When you’re comparing personal injury attorneys in Rochester, one question matters more than “How fast will it settle?”—what will you receive in writing that you can use for IRS filing and tax return reporting. DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers (listed at 510 Clinton Square Suite 510, Rochester, NY 14604 and reachable at (585) 653-7343) publicly emphasizes verdicts and settlements, but the tax-relevance is in the paperwork you’re given after a claim resolves.
If you want to reduce surprises at tax time, ask the firm to explain (clearly and in writing) how it will support year-by-year documentation, how it will describe settlement components, and when you’ll get those records.
Start the call with the “settlement packet” you’ll actually use
Before you sign anything, ask what the firm provides as a settlement packet for your tax records. You’re not asking for legal advice—you're asking for organizable documents. In practice, that means requesting the written summary you’ll rely on for IRS filing and return reporting, plus any detail that helps you match settlement-related items to the correct tax year.
A helpful answer should include what documents you receive, what they’re called, and whether they’ll show enough detail to support your own records rather than leaving you to reverse-engineer numbers later.
Confirm that payment descriptions support tax-year matching
Many people only think about medical bills when they think about taxes, but accident-related settlements often involve multiple categories of damages. If you’re planning around deductions, reimbursement, and accurate reporting, you need descriptions that let you reconcile amounts to the timing of events and the tax year you’ll file for.
Ask DeFrancisco & Falgiatano how it structures the written information after a resolution—especially if there are different components that might be relevant to your tax return reporting. Publicly, the firm’s Verdicts & Settlements page shows that the firm discusses a range of outcomes and categories, which makes it even more important to understand what your individual packet will look like.
Request language you can hand to your tax preparer
On your call, ask whether the firm can provide wording that a tax preparer can understand without guessing. The goal is to get a consistent narrative that helps you document what happened, when it happened, and what the settlement documents refer to.
Ask how your “paper trail” is protected from being lost
Tax-ready documentation only works if you can find it later. Before a settlement closes, ask how the firm maintains and retrieves records you may need months afterward—especially if you need to support filing decisions based on deductions or other return reporting considerations.
For example, you can ask:
- How will you receive the final paperwork (and in what format)?
- Will you get an electronic copy as well as physical documents?
- What is the process if you need the documents again after the settlement is final?
This is also a credibility check: a firm that takes recordkeeping seriously tends to describe its documentation steps in plain language.
Use the Rochester office signals to keep your comparisons consistent
While tax recordkeeping is the real decision factor, you’ll still want a consistent comparison. Public signals for this location include a listed 4.9 rating from 132 reviewers, plus the Rochester contact details above. Use those signals to verify you’re talking about the same office and the same process, then focus on whether the firm can describe its documentation deliverables for IRS filing and tax return reporting.
DeFrancisco & Falgiatano also states it offers a free consultation and indicates it is available 24/7 on its site—signals that may affect how quickly you can get clarity before settlement terms are finalized.
What to ask before you agree to settlement terms
If you remember only one thing, remember this: your goal is a written “paper trail” that supports your filing. On your next call, ask for direct answers to the following, tied to IRS filing and return reporting:
- What exact documents will I receive, and when?
- Do the descriptions support matching to tax years?
- Can you provide clear wording that my tax preparer can use?
- How are records stored so I can retrieve them later?
Choosing an injury attorney is not only about resolution timelines—it’s about whether you’ll have tax-ready settlement documentation when the year ends. If the firm can explain its settlement packet and recordkeeping process clearly, you’ll be in a better position to handle IRS paperwork without last-minute guesswork.
