Injury to a person that is caused by an automobile accident, accident at work or by someone else's negligence is a personal injury. In case of personal injury, it is obvious that the injured victim or his family would want compensation for the injury and the cost of medical bills. In a big place like New York, it becomes difficult to find a good lawyer who is devoted to the client's needs and taking care of the client's case in a caring, professional and responsible manner. The injured victim or his family can find a good lawyer in the Yellow Pages or an online directory, or contact the State Bar lawyer referral service.

Personal injury lawyers work on behalf of their clients, and help to get compensation for injuries that occurred due to someone else's negligence. Personal injury lawyers work with the client to build a lawsuit, cope with the insurance company and deal people on the client's behalf. In New York there are different types of personal injury lawyers for different kind of injury cases, just as there are different doctors for different diseases. Not all personal injury lawyers take on worker's compensation cases or accident injury cases; some lawyers mainly focus on spinal cord injury cases or brain injury cases, while others specialize in car accidents or construction accidents, for example.

All lawyers in New York are required to pass the bar exam, which includes multiple-choice questions and essay questions. On passing the bar exam, one must apply to the Appellate Court to seek entry to the bar and, after passing the interview with the Character and Fitness Committee, one can practice law in New York. Some of the prominent law firms for personal injury law in New York are Napoli Kaiser, Connors and Ferris, Schwartzapfel, Novick, Truhowsky and Marcus, and many more. All of these firms mainly handle personal injury cases.