything. Pain and suffering, for example, generally cannot be recovered through no-fault alone.
When You Can Pursue a Third-Party Claim
In Michigan, you may be able to file a claim directly against the at-fault driver if your injuries meet a certain threshold of seriousness. This is called a third-party claim, and it's separate from your no-fault benefits. It's the path through which you can seek compensation for pain and suffering, excess medical expenses, and other damages not covered by PIP.
Time Limits Matter
Michigan law sets deadlines — known as statutes of limitations — for filing personal injury claims. These vary depending on the type of case. Missing a deadline can mean losing your right to recover anything at all. The sooner you speak with an attorney after an injury, the better protected you are.
What to Do After an Injury Near Berkley
The steps you take in the days and weeks following an injury can have a significant impact on the outcome of your case. Here's what we generally advise clients to do as soon as they're able.
- Seek medical attention right away. Even if you feel okay initially, some injuries don't show symptoms immediately. A medical record created close in time to the accident is also important evidence.
- Document the scene if it's safe to do so. Photos of the location, visible injuries, property damage, and anything else relevant can be valuable later.
- Avoid giving a recorded statement to insurance adjusters. You are generally not required to provide one, and statements made without legal guidance can be used to minimize your claim.
- Don't accept a settlement offer before consulting an attorney. Early offers from insurance companies are often far lower than what an injured person is actually entitled to recover.
- Keep records of everything. Medical bills, out-of-pocket expenses, correspondence with insurance companies, and documentation of lost work time all support your case.
- Call LSM. A free consultation costs you nothing and gives you a clearer picture of where you stand.
The Right Lawyer Is One Who Already Knows Where You Live
There's something meaningful about hiring a law firm that already has a stake in your community. Not because it makes for a good tagline, but because it's true in ways that show up throughout the client experience. A firm that has spent decades in Berkley isn't just familiar with the roads and the courts — it's familiar with the weight of what it means to be a neighbor to the people it represents.
At LSM Lawyers, every case matters because every client is a person, not a file. We've built this firm on honest communication, genuine care, and a willingness to fight hard for the people who trust us. That's what 50 years of experience actually looks like — not a number on a website, but a track record built one client at a time, right here in Metro Detroit.
Talk to a Berkley Injury Lawyer, Free of Charge
If you or someone in your family has been injured in Berkley or anywhere in the Metro Detroit area, LSM Lawyers is ready to listen. There's no cost to call, no obligation to hire us, and no pressure to make any decisions before you're ready. Tony Shapero personally reaches out to new clients, so when you call, you're connecting with a firm that takes that first conversation seriously.
Call us: 248-584-1300
Toll-free: 1-855-LISS-LAW (1-855-547-7529)
Online: lsmlawyers.com
Office: 2695 Coolidge Highway, Berkley, MI 48072