I’d say 99.9 percent of my practice is personal injury. I do some premises liability and the odd case here or there. But for the most part, it’s all auto accidents.
We have people who’ve had an accident and 90 percent of the time they get an attorney because they had trouble getting hold of the insurance company. If the adjuster had just acted promptly and returned calls and paid the medical bills, the client would have been done with the case.
In five minutes of talking to a client, you can figure out what the issues are going to be. Somebody comes in and says they’ve been hurt in an accident but that nobody was found at fault because both parties said the other party had a red light. Okay, now we know that our first issue is going to be a liability. Or it may be a case where the insurer says the injury didn’t happen from the accident, so you know this is going to be a causation case. You wind up being a mini expert on issues because of the cases you handle. Years ago, I had someone who fell on a piece of carpet in a doctor’s office. For about six months I talked to carpet experts. I read about carpets. I talked to the two most renowned experts on carpets in the Southeast. I was an expert on that subject as the case moved forward.
I had a client who was a veterinary surgeon who got in a wreck and broke her finger. It healed well and she was fine but, basically, she was out of a career. To her, that was her whole livelihood. She wasn’t planning on getting an attorney until they yanked her around about the car so much. We wound up getting her case resolved for a six-figure settlement. If I had gotten that same kind of injury that case would have been worth $50,000. She used that money to put herself back through school, and now she’s a vet tech.
I’d always wanted to do something professional. I never really thought of anything other than becoming an attorney. I’d had it in my head for so long I went straight from college into law school.
If you handle a case on your own without an attorney, you’re not only worrying about your injuries, you’re also worried about your car and whether it can be fixed or whether it’s totaled. You’re worried about how your bills are going to get paid or whether you should get a doctor. People really don’t need to be worried about all that. When they come in, I want them to know we can take those issues off their plate. We can handle that for them very easily.
It’s definitely helping people. When you get those cases where somebody is really lost either because of their injury or the way the claim has been handled, when you can really help them, that is the best reward.
Jeffrey Gerardi practices personal injury law at Joye Law Firm’s north Charleston office. Jeff was born in Massapequa, New York. When he was a child, Jeff’s family relocated to Charleston. He graduated from Bishop England High School in 1988. He went to college at the University of Colorado at Boulder, earning a B.A. in English in 1991. After graduation, Jeff attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1994.
Jeff began his legal career at Joye Law Firm, working alongside Mark Joye, Ken Harrell and founding member Reese Joye from 1994 until 2000. He left to open his own practice for 12 years, then rejoined Joye Law Firm. Jeff now has more than 25 years of experience handling personal injury cases. He has also served more than a dozen years as an appointed Circuit Court judge.
Jeff has been listed in South Carolina Super Lawyers since 2015. The Super Lawyers selection process takes into account peer recognition, professional achievement in legal practice, and other relevant factors. He has enjoyed a 10.0 Avvo rating since 2017 and was honored with the Avvo Client’s Choice Award in 2019. In 2020, Jeff received Martindale Hubbell’s “Distinguished” peer review rating. The Distinguished rating is given to attorneys who are widely respected by their peers for their professional achievement and ethical standards.
Since 1995, Jeff has had memberships in the South Carolina Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, the South Carolina Bar Association and the Charleston County Bar Association.
Jeff and his wife Tara are passionate Boston terrier owners, and their current dogs are Reggie, Penny and Roxie. Their love of animals has led both of them to be active with the Charleston Animal Society. Jeff is a huge sports fan, especially when it comes to the Colorado Buffaloes and the New York Yankees. Jeff takes great pride in being part of the Star Wars collectors community. His dedicated room showcases a collection of licensed replicas, props, helmets, and captivating artwork.
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Sometimes, what may seem like a minor accident on the surface, can have devastating lifelong effects. Attorney Jeff Gerardi, of the Joye Law Firm realized that was the case when he was contacted to represent a 43-year-old veterinary surgeon from…
After a car accident caused by another motorist, your health insurance may pay your medical bills or other costs related to the accident. Afterward, you may receive a notice that your insurer will pursue subrogation against the other driver’s insurance…
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