Managing Partner Shant A. Karnikian was quoted in the Daily Journal on the closure of the Los Angeles County Personal Injury Hub, which officially ended Friday after more than a decade of operation.
The hub, established in 2013 as a centralized system for handling personal injury cases, was created in response to state budget cuts that forced courtroom closures across Los Angeles County. As caseloads stabilized, the court made the decision to transition back to independent calendar courts, where a single judge oversees a case from filing through trial.
Karnikian noted the practical benefits of the new model for both attorneys and the bench.
“The benefit of having a case in an IC courtroom is that the same judge gets to see the case from start to finish. The judge trying the case will have a first-hand understanding of the facts, issues, and dynamics long before the case is trial-ready.”
While welcoming the change, Karnikian also acknowledged the challenges ahead, noting that the increased hands-on workload for judicial officers raises questions about long-term sustainability.