A NOTE TO READERS. This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team. Schiffman Law Office, P.C. did not pay for, request, or review this article prior to publication, and placement on Awesome Attorneys’ editorial pages cannot be purchased. Nothing in this article is legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of any future case.
At a Glance
| Firm | Schiffman Law Office, P.C. |
| Founded | 1975, by Alan M. Schiffman |
| Offices | Phoenix, with appointments available in Mesa and Scottsdale |
| Key attorney | David A. Thomson — Boston University School of Law, J.D. 1977 |
| Firm founder | Alan M. Schiffman — SUNY Buffalo (B.A., 1972); University of Cincinnati College of Law (J.D., 1975); AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell |
| Practice focus | Firm-wide: workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability, ERISA, insurance bad faith, and personal injury; David Thomson’s individual practice is classified plaintiff-only personal injury, medical malpractice, and products liability |
| Contact | schiffmanlaw.com · (602) 266-2667 |
Fifty Years of Representing the Injured and Disabled
Alan Schiffman founded his Phoenix firm in 1975 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and has spent the five decades since representing injured and disabled workers and their families. The firm’s own description of its identity is direct: “Arizona’s most comprehensive law firm focused exclusively on Injury & Disability Law.” That comprehensiveness is the firm’s defining feature — rather than specializing narrowly, Schiffman Law handles workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability (SSDI/SSI), long-term disability, ERISA claims, insurance bad faith, and personal injury under one roof, and the firm states it can coordinate representation across two or more of these categories for a single client whose situation touches multiple systems.
David A. Thomson practices personal injury specifically within that broader firm. He graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1977 and was admitted to practice the same year. Super Lawyers classifies his individual practice cleanly across three plaintiff-only categories: Personal Injury – General, Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice, and Personal Injury – Products, all designated Plaintiff.
Practice Areas
The firm states it maintains State Bar of Arizona certified specialists available to handle workers’ compensation, ERISA, insurance bad faith, and accident or personal injury claims specifically. For clients whose case involves only a car accident or slip-and-fall claim, David Thomson’s plaintiff-only personal injury classification is the most directly relevant practice line; clients with overlapping workers’ compensation or disability issues can be served by the same firm without switching counsel.
Track Record
Awesome Attorneys did not locate a published verdicts-and-settlements ledger specific to the personal injury practice, or to David Thomson individually, as of the research date. One client review on the firm’s general disability practice described a settlement “beyond what I was hoping for” after switching to the firm from a previous attorney, though that review is not specific to the personal injury line.
In Clients’ Words
Client reviews on Avvo and Lawyers.com for the firm are largely concentrated on its workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability practice rather than personal injury specifically. One reviewer, a senior citizen injured on the job, described feeling “intimidated” and lost before finding Alan Schiffman, and credited the firm with securing surgery and compensation. Awesome Attorneys did not locate reviews specifically attributing an outcome to David Thomson’s personal injury work.
Beyond the Courtroom
The firm serves clients statewide, with appointments available across Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, Payson, Surprise, Sedona, and Flagstaff, and offers Spanish-language service. Alan Schiffman has been included in Top Lawyers lists by AZ Business magazine and PHOENIX magazine across multiple years.
Recognition
Alan Schiffman holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating and a “Superb” Avvo rating. David Thomson was selected to Super Lawyers in 2007, with his individual practice classified across three plaintiff-only personal injury categories. Awesome Attorneys did not locate a State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization certification specifically attributed to Thomson, though the firm states certified specialists are available within the practice generally.
Arizona Legal Backdrop
| A.R.S. § 12-542 | Two-year statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims |
| A.R.S. § 12-821.01 | 180-day notice of claim requirement before suing a public entity or employee |
| A.R.S. § 12-821 | One-year statute of limitations for suits against public entities |
| A.R.S. § 12-2505 | Arizona’s pure comparative negligence rule |
| A.R.S. § 12-502 | Tolling of limitations periods for minors and persons under a legal disability |
Workers injured on the job face a different track entirely from the statutes above: Arizona workers’ compensation, the firm’s primary practice area, is governed by Title 23 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and generally bars a direct negligence lawsuit against the employer, though a personal injury claim against a negligent third party (not the employer) still follows the ordinary framework in this table.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Schiffman Law Office’s fifty-year history and comprehensive injury-and-disability practice are genuine and well-documented, and David Thomson’s individual personal injury classification is clean and plaintiff-only. The firm’s willingness to coordinate multiple overlapping claim types for a single client is a real practical advantage for people whose situation doesn’t fit neatly into one legal category.
The honest caveat: this is fundamentally a workers’ compensation and disability firm with a personal injury practice line, not a personal-injury-first firm the way most other profiles in this series are. Awesome Attorneys could not locate personal-injury-specific results or client reviews attributable to Thomson individually, and prospective personal injury clients should confirm they will be working directly with him rather than the firm’s broader disability practice.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched using schiffmanlaw.com (firm site and firm overview), Super Lawyers, Justia, Avvo, Lawyers.com, and FindLaw. All statutory citations were checked against the Arizona Revised Statutes as published by the Arizona State Legislature. No compensation was sought or received from the firm, and the firm was not contacted prior to publication of this profile.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
This profile is an independent editorial article published by Awesome Attorneys. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any lawyer or law firm profiled on this site, and inclusion in this series is not paid placement. “Awesome Attorneys” is a brand name only; it is not a rating, ranking, or claim that any profiled firm is superior in any legal category. Awesome Attorneys maintains a separate attorney directory; only listings there marked “Sponsored” or “Ad” reflect a paid relationship. Facts in this profile are current only as of the research date and are subject to change; readers should confirm any detail directly with the firm.