I am Stanley Cassavant, the founder of Cassavant Injury & Trial Counsel, LLC, a personal injury firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I represent injured people and families in personal injury and wrongful death matters in New Mexico state and federal court. Before I represented injured people, I spent eight years on the defense side of injury claims, and that background shapes how I evaluate, prepare, and present a case. I personally review the inquiries that come to my firm. This page explains what my firm is, how I evaluate and work a case, the kinds of problems I am prepared to handle, and how I am paid.
Cassavant Injury & Trial Counsel, LLC is a personal injury firm in Albuquerque that represents injured people and families in New Mexico state court and in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (federal court). I handle personal injury and wrongful death matters, including motor vehicle and commercial or fleet vehicle crashes, uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) claims, premises liability, and injuries involving government vehicles or entities, which may involve the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, special notice rules, and deadlines that can be much shorter than ordinary filing deadlines. I handle these cases on a contingency-fee basis, which generally means no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. Case costs are separate and are addressed in the written fee agreement. I personally review the inquiries that come to my firm and give candid guidance about whether I can help.
Why I Built This Firm
I built Cassavant Injury & Trial Counsel to focus on one thing and do it carefully: representing injured people and families in personal injury and wrongful death cases in New Mexico.
Before I represented the injured, I spent eight years on the defense side of injury claims, working with insurers, adjusters, and risk professionals. That experience helps me understand how insurers, defense counsel, and institutional defendants evaluate a claim — how they look at liability, causation, comparative fault, damages, medical records, prior injuries, gaps in treatment, and available coverage. I use that perspective to prepare a case for that kind of scrutiny from the beginning, rather than reacting to it later.
Part of what I learned is that injury cases are not always what they appear to be at first. A case that looks straightforward can involve complex issues that are not obvious from the police report — disputed fault, missing video, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, commercial or fleet responsibility, a government-vehicle notice question, an intoxicated driver, or a premises-control problem. Those issues are easier to address when they are identified early, which is why I strongly prefer to look at the facts than have someone wait to contact me.
I focus my practice on personal injury and wrongful death, and not on unrelated areas such as family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, immigration, estate planning, business disputes, or workers’ compensation. That focus lets me spend my time where it matters — on the facts, the evidence, the insurance, and the people responsible. If you want to know more about my background and credentials, I explain my experience in detail on my attorney page.
How I Evaluate and Work a Case
When someone contacts me, I start by evaluating the facts — how the injury happened, who may be responsible, what injuries resulted, what insurance may apply, and what deadlines or evidence issues are already in motion.
I look at responsibility broadly, not just at the most obvious party. In a commercial vehicle or fleet crash, responsibility can extend to the driver, the employer or motor carrier, a separate company that owns or leases the vehicle, and others in the chain. It can also turn on legal doctrines like respondeat superior or on claims for negligent hiring, training, supervision, or retention. An “independent contractor” label on a driver does not end that analysis. As a commercial vehicle accident attorney, I treat the corporate and employment structure behind a crash as part of the case, and I consider federal motor-carrier or vehicle-safety rules where they apply.
I evaluate insurance coverage early. A serious case can involve more than one layer — a primary commercial or auto policy, umbrella or excess coverage above it, self-insured retention, and the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Which policies apply, and in what order, can affect strategy, timing, and the realistic path to a recovery, so I try to understand the coverage picture from the start.
Timing matters for another reason: the legal filing deadline is not always the practical deadline. Evidence can disappear, be overwritten, or become disputed long before any lawsuit deadline arrives. Depending on the case, that evidence can include surveillance, dashcam, and bodycam video; 911 and CAD records; dispatch records; GPS or app data; vehicle telematics; maintenance and driver-qualification records; incident reports; scene conditions; and witness information. Early action may help protect or request that evidence before it is lost, though not every piece of evidence can be preserved or obtained.
Claims involving a government vehicle or entity can carry added urgency. These matters may involve the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, special notice requirements, public-entity procedures, and shorter practical deadlines. Notice is not the same as filing suit, and no claim is viable without a fact-specific analysis. I explain those issues in more detail on my New Mexico Tort Claims Act lawyer page, but the central point is simple: these claims require early attention to notice, procedure, and evidence.
Talk With Me About Time-Sensitive Evidence
The Kinds of Cases I Handle, and Where
I evaluate a wide range of personal injury and wrongful death matters. As an Albuquerque personal injury lawyer, the cases I handle include motor vehicle crashes; commercial vehicle and fleet crashes, including delivery and last-mile vehicles; wrongful death; traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries; pedestrian and bicycle injuries; premises liability on residential and commercial property; uninsured and underinsured motorist claims; and injuries involving drunk drivers, which can sometimes raise separate alcohol-service liability issues.
Some cases look simple at the start and turn out to involve more — a coverage dispute, a commercial defendant, a causation issue, missing evidence, or an injury that develops over time. Part of what I do is look for those issues early, whether a case appears routine or clearly complex. Early evaluation can matter because delay may affect evidence, deadlines, insurance issues, and the overall direction of the claim.
I also handle claims involving government vehicles and entities — for example, a crash involving a city, county, or state vehicle, or a transit vehicle such as an ABQ Ride or Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) bus. As noted above, these claims may involve the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, special notice requirements, and public-entity procedures. They require early attention because legal deadlines, records, video, and other evidence can become issues quickly.
I represent clients throughout New Mexico, with a primary focus on Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, Rio Rancho and Sandoval County, Los Lunas and Valencia County, and Santa Fe, as well as injuries that happen on the I-25 and I-40 corridors that run through the region. If you were hurt somewhere else in New Mexico, it is still worth asking whether I can help. I offer free consultations. I prefer to meet in person at my Albuquerque office when possible so we can review documents together, but I can also meet by phone or video to discuss what happened and whether my firm is the right fit for your situation.
How I’m Paid and What to Expect
I do not charge an initial consultation fee. The first meeting is free, and I am not your lawyer until both of us sign a written Legal Services Agreement. I do not believe you should have to pay simply to meet with me, discuss what happened, and decide whether I am the right attorney for your situation.
This process is about you, your concerns, and your recovery. By the time you contact a lawyer, you may already be dealing with uncertainty, medical issues, insurance questions, financial pressure, and the stress of trying to find the right guidance. My role at the beginning is to listen, evaluate, and advise. I want you to leave the consultation with a clearer understanding of your situation and the next decisions in front of you, whether or not we decide to work together.
I cannot guarantee any outcome. What I can say is that, as the owner of my firm, I put my name and reputation behind the cases I accept. I take your situation seriously. If I agree to represent you, I personally evaluate your claim, work with you throughout the process, and keep you informed about what is happening, why it matters, and what decisions are coming.
My firm handles personal injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency-fee basis. That means no attorney fee is owed unless you agree to hire my firm, my firm agrees to represent you, and there is a recovery in your case. Case costs are different from attorney fees. Costs can include things like filing fees, expert fees, medical-record charges, investigation expenses, and other case-related expenses. Depending on the circumstances and the written fee agreement, you may be responsible for reimbursable case costs regardless of outcome.
I am direct about costs from the beginning. My firm does not mark up case costs; if a cost is passed through to a client, the client pays what the firm paid. The purpose is transparency: my firm should not profit from case expenses. Before any attorney-client relationship begins, I review the Legal Services Agreement with you, in detail, so you understand how attorney fees, costs, and case expenses work and have the opportunity to ask questions before signing. I want each client to be informed and involved.
No attorney fee is owed unless there is a recovery. Case costs and expenses are separate from attorney fees and are addressed in the written fee agreement, including when a client may be responsible for reimbursable case costs. The written agreement controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I contact your firm, will you personally review my inquiry?
Yes. I personally review the inquiries that come to my firm. When you contact me, I want to understand what happened, what concerns you have, and whether my firm may be able to help. If I accept your case, I stay involved from the first conversation through resolution.
What kinds of personal injury cases do you evaluate?
I evaluate personal injury and wrongful death matters, including motor vehicle crashes, commercial and fleet vehicle crashes, wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, premises liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, drunk-driving injuries, and claims involving government vehicles or entities. I focus on personal injury and wrongful death, not unrelated areas such as family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, immigration, estate planning, business disputes, or workers’ compensation.
What if I am not sure what my case involves?
Many cases are not fully understood at the beginning. A case that seems straightforward at first may involve disputed fault, missing evidence, insurance coverage issues, commercial coverage, government notice issues, or injuries that develop over time. I personally review inquiries and will give candid guidance about whether my firm can help.
Do I have to pay an attorney fee up front?
No. The initial consultation is free, and I handle personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis. That means no attorney fee is owed unless there is a recovery. If there is a recovery, the attorney fee is paid from the recovery at the end of the case. Case costs and expenses are different from attorney fees and are addressed in the written fee agreement, including whether and to what extent a client may be responsible for reimbursable case costs.
Why does your defense-side experience matter?
Before representing injured people, I spent eight years on the defense side of injury claims, working with insurers, adjusters, and risk professionals. That experience helps me understand how insurers, defense counsel, and institutional defendants evaluate a claim — including how they examine liability, causation, damages, medical records, prior injuries, treatment gaps, and available insurance coverage. I use that perspective to prepare a case for the scrutiny it is likely to face, rather than waiting for those issues to be raised later.
Do government-vehicle or commercial-vehicle cases need faster action?
Often, yes. These cases can involve evidence controlled by a company or public entity, such as video, dispatch records, telematics, maintenance records, or personnel records, that may be lost, overwritten, or disputed over time. Claims involving government vehicles or entities may also involve the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, special notice requirements, and shorter practical deadlines. Early legal evaluation can help identify what evidence should be requested or preserved and what deadlines may affect the claim.
If you were injured in Albuquerque or elsewhere in New Mexico, I would be glad to hear what happened, answer your initial questions, and talk with you about whether my firm can help.