Permanent Life-Altering Injuries
- 400+ Jury Trials
- Over $100 Million Recovered
- 110+ Years Combined Experience
We Take Serious
Cases To Trial
Some injuries don’t heal. Spinal cord damage. Traumatic brain injuries. Severe burns. Amputations. These are the cases McDonald & Cody handles. Not fender benders. Not minor soft-tissue claims. We take the cases that change lives forever, and we prepare every single one for trial.
If you or someone you love has suffered a permanent, life-altering injury in Georgia, you need a lawyer who will take the case all the way to a verdict, not one looking for a quick settlement.
Table of Contents
What Is a Permanent Life-Altering Injury?
A permanent life-altering injury is one that leaves a lasting mark. Not a broken arm that heals in six weeks. We are talking about injuries that reshape a person’s entire life.
These include spinal cord injuries and paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, severe burns covering significant portions of the body, amputations and loss of limb function, permanent vision or hearing loss, and organ damage requiring ongoing medical care.
The injuries often come with a lifetime of medical treatment, lost income, and an altered sense of self. The financial impact alone can be staggering. The personal cost is immeasurable.
What Makes These Cases So Difficult?
Insurance companies have teams of lawyers. Their job is to pay as little as possible. They know most personal injury firms will accept whatever offer is on the table. That is how they make money.
In permanent injury cases, that pressure is enormous. The settlement offers can look big. They are rarely big enough. Not when you account for a lifetime of medical care, lost earning capacity, and everything else a catastrophic injury takes away.
McDonald & Cody prepares every case for trial. When an insurance company knows the firm is genuinely ready to go to a jury, the entire dynamic shifts.
Why Trial Preparation Changes Everything
Most firms prepare cases to settle. McDonald & Cody prepares every case to win at trial. That distinction matters more than anything else when your injury is permanent.
Corporations build injury and death into their financial models. They expect law firms to take the settlement and move on. McDonald & Cody does not. The firm has 400+ jury trials, a 100% trial win rate, and over $100 million in total recoveries. With 110+ years of combined legal experience, they do not bluff about going to trial. They go.
The table below shows documented side-by-side comparisons: what insurance companies offered versus what the firm recovered at trial.
What to Watch Out For
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company. They will use it against you.
- Do not post about your injury, treatment, or daily activities on social media.
- Do not accept an early settlement offer before understanding the full extent of your injuries.
- Do not wait. Georgia's statute of limitations for personal injury is generally two years. Missing that deadline ends your case.
- Do not assume the first law firm you call is the right one. Volume firms settle fast and cheap. That works for them. It does not work for you.
Why Choose McDonald & Cody
- We take fewer cases and prepare every one for trial. Your case gets the time and resources it deserves.
- We have the financial resources to take any case to its conclusion. We pay every litigation expense except medical bills. No loans. No advances against fees.
- Attorneys outnumber staff. You talk directly to your lawyer, not a case manager.
- Three generations of Georgia trial lawyers since 1969. We know this state, its courts, and its juries.
- We find what other lawyers miss. In one case, our investigation uncovered a nationwide product defect no other firm had identified. We do that work on every case we take.
- Most cases conclude in approximately 18 months.
What Separates McDonald & Cody From Other Georgia Firms
Volume firms handle hundreds of cases at once. Their business model depends on fast settlements. Every case they settle, even for less than it is worth, generates revenue. That is good for them. It is not good for you.
McDonald & Cody operates differently. The firm declines multiple cases every week. The cases they accept get deep investigation, full preparation, and a genuine commitment to trial. When insurance companies offered low settlements, McDonald & Cody went to trial and got 2 to 4 times more. That is documented. The table above shows you exactly what that looks like.
Our Notable Case Results
$33 Million
non-confidential settlement
$17.2 Million
VERDICT (2025)
$14.5 Million
Confidential Settlement
$13.1 Million
Confidential Settlement
Call Us to Discuss Your Case
We review every inquiry at no charge. If we can help, we will tell you. If we cannot, we will say so.
You pay nothing unless we win. We pay every litigation expense except medical bills.
North Office: 838 U.S. Hwy 441 Business, Cornelia, GA 30531 | 706-778-7178
South Office: 4005 Hwy 365 South, Alto, GA 30510 | 706-778-5291
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