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Elmm Law Group represents injury victims throughout Tempe, Arizona, handling your case from evidence to settlement, including communicating with the insurance company and adjuster.
Elmm Law Group takes cases on contingency, meaning you pay nothing unless the firm recovers money for you. The Phoenix office at 3401 N. 32nd St. is a short drive northwest of Tempe via Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) or Interstate 10, and Gordi is reachable 24/7 in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian.
Elmm Law Group represents injured people across the full spectrum of personal injury law. Below are the primary case types the firm handles for Tempe clients. Each link leads to a deeper page covering the specific law, evidence, and strategy that applies to that type of claim.
A serious injury can feel straightforward: someone was careless, you were hurt, they should pay. In practice, insurance companies employ teams of adjusters and defense attorneys whose job is to minimize or deny your claim. Tempe cases carry several layers of complexity that make professional legal representation critical.
Arizona is a pure comparative-fault state under A.R.S. 12-2505. That means an insurer can reduce your compensation by whatever percentage of fault a jury assigns to you, even if you were only five or ten percent responsible. Adjusters routinely open negotiations by suggesting the injured person shares blame, sometimes pointing to factors like jaywalking near ASU or a cyclist riding in a turn lane on McClintock Drive. Gordi anticipates these arguments and builds the record to refute them before a lowball offer ever arrives.
Evidence disappears fast. Traffic-camera footage from the City of Tempe or Valley Metro’s light-rail system is often overwritten within days. Surveillance video from Tempe Marketplace or a Mill Avenue bar may be gone within 72 hours unless a legal hold letter is sent immediately. Witness memories fade. Skid marks get repaved. The firm moves quickly to preserve everything that supports your case.
Insurer tactics also include early, lowball settlement offers made before the full extent of your injuries is known, requests for recorded statements designed to create inconsistencies, and disputes about which policy covers the loss when multiple vehicles or a rideshare platform are involved. Having an attorney who has litigated on behalf of the state of Arizona, and who understands exactly how defense counsel thinks, changes the dynamic entirely.
Arizona law allows injury victims to seek compensation for the full range of losses caused by someone else’s negligence. The following categories of damages may be available in your case, depending on the facts:
Tempe’s geography creates a distinctive set of injury hotspots that Gordi and the Elmm Law Group team know well. Understanding where and why crashes and accidents cluster helps the firm investigate claims more effectively.
Apache Boulevard is one of the most dangerous corridors in the East Valley for pedestrians and cyclists. The Valley Metro light-rail runs the length of the boulevard, and turning vehicles frequently fail to yield to pedestrians crossing at rail stations between Rural Road and Priest Drive. The high density of apartments, convenience stores, and bus stops along Apache means foot traffic is constant, day and night.
The Mill Avenue District and the streets immediately surrounding Arizona State University, including University Drive, Rural Road, and College Avenue, see some of the highest pedestrian and bicycle volumes in the state. Late-night bar traffic on Mill Avenue contributes to DUI-related crashes and pedestrian strikes. ADOT data has consistently placed Tempe among the Valley’s higher red-light-crash cities, and intersections along Mill Avenue and University Drive reflect that pattern.
Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) carry heavy commuter and commercial traffic through Tempe. The interchange where these two freeways meet near Tempe Town Lake is a frequent site of high-speed rear-end and sideswipe collisions, particularly during morning and evening rush hours. US 60 (Superstition Freeway) through the southern part of Tempe also generates serious truck and multi-vehicle crashes.
Broadway Road, Southern Avenue, and Baseline Road are major east-west arterials with wide intersections, high speed limits, and a mix of commercial driveways and residential cross streets that create frequent turning-vehicle conflicts. McClintock Drive and Priest Drive, running north-south through the heart of Tempe, are similarly high-volume corridors where distracted-driving and failure-to-yield crashes are common. Elliot Road at its intersections with Scottsdale Road and McClintock Drive has seen a pattern of angle crashes tied to signal-timing issues and driver inattention.
Tempe Marketplace, the large retail center near Loop 101 and Rio Salado Parkway, generates significant parking-lot and driveway-access accidents, as well as slip and fall incidents in its common areas and adjacent stores.
The firm begins every case with a thorough independent investigation. That means requesting traffic-camera footage from the City of Tempe and Valley Metro before retention periods expire, subpoenaing commercial surveillance video from nearby businesses, obtaining the full police report and any DPS crash reconstruction data, and identifying every witness whose account can support your version of events. In serious cases, Elmm Law Group retains accident reconstruction experts and medical specialists whose opinions carry weight in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Before any demand is made to an insurer, Gordi works with your treating physicians and, where necessary, life-care planners and vocational experts to build a complete picture of your past and future losses. A demand that is grounded in documented medical evidence and economic analysis is far harder for an insurer to dismiss than a round-number figure. The firm does not rush this step, because settling before the full extent of your injuries is known can leave you without recourse for future medical costs.
Most personal injury cases resolve through negotiation, but insurers negotiate harder when they know the attorney on the other side is genuinely prepared to try the case. Gordi’s background as a former Arizona Assistant Attorney General means she has stood in courtrooms and argued before Arizona’s appellate courts. Defense counsel knows that Elmm Law Group will file in Maricopa County Superior Court and take a case to trial if a fair settlement cannot be reached. That credibility produces better outcomes at the negotiating table.
Gordana “Gordi” Mikalacki, Esq. founded Elmm Law Group to give injured Arizonans the kind of sophisticated legal representation that was previously available only to large corporations and insurance companies. Her credentials are uncommon in plaintiff personal injury practice.
Gordi earned her J.D. from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, giving her a deep connection to the Tempe legal community and the courts where her clients’ cases are heard. She went on to clerk for the Arizona Court of Appeals, where she analyzed hundreds of civil and criminal cases at the appellate level, developing a precise understanding of how Arizona law is interpreted and applied. She then served as an Arizona Assistant Attorney General, litigating on behalf of the state in complex civil matters and gaining direct insight into how institutional defendants and their insurers approach litigation.
That background means Gordi understands both sides of the courtroom. She knows the arguments insurers and defense attorneys will make because she has made similar arguments herself. She uses that knowledge to anticipate and dismantle the tactics used to minimize your recovery.
Gordi provides direct attorney access to every client. You will not be handed off to a paralegal or a case manager. She is available 24/7 and communicates fluently in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian, ensuring that language is never a barrier to full and clear communication about your case.
If you or someone you love was injured in Tempe, the time to act is now. Evidence fades, witnesses move on, and Arizona’s two-year statute of limitations under A.R.S. 12-542 will not pause while you wait. Elmm Law Group offers a completely free, no-obligation consultation so you can get honest answers about your case without any financial risk or pressure.
Gordi Mikalacki is available around the clock, including evenings and weekends, and the firm’s Phoenix office at 3401 N. 32nd St. is just a short drive from Tempe via Loop 202 or Interstate 10. You pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation for you.
Reach out today and let Elmm Law Group start protecting your rights.
Get Your Free Consultation - Available 24/7Under A.R.S. 12-542, most personal injury claims in Arizona must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. If you miss this deadline, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case and you will lose the right to recover any compensation, regardless of how strong your claim is.
There are limited exceptions, such as cases involving minors or claims against government entities, which may carry shorter notice requirements. Because these rules are strict and the consequences of missing them are severe, it is important to consult with an attorney as early as possible after your injury.
Personal injury lawsuits arising from incidents in Tempe are filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. Smaller claims below the Superior Court’s jurisdictional threshold may be filed in a justice court or limited jurisdiction court, but serious injury cases with significant damages are handled at the Superior Court level. Elmm Law Group is experienced in Maricopa County Superior Court practice.
Nothing upfront. The firm works on a contingency-fee basis, meaning attorney fees are only owed if Elmm Law Group successfully recovers money for you through a settlement or verdict. The specific percentage is discussed and agreed upon in writing before the firm begins work on your case. If the firm does not recover, you owe no attorney fees.
Arizona follows the doctrine of pure comparative negligence under A.R.S. 12-2505. This means that even if you were partially at fault, you can still recover compensation. Your total damages are simply reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to you. For example, if a jury finds you were 20 percent at fault, you would recover 80 percent of your total damages.
Insurance companies use this rule aggressively, often inflating your assigned fault percentage to reduce what they pay. Gordi builds the evidentiary record specifically to counter those arguments before they gain traction.
Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own, without first speaking to an attorney. Adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that can be used to reduce or deny your claim later. You are not legally required to provide a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and doing so before you understand your rights can seriously harm your case.
Contact Elmm Law Group first. The consultation is free, and Gordi can advise you on exactly what to say, what not to say, and how to protect your claim from the very beginning.
Yes. Tempe is one of Arizona’s most active cities for cycling and walking, particularly around ASU’s main campus, the Apache Boulevard light-rail corridor, and the Mill Avenue District. Bicycle and pedestrian accident cases often involve unique liability questions, including driver failure to yield, improper turning movements, and poorly maintained crosswalks or bike lanes. Elmm Law Group handles these cases regularly and understands the specific evidence and legal arguments they require.
Given our firm specializes in and exclusively handles personal injury cases, we’re able to provide one-on-one Client-Attorney contact to ensure our clients feel heard. Also, we don’t get paid unless you do! Our team can provide multilingual services in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian.
If you’ve been injured in a car crash, motorcycle wreck, pedestrian accident, trucking collision, or from a dog bite, call our Phoenix personal injury lawyer today for a FREE consultation. We’re available 24/7!
Take your first step towards speaking with our office by contacting us for a FREE consultation today. Call us at (480) 329-5084 or complete the form below. We look forward to evaluating your case!