Moving your elderly parents into a nursing home is a hard decision, but you tell yourself it's for their own good and that it will improve the quality of their lives. You choose a good facility and figure that life will be better for everyone now. And then you visit your parents, and every time, they feel a bit more off than they did the last time. Then you notice a bruise, then you notice they're losing weight, and when you ask the staff, they always give a vague answer, and every time, the answer is different.
Something's up, and if you suspect that your loved one is neglected or even abused, there are things you can do (steps you can take) to help them and hold the facility accountable.
- Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It does NOT constitute legal advice. Keep in mind that nursing home abuse laws, filings, deadlines, liability rules, etc. – all these things (can) vary by state and by case. If you ever suspect abuse/neglect, consult a qualified attorney before taking any other action; this way you’ll be able to discuss your specific situation and what your legal options are. Below, you’ll find a couple of examples of such law firms.
DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative maintains a database that contains hundreds of state elder-abuse and financial-exploitation statutes. These statutes vary considerably from state to state.
– U.S. Department of Justice
Top Nursing Home Abuse Law Firms
You'll find plenty of lawyers who handle personal injury cases, but not all of them are capable of taking on facilities and nursing home abuse. The ones in the list you're about to read, though, are experts at it.
Nursing Home Law Center
This isn't your traditional law firm. Instead, what the Nursing Home Law Center is is a network of attorneys who handle cases of neglect and abuse in nursing homes all over the country. It basically connects families with lawyers who are licensed in the states where their cases are and are good options for a specific case – which is good to know if this is the option you feel would work best for you.
There are more than 20 attorneys in the network, and among them is Jonathan Rosenfeld, who is the founder and managing partner at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, has more than 20 years of experience in the area of personal injury, and works in Illinois.
Nursing Home Law Center attorneys have recovered more than $200 million (USD) over 5 years in cases of negligence in nursing homes, but if you want more specific details on that, the website has a lot of it. One of the settlements mentioned there involved a patient with dementia who ingested cleaning chemicals after they got into an unsecured storage area. The case ended in a recovery of $1.5 million. The website has other information, too, not just details on cases, and it's very useful for anyone looking for an attorney who can handle abuse in nursing homes.
Levin & Perconti
A resident needs help walking and the nursing home is perfectly aware of that, but nobody provides that help when it's necessary. That's exactly the type of situation Levin & Perconti has dealt with in court. The firm is based in Chicago, and its attorneys represented the family of Willie Green.
He was a 67-year-old man who was living at Southpoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Green had a history of cognitive difficulties and fainting, and yet he sustained a serious head injury from a fall that happened in January 2013. He died a few months later from complications that were related to that fall. The case ended in a $2.77 million jury verdict for Green's family. You'll find details on the case on the firm's website, as well as other information about neglect and abuse in nursing homes.
Berman & Riedel LLP
Berman & Riedel LLP is based in San Diego. The firm handles cases of elder abuse, negligence in nursing homes, and wrongful death throughout California. If you're curious about published results, you'll find them on the official website.
One of them is a $4.25 million recovery in a case of nursing home abuse. The facility was understaffed, as many are, and that's why the resident's needs weren't met, and they got seriously injured. There's also a report of another case that ended in a $1.17 million recovery for an elderly resident who was left alone in a restroom, fell, and fractured a hip.
And according to Levin & Perconti, the nurse didn't even bother to report the incident. On the website, you'll also find information about California's laws on elder abuse and residents' rights. It's a useful resource for someone thinking about taking legal action.
Dalli & Marino LLP
This New York law firm is very focused on negligence in nursing homes, and one of the recent cases involved something families might never think to question: whether medical records truly show the care someone received or not.
Attorneys John Dalli and Anthony Chionchio represented the estate of a 70-year-old woman who was living in a nursing home in Nassau County.
There, she developed a severe pressure injury, which led to sepsis and eventually, her death. During the trial, the attorneys looked at electronic medical records and discovered that there were discrepancies between what was documented in terms of care and what the digital data showed. In July 2026, the case ended with a $5.5 million jury verdict.
Conclusion...
If you're thinking about taking legal action, go through the official websites of these law firms because you'll find a lot of information about the laws, explanations on how to report abuse, what to expect of the process, and so on. Of course, before you commit to hiring anyone, do make sure they truly deserve your trust and your time. You're not obligated to sign anything after one meeting, so shop around a little if you're not sure.
