AVERY & AVERY
Attorneys at Law · Ridgefield, NJ · Est. 1976
(201) 943-2445 DIRECT LINE · BY APPT.
As recognized by
SUPER
LAWYERS2024
Independent peer-recognition program (Thomson Reuters)
3d Cir.Reported
Third Circuit reported case — Delvoye v. Lee, 329 F.3d 330 (3d Cir. 2003)
AVVO10 yrs
AVVO “Top Attorney” rating — sustained 10+ years

Vol. L · No. I FOL. LIArticles

Avery & Avery, Esqs. Ridgefield, NJ Robert W. Avery, Esq.

Bergen County Personal Injury Attorney — A Local Practitioner's View

RW·A

By Robert W. Avery, Esq.

Founding Partner · Former Mun. Ct. Judge

By Robert W. Avery, Esq.

Bergen County personal-injury practice has a particular rhythm. Avery & Avery has practiced in Bergen for over fifty years from our office in Ridgefield. The county’s Civil Part sits at the Bergen County Justice Center in Hackensack. The court runs efficiently. The bar is sophisticated. The carriers are familiar. This post offers a local-practitioner’s view of Bergen County PI practice.

Local-practitioner walkthrough. Not legal advice. Free consultation: (201) 943-2445.

The Venue

Bergen County Superior Court — Civil Part is at the Bergen County Justice Center, 10 Main Street, Hackensack. The court runs multiple weekly civil sessions covering arbitration, mediation, and trial.

Bergen County’s population (~950,000) and economic activity generate a substantial PI caseload across all categories: auto, premises liability, construction-site, professional negligence, products liability.

The Bench

Bergen Civil Part judges are generally experienced and engaged. Pretrial conferences are substantive. Mediation referrals are common.

The Bar

The Bergen plaintiff-side and defense-side PI bar is concentrated in a relatively small community. Practitioners know each other and operate professionally. Reputation matters; trial readiness is respected.

Common Bergen PI Categories

Auto

Routes 4, 17, 80, 280, 287, NJ Turnpike. The county’s geography generates significant motor-vehicle volume.

Slip-and-Fall

Major retail corridors — Paramus, Hackensack — generate mode-of-operation slip-and-fall matters. Apartment-building and office-building common-area incidents are also common.

Construction-Site

Northern NJ construction activity creates a steady third-party tort docket alongside the Workers’ Comp parallel.

Auto-Pedestrian and Bicycle

Bergen has substantial pedestrian and bicycle activity around schools, downtown areas, and PATCO/NJ Transit stations. These matters involve specialized liability analysis.

Dog Bite

Strict-liability under N.J.S.A. 4:19-16 with defenses limited.

Insurance Environment

Bergen County’s insurance environment:

  • Major auto carriers — sophisticated negotiation environment; carriers know the bar and the bench
  • Property-liability carriers — substantial volume; standard industry-rate negotiations
  • Specialty / E&O carriers — for professional-negligence matters

Negotiation in Bergen is typically constructive. Carriers settle realistic-value matters; matters with extreme demand-response gaps proceed to mediation and trial.

Practical Workflow

Same plaintiff-side workflow as elsewhere in NJ:

  1. Same-day intake and preservation
  2. PIP coordination
  3. Treatment-network coordination
  4. Lien-mapping
  5. Demand at MMI
  6. Mediation / arbitration preparation
  7. Trial preparation when needed

Bergen-specific:

  • Treatment networks are well-developed across Bergen with physicians who write robust permanency certifications
  • Mediation calendar in Bergen is typically responsive
  • Trial assignments are reasonably timely

What Avery & Avery Brings to Bergen PI

Fifty years of Bergen-county practice. Robert W. Avery has trial-tried matters in the Bergen Civil Part across the practice range. Delvoye v. Lee, 329 F.3d 330 (3d Cir. 2003)* in the Bergen-Hudson appellate corridor is the firm’s marquee appellate-recognized matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Bergen Civil Part take?

12-24 months typical from filing through resolution. Some matters shorter, some longer depending on complexity.

What about Bergen-County governmental defendants?

Tort Claims Act applies — 90-day notice + 2-year filing. Damages bounded by TCA framework.

Mediator referrals in Bergen?

Substantial pool of retired-judge and senior-counsel mediators. Counsel-recommended mediators based on case type.

What about Bergen Special Civil Part?

For matters under $20,000, Special Civil Part is the appropriate forum. Discovery is limited; trial is typically faster.

Free Consultation

For Bergen County PI matters: