Lavent Law, P.A. is a North Miami Beach firm in the literal sense. The office is at 17295 NE 19th Avenue, a couple of blocks from City Hall and the police station, and most of the injury cases we handle start within a few miles of it. The firm has represented injured people in South Florida since 2014. When you call, you speak with the attorney who will handle your case.
The first consultation is free. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Call (305) 257-9464.
The roads that produce most of our cases
North Miami Beach is a small city surrounded by heavy traffic. NE 163rd Street, which doubles as State Road 826, is the commercial spine of the city, and the constant turning in and out of shopping plazas makes it a reliable source of left-turn and rear-end collisions. Biscayne Boulevard carries through-traffic between Miami and Aventura past bus stops and storefronts, so we see a steady number of pedestrian cases there. To the west, I-95 and the Golden Glades Interchange bring high-speed merging and commercial trucks into the mix.
The neighborhood streets matter too. Drivers cut through on NE 19th Avenue, NE 167th Street and Miami Gardens Drive to avoid the main roads, and those streets are shared with cyclists, children and people walking to the bus.
What we handle
Most of our North Miami Beach clients come to us after a car accident, but the practice covers the full range of injury claims: truck and commercial vehicle crashes, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, and Uber and Lyft collisions.
Off the road, we handle falls in supermarkets and condo and apartment buildings, dog bites, and, for families who have lost someone, wrongful death claims.
The first few days after you are hurt
A few early decisions affect a case more than people expect.
- Call 911 if anyone is injured. North Miami Beach Police respond inside the city. Crashes on I-95 go to the Florida Highway Patrol.
- See a doctor within 14 days of a car accident. Florida’s no-fault coverage (PIP) does not pay if your first treatment comes later. Jackson North Medical Center is in the city, and Aventura Hospital is a short drive north.
- Photograph what caused the injury. The intersection, both vehicles, the spill on the floor, the broken step. Conditions get cleaned up quickly.
- Get witness names and numbers before people leave.
- Decline the recorded statement. The other side’s adjuster will often call within a day or two. You are not required to give a recorded statement, and you should not give one before speaking with a lawyer.
- Keep paperwork. Medical bills, pharmacy receipts, mileage to appointments and missed pay stubs all become part of the claim.
Florida rules that shape every case
Two years to file. For most negligence claims arising on or after March 24, 2023, the deadline to file a lawsuit is two years from the date of injury. Claims against a city or the county have additional notice requirements that must be met first.
The 50 percent bar. Florida reduces your recovery by your share of fault. If a jury finds you more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing. Because the line is that sharp, insurers spend a great deal of effort trying to push blame onto the injured person, and an early investigation is often what keeps that from working.
No-fault car insurance. After a crash, your own PIP coverage pays first, up to $10,000, generally covering 80 percent of reasonable medical bills and 60 percent of lost income. To recover pain and suffering from the driver who caused the crash, Florida generally requires a permanent injury, significant permanent scarring, or a comparable serious injury.
How a case moves forward
In the first weeks we request the police report, look for video before it is recorded over, and open the insurance claims. While you treat, we help you find doctors, including providers willing to wait for payment until the case resolves, and we keep the insurers away from you. Once your treatment has run its course, we document the medical bills, lost income and the ways the injury has changed your daily life, and we present that to the insurer. If the insurer will not make a fair offer, we file suit.
The fee is contingent: nothing up front, and no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
Nearby communities
Clients come to this office from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami, Hallandale Beach, Miami Gardens and Miami Beach. Consultations are also available in Russian; see our Russian-language North Miami Beach page.
Questions people ask at the first meeting
Do I have to come to the office?
No. Many clients start by phone or video. If you prefer to meet in person, the office has free parking on site.
What will this cost me?
Nothing up front. The fee is a percentage of what we recover, and if there is no recovery, there is no attorney fee. You will get the percentage and the treatment of case costs in writing before you sign anything.
How long do I have?
For most negligence claims, two years from the date of injury. Some claims are shorter or require notice first, so it is better to call early than to count on the full two years.
The insurance company already called me. Did I hurt my case?
Probably not, if you only gave basic facts. Tell us exactly what you said. Going forward, let us handle those calls.
What if I was partly at fault?
You can still recover if you were 50 percent or less at fault, with the award reduced by your share. People often assume they were more at fault than the evidence shows, so it is worth having someone look at it.
What if the other driver had no insurance?
Your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply if you carry it. More on crashes with uninsured drivers.
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