We were lucky to catch up with Joshua Bonnici recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

My firm has handled personal injury claims for nearly 10 years, spanning from car accidents, dog bites, pedestrian injuries and trip-and-fall accidents. However, starting in 2015, I decided to niche into representing bicycle accident victims as I have been an avid cyclist for the past 25 years. In doing so, I decided to get involved in the local cycling community and begin to give back and educate people on how to handle accident claims, how to read and interpret relevant California bicycle laws, and be a resource for cyclists who are hit by cars.

I decided to do this not by siding on the sidelines and expect cyclists to simply come to me, but to immerse myself into the sport and the local community. I serve on the board of the San Diego Mountain Bike Association – a non-profit dedicated to the creation and maintenance of sustainable trails throughout the County. I am now the title sponsor San Diego Bicycle Club – San Diego’s largest and oldest cycling club. I also sponsor SkyFlash Racing team, who is an all-female race team trying to get more women involved in cycling and racing.

By participating in and supporting all these community events, as well as being an avid rider myself (I regularly ride approximately 5,000 miles per year) I am able to really connect with clients and fully understand their position when they talk about riding and being off the bike after an accident. I am able to use GPS data to show past riding routes and mileage, specific speed and location at the time of an accident, and also how to tell the story of a cyclist to insurance companies and jurors.

Joshua, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Josh Bonnici is a born-and-raised San Diegan, completing his under-grad and law school careers here in San Diego. After interning at a local personal injury office in San Diego, then working for a legal marketing business, he opened his own law practice in October of 2012, focusing on personal injury cases and disability appeals.

Around 2015, Josh decided to connect his passion for the law and for bicycling, and began to focus on representing victims in bicycle accidents, and getting more and more involved in the local cycling community. Since then, he has helped dozens of injured cyclists all over the county, and has become a staple in San Diego for furthering cycling safety and a positive cycling culture.

Some of the most rewarding claims Josh has worked on involve cases where a cyclist was injured, and wrongfully blamed for causing the accident. Through investigation, analyzing the facts and the law, he has successfully overturn claim denials and provided much deserved funds to injured cyclists in order to get back in the saddle after an accident.

Personally, Josh has is also an accomplished cyclist. Starting his racing career later in life in 2018, he started racing for San Diego Bicycle Club (where is his now the title sponsor of the club) and has entered races all over the country. His most notable events are BWR San Diego and Utah, the Leadville MTB 100 race, and earning a bronze medal at USA Cycling Track National Championships in 2021.

In his spare time, you can find Josh cycling all over San Diego, hiking the local mountains with his wife, or creating new and fun cocktails behind his home bar.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Starting my solo practice in 2012 was no easy task. The practice area I picked works on a contingency model, meaning we only get paid once the case resolves. With cases typically taking between several months and a few years, capital to work with had to come from personal reserves. Using some of the contacts I had made prior to opening my own business, I was able to secure some contract work for the first year, giving me the ability to “float” the first year of having a business not creating any capitol. Without those contacts from previous jobs and networking, the first year would have been very lean.

Any advice for managing a team?

I have always had the mentality that team members should really feel like they are on a team. Having everyone buy-in to what their roles, responsibilities, and strengths are, they can hopefully see their role as an important cog in the machine that makes the business run. I’ve always made an effort to give team members tasks that they enjoy or are good at, so that each day brings opportunities to shine and conquer the day. Also, granting authority to make decisions to team members after they earn that trust can make a big difference in moral and overall a team-like atmosphere.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bonnicilawgroup.com
• Instagram: sdbikelawyer
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BonniciLawGroup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-bonnici-78237a5b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdzaCZMRU_j97OrkSaTaaYQ