About San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer – David J. Muñoz

David J. Muñoz is the co-founding Managing Partner of Mission Personal Injury Lawyers and one of San Diego’s most established personal injury trial attorneys, having built the firm from the ground up since 2010 into a practice that has recovered over $150 million for injured clients across Southern California. Licensed in both California and Texas, he currently oversees offices in San Diego, Chula Vista, and El Paso.

BACKGROUND & CREDENTIALS

David’s route into law ran through medicine first. He earned a B.A. in Biology from St. Mary’s University in 2002 and an M.S. in Biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2004 before shifting to law, completing his J.D. at St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2008. That science background now shapes how he builds cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal trauma, and soft-tissue damage — the injury categories insurers are most likely to dispute. He was admitted to the California bar in 2010 and is also licensed to practice in Texas.

His interest in the work traces back further than law school: his father, Rosalio Muñoz, spent years as a personal injury attorney in Texas before becoming a judge, and David has cited that example as the reason he went into injury law rather than medicine.

TRIAL PHILOSOPHY

David co-founded Mission with his father in 2010 after starting his career at Fish & Richardson, building the firm in a city where he had no prior professional network, a start he’s discussed publicly in a 2020 interview with San Diego Voyager. His approach centers on trial readiness: he’s taken more than 120 cases to verdict and holds a 99% success rate, credentials reflected in his membership in the invitation-only American Board of Trial Advocates, where he currently sits on the San Diego chapter’s leadership board, and his status as a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College.

David represents clients across car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, brain injuries, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death claims, along with premises liability, elder abuse, and insurance bad faith matters.

RECOGNITION & MEMBERSHIPS

CASE RESULTS

Mission Personal Injury Lawyers has recovered over $150 million for clients through verdicts and settlements. Select firm results include:

  • $70,000,000 – Sexual Molestation
  • $9,000,000 – Abuse of a Minor
  • $3,200,000 – Trucking Accident
  • $3,000,000 – Premises Liability/Poisoning
  • $2,004,457 – Inadequate Bar Security/Assault & Battery
  • $2,000,000 – Burn Injury

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case.

OFFICE LOCATIONS

📍 San Diego (Main Office) – 3666 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103 – (619) 777-5555
📍 Chula Vista – 690 Otay Lakes Rd #130, Chula Vista, CA 91910 – (619) 722-3032
📍 El Paso, TX – 201 E Main Suite 106, El Paso, TX 79901 – (915) 591-1000

Serving San Diego County, Chula Vista, and El Paso, Texas. Free consultation, no fee unless you win.

Practice Areas

Car Accidents

Motorcycle Accidents

Truck Accidents

Frequently Asked Questions

In California, most personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. If the claim involves a government entity, a city bus, a pothole on public property, a government vehicle  you must file a formal claim within six months, not two years. Missing either deadline generally bars you from recovering compensation, so it’s worth talking to an attorney early even if you’re not sure you’ll pursue a case.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in California?

Most San Diego personal injury attorneys, including David J. Muñoz, work on contingency, meaning there’s no upfront cost and no fee unless the case results in a settlement or verdict. The attorney’s fee is a percentage of the recovery, agreed to before the case begins, so the financial risk of pursuing a claim stays with the firm, not the client.

How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer in San Diego?

Case value depends on the specifics, medical expenses, lost income, the severity and permanence of the injury, and the strength of the liability evidence. There’s no fixed formula or average payout that applies universally; a bicycle accident with a broken wrist and a catastrophic brain injury case will value completely differently. An attorney typically can’t give a real number until medical treatment is far enough along to understand the full scope of damages.

How much is my personal injury case worth?

You’re not legally required to hire one, but insurance companies routinely offer lower settlements to unrepresented claimants than to those with legal representation, since adjusters know an unrepresented person is less likely to litigate. For claims involving significant medical treatment, disputed liability, or a government defendant, the deadlines and evidentiary requirements make legal representation especially valuable.

Do I need a lawyer for a personal injury claim in California?

Timelines vary widely, straightforward claims with clear liability can resolve in a few months, while cases involving serious injuries, disputed fault, or litigation can take a year or more. Cases generally can’t be accurately valued (and therefore can’t settle) until the injured person has finished or stabilized their medical treatment, since settling too early risks leaving future medical costs uncovered.

How long does a personal injury case take to settle in San Diego?

California law allows recovery for economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, property damage) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life). Punitive damages exist but are rare, reserved for cases involving reckless or intentional conduct rather than ordinary negligence. If the at-fault party is uninsured or underinsured, recovery may instead come through the injured person’s own insurance policy.

One thing worth flagging: California Bar rules require these to read as general legal information, not as guarantees or case-specific advice, which they do here, but if these get edited later, keep an eye on any language that starts sounding like a promise of outcome (e.g. “we’ll get you X”).

What types of compensation can I recover after an accident in California?