How your case works, from the first call to the check

Step 1

What happens when you call?

A member of the team takes down what happened, any time of day, and sets up a free case review. There is no charge and no obligation.

Phones are answered 24/7. You will be asked how the crash happened, how you were hurt, where you have been treated, and whether any insurance company has contacted you. If it is easier, you can send the short form on this page and the team will call you back.

The case review itself is a conversation, not a sales pitch. You will hear whether Texas law gives you a claim, which deadlines apply, what insurance may pay, and how the fee works. What you share is confidential whether or not you hire the firm.

• The crash report number or a copy, if you have it
• Photos and video from the scene, your car, and your injuries
• The other driver's name, plate, and insurer
• Your own insurance card and policy
• Medical records, bills, and any letters from insurers

Step 2

What happens in the first week after you hire the firm?

The firm takes over communication with the insurers and starts preserving evidence before it disappears.

You sign a written contingent fee agreement. Texas rules require it to be in writing and to explain the percentage and how case expenses are handled, so you know the terms before any work begins. Ask any question you have about it before you sign.

Letters of representation go to every insurer involved, so adjusters stop calling you and deal with the firm instead. The firm requests the crash report, collects photos and witness names, and sends preservation letters where video, vehicle data, or company records could be lost. In a truck case that means the carrier's logs, dashcam, and engine data; in a rideshare case, the trip records.

Step 3

What do you do while the case is being built?

Your job is to get better and follow your doctors' plan. The firm handles the claim.

Keep every appointment and tell your doctors about every symptom. Gaps in care are the first thing an insurer points to when it wants to pay less, and the medical record is the backbone of the claim.

If paying for treatment is the worry, there are options. Personal Injury Protection on your own policy pays medical bills and lost income regardless of fault, unless you rejected it in writing. Health insurance can pay, and some doctors treat under a letter of protection and are paid from the settlement. The firm helps sort out which applies to you.

• Do not post about the crash or your injuries on social media
• Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer
• Keep receipts, mileage to appointments, and a simple pain journal
• Send the firm any letter or bill you receive

Step 4

How does the firm figure out what the claim is worth?

By documenting every loss and every source of insurance, usually once the injury picture is clear.

The firm gathers your medical records and bills, proof of lost income, and your doctors' opinions about future care. Texas law allows recovery of medical expenses, lost earnings and earning capacity, physical pain, mental anguish, physical impairment, and disfigurement. In a death case, the family's losses are measured under the wrongful death and survival statutes.

Coverage matters as much as the injury. The firm identifies every policy that can pay: the at-fault driver's liability coverage, an employer's commercial policy, your own uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured coverage, and PIP. A strong claim against a driver with a small policy often depends on what your own policy carries.

Step 5

What is a demand, and how does negotiation work?

The demand is a written package that lays out fault, injuries, losses, and the amount needed to settle. Negotiation follows, and you decide whether to accept any offer.

The demand usually goes out once treatment is finished or your doctors can describe what the future holds, because settling before then risks leaving future care unpaid. It includes the evidence on fault, the medical records and bills, wage proof, and photos.

The insurer answers with an offer, and the back and forth begins. Early offers are often low. The firm explains each offer, what it would leave you with after fees, expenses, and liens, and the realistic alternatives. No case settles without your approval.

Step 6

What if the insurance company will not pay a fair amount?

The firm files a lawsuit. Filing does not mean the case will go to trial; many cases settle after a suit is filed.

A Texas injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years of the crash under Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003, and claims against a government body can require written notice much sooner. The firm tracks those deadlines from the first day.

After filing comes discovery: written questions, document exchanges, and depositions, where witnesses answer questions under oath. Many Texas courts send cases to mediation before trial, where a neutral mediator helps both sides negotiate. If the case still does not resolve, it is tried to a jury, and the firm prepares every case as if it will be.

Step 7

How do you get paid at the end?

Settlement money goes into the firm's trust account, liens and expenses are resolved, and you receive the balance with a written closing statement.

You sign a release in exchange for the settlement. The insurer pays into the firm's trust account, where client money is held separately from the firm's own funds. Hospital liens, health insurer reimbursement claims, and medical balances are confirmed and often negotiated down before anything is distributed.

You then receive a closing statement showing the settlement amount, the attorney's fee under your agreement, case expenses, payments to medical providers, and your share, and you approve it before the money is distributed. There is no fee unless the firm wins your case.

Questions about the process