Our team is led by our friendly, talented attorney and CEO, John Tillotson. Roughly 40,000 people die in auto accidents in the US each year. Our team has experience working on a variety of cases, and we are here to make sure you are comfortable and confident with the plan for your recovery. Our goal is to make sure you receive fair compensation for your injuries so you can pay your medical bills and be back to where you were before the accident.
If you want to understand complex legal issues, our team can help by explaining things in simple, straightforward terms so you feel comfortable and confident with the plan for your case. John is personable and never talks down to anyone.
You keep more of your settlement because our fees are lower than most other firms. Our fee for settlement is 30% of the settlement amount, where most other firms charge between 33% and 38%.
Learn more about our Practice Areas here.
Practice Areas
Meet the Attorney
John Tillotson
Partner
Experience
John brings extensive experience to our team as a seasoned personal injury lawyer, genuinely dedicated to his work. Since he began practicing law, John has represented over 400 injury cases, and provided his clients with over $2.1-million in compensation.
Education
John started his secondary education at Utah Valley University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance in 2007. He was then accepted into Ave Maria's School of Law in Florida, and finished his law school at Brigham Young University in May 2012.
Passion
"I wanted to be a personal injury attorney, because of my past employment history as an insurance adjuster," said John about his ambition to become a lawyer. "I found myself doing more advocating for people at my insurance job, which my boss didn't appreciate very much. I found that working as a personal injury lawyer was the perfect fit for my future career."
Personal Life:
John and his wife of 18 years, Emalia, have three children - two girls that are fourteen and eleven, and one nine-year-old boy.
He is very passionate about his personal health and the improvement of his strategic thought processes through the practice of chess. John said he loves playing chess, because it is a competition involving a certain set of rules; and the winner is determined by which opponent uses the better strategy. "My friend once said it is a game rich enough that 'an elephant can bathe, and simple enough that a mouse can drink'" he said. "Simply anyone can play it."
Education:
- Brigham Young University, 2011 - 2012
- Ave Maria School of Law J.D., 2010
- Utah Valley University - B.S. Finance, 2007
Professional Experience:
- Founded TJ Auto Law - 2016
- Personal Injury Attorney, The Advocates - 2012
- Law Clerk, Judge Steven Hansen, Utah 4th District Court - 2011
- Law Clerk, The Law Office of Conrad Willkomm - 2010
- Injury Adjuster, Farmers Insurance Group - 2008
- Business Consultant, Bill Good Marketing - 2002
Professional Affiliations:
- Utah State Bar - 2012
- American Bar Association - 2012
- Utah Association for Justice
- American Association of Justice
Have you been in a wreck?
Make sure to consider these five things to help the process go more smoothly for you:
1. Stop and Look
You may be in a brief state of shock after you have been in an auto accident in Utah. Take a moment to look around and assess your surroundings. There is likely traffic moving past your vehicle and you don't want to mistakenly get into another accident as a pedestrian. Be safe!
2. Call the Police
Even if the accident is minor you should call the police. A police officer will gather contact and insurance information from both drivers and then you can obtain a copy of the report so you can contact the insurance companies and set up a claim. Contacting the police shows the insurance company that the accident took place and which parties were involved.
3. Take Photos
After it is safe, get out of the vehicle and take photos with your phone. Take photos of:
• The scene in general
• The damage on your vehicle with a reference point to show size (pointing with your finger can help)
• The other vehicle
• The distance between your vehicle and the other vehicle
• The field of debris from the accident (this can show the insurance company how the impact occurred if there is a dispute in the facts of the accident), windows on the vehicle if they are broken
• Interior vehicle photos
• Photos of injury (cuts, scrapes, skin redness from the impact, bruising)
4. Seek Medical Treatment
Injuries can vary widely and you may or may not have a high tolerance for pain. Do a self-assessment for limited range of motion with joints (including the spine), stiffness and pain. Sometimes people feel fine at the scene of the accident, only to slowly tighten up over the next few hours until there is pain. Every Utah auto policy has at least $3,000 in medical coverage so that you can get some medical care after an accident without paying out of pocket. If you are injured, seek treatment immediately so you don't have problems later on.
5. Report the Claim
Contact your insurance company and report the claim soon after the auto accident. Your insurance company will explain the process and take down the necessary information so you can get the benefits that you have paid for.
Depending your situation, there may be more things to consider. Call us right away and we can set you in the right direction so you don't cause yourself unnecessary problems. Whether you choose to retain us or not, we are happy to speak with you over the phone about your auto accident.