The personal injury legal landscape is often criticized for its assembly-line approach to justice. But one California firm is proving there’s another way to succeed — by taking on fewer cases and fighting harder for each client.
“Insurance companies count on people not knowing their rights,” says Chris Mova, founder of Mova Law Group, the Sand Diego headquartered personal injury attorneys. It was a lesson he learned early in life. At age seven, a car accident left him with a traumatic brain injury. His immigrant parents accepted a quick $2,000 settlement, not realizing they were signing away rights to future medical care when Mova developed a severe stutter days later.
“That experience taught me exactly how insurance companies operate,” Mova said. “They rush to settle before families understand the full extent of their injuries.”
From Swap Meets to Success
After graduating top of his class, Mova took an unconventional path to building his practice. Rather than joining a high-volume firm, he started by offering free legal advice at local swap meets. “It was grassroots, face-to-face marketing,” he recalls. “I’d spend hours talking to people, explaining their rights, building trust.”
The Quality-Over-Quantity Approach
Today, Mova Law Group maintains a deliberate small caseload of around 70-80 cases compared to the hundreds or thousands handled by comparable firms. This focused approach enables thorough case development and consistently superior results.
The firm recently secured a $450,000 settlement for a client whose case had been rejected by four other firms. “They said it was worth zero,” Mova noted. “But we saw value they missed, perhaps because we take the time to look deeper.”
Strategic Growth
With offices now spanning the length and breadth of California from San Diego to Sacramento, Mova Law Group has grown substantially while maintaining its core principle: quality over quantity. “We’re not interested in being the biggest firm,” Mova emphasizes. “We want to be known as the firm that takes the tough cases and wins them.”
A New Model for Personal Injury Law?
The firm’s success challenges conventional wisdom about personal injury practice. By focusing on fewer cases and fighting harder for each one, Mova Law Group demonstrates that it’s possible to build a successful practice while maintaining the highest standards of client advocacy.
“Every client who walks through our door reminds me of my parents all those years ago – confused, worried, and needing someone to fight for them,” Mova reflects. “That’s what drives us. That’s why we do what we do.”