About MVA Lawyer Network
We are an independent referral service that connects people hurt in commercial vehicle crashes and other catastrophic injuries with vetted attorneys. We are not a law firm, we do not give legal advice, and we are paid by the attorneys we refer to, not by you. This page explains all of it.
Key takeaways
- We are a referral service, not a law firm. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing on this site is legal advice.
- We screen before we connect. An attorney has to clear a checklist on licensing, real experience, and case funding before we send anyone to them.
- Attorneys pay us, and we say so. That is a conflict worth naming out loud, so we publish how it works instead of burying it in a footer.
- Our editor is not a lawyer. Michael Mangione is a legal research editor, not a practicing attorney. Every legal claim here is sourced to a primary authority.
Everything we publish is general information written and reviewed by our editorial team. It is not legal advice, it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and it is not a substitute for talking to a licensed attorney about your own situation.
01 What we are, and what we are not
MVA Lawyer Network is an independent attorney referral service for catastrophic injury and commercial vehicle crash claims. We review your situation at no cost and connect you with a vetted, independent attorney licensed in your state. We are not a law firm and we do not practice law.
The distinction matters more than it sounds. A law firm represents you and owes you duties of loyalty and confidentiality. We do neither of those things, because we are not your lawyer. What we do is narrower and, done honestly, still useful: we figure out whether your situation needs a lawyer at all, and if it does, we hand it to one who has already cleared a screening.
What we do
- Review what happened to you, at no cost, through a free case review.
- Screen attorneys against a written checklist before anyone is referred.
- Match you to an attorney licensed in the state where the crash happened.
- Publish sourced, dated guides on commercial vehicle and catastrophic injury claims.
- Tell you plainly when we think you do not need a lawyer.
What we do not do
- Represent you. We are not a law firm and we do not practice law.
- Give legal advice, or tell you what your claim is worth.
- Auction your case to whichever firm pays the most.
- Charge you anything, at any point, for any reason.
- Promise you an outcome. Nobody honest can.
Bottom line: we are the step before the lawyer, not the lawyer. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing we publish is legal advice.
02 Why this exists
Because the moment after a serious crash is exactly when people make the worst decisions, and the search results they land on are bought, not earned. We built a service that screens first and explains the business model out loud.
Search for a lawyer after a truck crash and the first several results are advertisements. That is not a scandal, it is just how the auction works. The problem is that ad spend and case-handling ability are unrelated. A firm can outbid everyone and still have never taken a catastrophic case to trial.
Meanwhile the other side is already moving. A commercial carrier's insurer can have investigators at the scene within hours, and some of the evidence that decides these cases, such as a driver's duty logs, only has to be retained for six months under federal rules. The injured person, who is usually in a hospital, is the slowest actor in their own case.
So the useful thing to build was not another advertisement. It was a screen: a checklist an attorney has to clear before we send them anyone, and plain writing about what the law actually says, sourced so you can check it yourself.
We are not a charity. We make money when you hire an attorney we refer you to, which means we have an incentive to think you have a case. The counterweight is that a referral only pays if the attorney actually wants it and it holds up, so sending weak cases wastes everyone's time, including ours.
03 How we vet the attorneys
An attorney has to clear a written checklist before we refer anyone to them: an active, discipline-free license confirmed with the state bar, real experience with catastrophic and commercial vehicle cases, the resources to fund a serious case, clear written fee terms, and direct access to the lawyer handling the matter.
This is the part that justifies our existence, so we hold it tightly. We do not rank attorneys by what they pay us, and a firm cannot buy its way onto the list. The full method, including what disqualifies a firm, is on our how we vet page.
Active, discipline-free license
Confirmed against the relevant state bar. A public disciplinary history is disqualifying.
Real experience with the specific case
Brain, spinal, wrongful death, and commercial vehicle work, not the occasional minor claim.
Resources to fund the case
Accident reconstruction, medical experts, and life care planners cost real money before any recovery.
Clear written fee terms
The contingency percentage and who pays case costs if the case is lost, in writing, before you sign.
Direct access
You can reach the lawyer handling your matter, not only an intake line that never calls back.
04 How we are paid, in plain language
Attorneys pay us a referral fee when someone we refer hires them. You are never billed by us. The attorney's own fee is a contingency, commonly 33 to 40 percent of a recovery, and our referral fee does not add a separate charge on top of it.
Most sites in this category describe themselves in language designed to sound like a public service. We would rather just tell you: this is a business, and the business is referrals. The reason to say it out loud is that you cannot judge our advice unless you know how we get paid.
What that means for you. Nothing changes in your pocket. The attorney works on contingency, so their fee comes out of a recovery under a written agreement, and if there is no recovery there is generally no attorney fee. Our cut comes from the attorney's side of that arrangement, not from an extra line item on yours.
What it means for our incentives. We make money when you hire someone, so we have a reason to be optimistic about your case. You should know that, and weigh what we say accordingly. The honest counterweight is that a referred case only works out if the attorney genuinely wants it, so pushing weak cases costs us the relationships this whole thing depends on.
That we never share your information. Connecting you with an attorney is the entire point, so of course we pass along what you tell us. That we are neutral. We are paid by attorneys. That we are your lawyer. We are not, and no conversation with us is privileged.
Free to you, no obligation, and no fee unless the attorney wins. That is the whole arrangement.
05 How we write and review what you read
Every legal or statistical claim is cited to a primary source: the regulation itself, the government data, or the state bar record. Pages carry a byline and a review date. We do not cite other law firms' marketing pages as authority.
This is health, money, and legal information for people at the worst moment of their lives, so the standard has to be higher than what reads well. Our rule is simple: if we cannot point at the actual authority, we do not say it. The full policy is on our editorial standards page.
Primary sources only
We cite the regulation, the government dataset, or the bar record, not another firm's summary of it.
Bylined and dated
You can see who wrote a page and when it was last reviewed, so you can judge whether it is current.
No invented authority
We do not fabricate case law, statistics, or reviewers. If we are not certain, we leave it out.
Corrections over silence
When the law or the data changes, we update the page and move the review date rather than quietly leaving it stale.
06 Who is behind this
MVA Lawyer Network was founded by Michael Mangione, a legal research editor with more than a decade in personal injury intake and contingency based law firm marketing. He is not a practicing attorney. All legal work is handled by the independent attorneys we refer to.
Sites like this one usually hide behind a logo. We would rather you know exactly who is writing and what they are and are not qualified to say. You can read more about our editor on his Michael Mangione profile.
What our editor is. Someone who has spent more than ten years close to how injury cases are actually intaken, valued, and marketed, and who reads the underlying regulations rather than the summaries of them.
What our editor is not. A lawyer. Michael Mangione does not practice law, does not give legal advice, and does not evaluate the merits of your claim. That is the job of the licensed attorney you speak with, and it is why the vetting matters so much.
Bottom line: a named human is accountable for what this site says. If something here is wrong, there is someone to tell.
Sources and authorities
The regulatory and licensing statements on this page come from primary sources.
Federal commercial vehicle rules
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, 49 CFR Parts 350 to 399. FMCSA.
- Records of duty status retention, 49 CFR 395.8(k)(1), which requires a motor carrier to keep a driver's duty records for six months. Cornell Legal Information Institute.
Attorney licensing
- Each attorney's active license and public discipline history is confirmed with the relevant state bar. American Bar Association.
MVA Lawyer Network is edited by Michael Mangione, who has spent more than a decade in personal injury lead generation, client intake, and contingency based law firm marketing. He built this site to do one thing well: turn dense federal safety rules and real case law into guidance a hurt person can actually use, then connect that person with a lawyer worth their time. Michael is not a practicing attorney and does not give legal advice. Every legal statement on this site is sourced to primary authority, and independent attorneys handle the legal work.
Common questions, answered
General information, not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney.
Is MVA Lawyer Network a law firm?
No. We are an independent referral service that connects injured people with vetted, independent attorneys. We do not practice law, we do not represent you, and we do not give legal advice. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Any attorney you hire is solely responsible for your legal advice and representation.
How do you make money?
Attorneys pay us a referral fee when someone we refer decides to hire them. That is the whole model. You are never billed by us, and our fee comes out of the attorney's side of the arrangement rather than being added on top of what you pay them.
Does it cost me anything?
No. Reviewing your situation is free and puts you under no obligation. The attorneys we match work on a contingency fee, commonly 33 to 40 percent of a recovery, set out in a written agreement. If there is no recovery, you generally owe no attorney fee.
Do you sell my information?
We are not going to tell you we never share your information, because sharing it with an attorney is the entire service. What you tell us goes to the attorney we connect you with, since that is the only way they can review your case, and that attorney pays us a referral fee. We would rather state that plainly than hide behind a slogan.
Is what I tell you confidential?
It is private, but it is not privileged. We use the word private deliberately. Legal confidentiality, meaning attorney-client privilege, attaches when you have an attorney-client relationship with a lawyer. It does not attach to a form you fill out on a referral service, including ours.
How do you choose which attorney I get?
We look at the type of crash, the injury, and the state it happened in, then match you with an attorney who clears our vetting checklist and actually handles that work there. We do not rank attorneys by what they pay us and a firm cannot buy placement.
Is Michael Mangione a lawyer?
No. He is a legal research editor and the founder of this site, with more than a decade in personal injury lead generation, intake, and contingency based law firm marketing. He does not practice law, does not give legal advice, and does not evaluate the merits of your claim. Licensed attorneys do that.
What kinds of cases do you handle?
Catastrophic injury and commercial vehicle claims. That means truck, bus, and rideshare crashes, and life-altering injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, severe burns, and wrongful death. If your situation is outside that, we will say so rather than waste your time.
Do you cover my state?
We connect people with attorneys nationwide, across all 50 states. Because injury law and filing deadlines vary by state, we match you with an attorney licensed and experienced in the state where the crash or injury happened.
Do you guarantee I will win?
No, and you should leave any site that does. No honest lawyer or service can promise an outcome. Past results do not guarantee future ones, and anyone quoting you a settlement figure from a short form is guessing.
What if I already have a lawyer?
Then you generally do not need us, and we will tell you that. If you are unhappy with your representation, raise it with your current lawyer first. Changing lawyers mid-case has real consequences for fees and for the case itself, and it is a decision to make carefully rather than quickly.
Where do your statistics and legal claims come from?
Primary sources only. Crash and injury data comes from federal agencies such as NHTSA, the CDC, and the FMCSA. Regulatory claims cite the regulation itself. Attorney licensing is confirmed with the relevant state bar. Every page lists its sources so you can check us rather than take our word for it.
Something on this site looks wrong. Who do I tell?
Our editor is named on every page, which is deliberate. If a citation is wrong, a rule has changed, or a figure is out of date, we would rather hear it and fix it. We update the page and move the review date rather than quietly leaving stale information up.
Now that you know who we are.
One short, private form. No cost, no obligation, and no fee unless you recover. Find out where you stand.