Why We are the Best Choice

Searching for the best personal injury lawyer near you in Tampa turns up dozens of firms that all say the same things — aggressive, experienced, no fee unless we win. None of that helps you choose. What follows is what actually separates one injury firm from another, the questions worth asking before you sign anything, and where The Reyes Firm stands on each of them so you can judge for yourself.

What should you look for in a Tampa personal injury lawyer?

Look for the things a firm can actually prove, not the adjectives on its homepage. Five criteria separate firms in practice:

• Florida Bar standing. Verify any attorney you’re considering at floridabar.org. It takes a minute and tells you their admission date and disciplinary history.
• Who handles your file. Some firms sign you up and hand your case to a rotating pool of staff. Ask whether you will be able to reach the attorney whose name is on the door.
• Depth on your specific injury. A firm that regularly handles brain injuries or spinal cord cases will document them differently from one that mostly settles soft-tissue claims quickly.
• Willingness to file suit. Insurers track which firms settle everything and which ones litigate. That reputation affects the offers you receive before a lawsuit is ever filed.
• Clarity about fees and costs. A contingency fee is standard, but case costs — records, experts, filing fees — are a separate question. Get the answer in writing.

None of these require you to trust marketing language. They’re all verifiable before you sign.

⚠️ Deadline Warning: Under Florida Statute § 95.11(3)(a), you have two years from the date of your crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing this deadline almost always means losing your right to recover anything. Don’t wait to call a lawyer.

What questions should you ask before hiring an injury attorney?

Bring these to any consultation, including ours. The answers will tell you more than any review page:

• Who will be my main point of contact, and will I be able to speak with an attorney directly?
• How many cases like mine has this firm handled, and how did those tend to resolve?
• What percentage is the contingency fee, and does it change if the case goes into litigation?
• Who pays case costs if we don’t recover anything?
• What’s my statute of limitations date, and are there any shorter notice deadlines in my situation?
• How will my medical treatment get paid for while the case is pending?
• What would make you decide to file a lawsuit rather than keep negotiating?

A firm that answers these plainly is showing you how it will communicate for the next year. A firm that deflects is showing you that too.

What makes The Reyes Firm different from other Tampa injury firms?

The clearest difference is where the firm’s founder came from. Before law school, Edward Reyes, Esq. owned and operated a healthcare clinic that treated injury and auto accident patients for more than a decade. He spent those years watching people try to heal physically while their finances came apart underneath them.

That matters practically, not sentimentally. An attorney who has read thousands of treatment records knows which gaps in care an adjuster will attack, which specialists document injuries in a way that holds up, and when “you seemed fine at the scene” is a medical argument rather than a rhetorical one.

The firm is also small on purpose. Edward and Maria Jesús Reyes, Esq. are the attorneys, and clients deal with them rather than an intake department. Both are bilingual, so Spanish-speaking clients handle their own case in their own language instead of through a relative acting as translator.

Cases are taken on a contingency fee basis, which means no fee unless the firm recovers compensation for you.

💡 Did You Know? Florida’s deadline for filing most personal injury lawsuits was cut in half in 2023. HB 837 shortened the general negligence statute of limitations from four years to two, and it applies to causes of action accruing after the law took effect. Source: Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(a), leg.state.fl.us. Many websites still quote the old four-year figure.

Which Tampa Bay areas does The Reyes Firm serve?

The office is in Tampa at 4730 N. Habana Ave., Suite 201, and the firm represents injured clients throughout the greater Tampa Bay area — South Tampa, West Tampa, Town ‘n’ Country, Westchase, Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Westshore, Brandon, and Riverview among them.

Beyond Hillsborough County, cases are handled across Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, and Marion counties.

Practice areas include car accidents, truck and commercial vehicle crashes, motorcycle accidents, moped and pedestrian collisions, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, premises liability and negligent security, nursing home abuse, and wrongful death.

🛡️ Your Rights Under Florida Law: Under Florida Statute § 768.81, your compensation is reduced by your share of fault, and you may be barred from recovery if you are found greater than 50% responsible for your own harm. An experienced Tampa personal injury lawyer works to protect the facts, challenge unfair blame, and keep your percentage of fault as low as the evidence allows.

What are the 5 steps to take while you’re choosing a lawyer?

These 5 steps protect your claim during the window when you haven’t hired anyone yet. The order matters.

1. Get medical care and keep going. Treatment gaps are the most common self-inflicted wound in injury cases. If a provider tells you to follow up, follow up, even while you’re still interviewing firms.
2. Write down your deadline. Two years from the date of injury for most Florida negligence claims — shorter if a government entity is involved. Put the date somewhere you’ll see it.
3. Preserve evidence yourself. Photograph the scene, your injuries, and the vehicles or hazard involved. Save every bill, and get witness names now while people still remember.
4. Don’t give a recorded statement to any adjuster. Not the other driver’s, and not yet to your own. You are not required to give one before you have a lawyer, and early statements are used to build fault arguments against you.
5. Consult more than one firm. Consultations are free, so use that. Ask the questions above, compare the answers, and choose the firm that explains rather than pressures. Call 833-4 BAD DAY if you’d like ours to be one of them.

How The Reyes Firm handles your personal injury case

When someone else’s carelessness puts you or someone you love in the hospital, this isn’t paperwork. Life just split into before and after. The other side already has professionals protecting them. We make sure you do too.

When we take on a personal injury case, we typically:

• Move fast on evidence, sending preservation letters for surveillance footage, dashcam video, maintenance records, incident reports, and any data that can be overwritten or quietly disposed of
• Identify every responsible party and every policy, including drivers, vehicle owners, employers, property owners, contractors, and any coverage layered behind them
• Work directly with your treating providers so your medical record reflects the full extent of your injuries and the care you will still need years from now
• Bring in experts when the facts demand it, including accident reconstruction, life care planning, and economic analysis of lost earning capacity
• Calculate full damages, covering past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and the real impact this has had on your daily life and your family
• Handle all insurance communication on your behalf, keeping you shielded from adjusters working to minimize what they pay, and preparing your case as if it will go to trial

No lawyer can promise an outcome. What we can promise is that we explain every decision in plain language, keep you in the loop, and treat your case as what it is — a serious matter with your future attached to it.

Frequently asked questions about choosing a Tampa personal injury lawyer

How do I verify a Tampa personal injury attorney is legitimate?

Search the attorney’s name in the Florida Bar’s member directory at floridabar.org. It confirms they’re admitted to practice in Florida, shows their admission date, and lists any public disciplinary history. Do this before signing a fee agreement, not after.

How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer in Tampa?

Most personal injury firms, including The Reyes Firm, work on contingency — no upfront payment, and the fee comes out of any recovery. Ask specifically about case costs, which are separate from the fee, and about whether the percentage changes if the case goes into litigation.

Do I really need a lawyer, or can I handle the claim myself?

You can handle it yourself, and for minor property-damage-only claims that’s often reasonable. Once there are real injuries, ongoing treatment, or any dispute about fault, the gap between what an unrepresented person is offered and what a case is actually worth tends to widen quickly.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Florida?

Generally two years from the date of injury under Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(a), reduced from four years by HB 837 in 2023. Claims against government entities and wrongful death claims follow different timelines, some considerably shorter.

Can I switch lawyers if I’m unhappy with my current firm?

Yes. Clients have the right to change attorneys, and the fee arrangement between the old and new firm is usually sorted out between them rather than costing you a second full fee. If you’re unhappy with communication or direction, it’s worth a second opinion.

Will my case go to trial?

Most personal injury cases settle. But a firm’s genuine willingness to try a case affects what gets offered long before trial, which is why it’s worth asking directly rather than assuming.

What if I was partly at fault for what happened?

You can often still recover. Florida’s modified comparative fault rule under Fla. Stat. § 768.81 reduces compensation by your share of fault and bars recovery entirely above 50%. That threshold is exactly why insurers work to assign blame early.

Does The Reyes Firm handle cases in Spanish?

Yes — hablamos español. Both attorneys are bilingual, and the firm publishes Spanish-language resources for clients across Tampa Bay.

About the Attorney

Edward Reyes, Esq.

Edward Reyes, Esq. is a Florida Bar-admitted personal injury attorney and the founder and managing attorney of The Reyes Firm in Tampa, Florida. Before law school he owned and operated a healthcare clinic treating injury and auto accident patients, and his practice now focuses on serious injury and wrongful death cases. Edward Reyes, Esq. represents injured Floridians in Tampa and throughout Hillsborough County and Central Florida on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation for them.
Read more about Edward Reyes.

The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with The Reyes Firm. Every case is unique. If you have been injured in a Florida accident, consult a licensed Florida personal injury attorney about your specific situation.