Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely nothing. At Armstrong Lee & Baker LLP, our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you owe us nothing unless we win your case, whether that’s in the form of a settlement or a judgment. We offer a free consultation to anyone who thinks they might have a personal injury case.

We suggest speaking with an attorney as soon as possible after your injury. Something to keep in mind is that all personal injury cases need evidence, and that evidence often degrades over time. As a result, many jurisdictions have a strict statute of limitations (or time limit) for filing a claim. In Texas, most victims have only two years from the date of injury to file, so it is important to start building your case immediately.

In the state of Texas, employers have the option of filing for workers’ compensation insurance. This policy covers them in case an employee suffers an injury on the job. However, some employers choose to be non-subscribers, which means they opt out of this coverage and lose certain legal protections. This means that if an injured employee sues them after a work injury, they may end up paying more damages. In addition, they may be liable for pain and suffering, punitive damages, and medical benefits. Learn more about non-subscriber injuries here.

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) keeps track of employers that report their non-subscriber status. Currently, you can find a spreadsheet of every reported non-subscriber business in Texas under TDI’s workers’ compensation insurance coverage verification page. This includes the business address, business name, and filing dates. Learn more here.

There are a few different ways to manage your bills while waiting for your case to settle. For medical treatment, it is common to arrange a lien with the doctor’s office or hospital. A medical lien is essentially an agreement to pay back your treatment costs with a portion of your potential settlement. Another option for miscellaneous bills, such as rent, utilities, or other essential expenses, is lawsuit funding. Much like a lien, you pay these loans back with a portion of your settlement or judgment. However, these loans have high interest rates and fees, so be sure to discuss this option with your attorney.

If you sustain an injury at work due to faulty equipment, we recommend setting up a consultation with one of our attorneys. One of the difficult aspects of a workers’ compensation case involving faulty equipment is determining liability. Generally, employers are responsible for the upkeep of their equipment. However, if a third-party maintenance company failed to replace a faulty part, they may be liable instead. The only way to know for sure if you have a case is to discuss the incident with an attorney.

The cost of a car accident attorney depends on a variety of factors. Not every case is the same, as some may require more work than others. However, retaining a car accident attorney does not have an initial cost. Instead, most attorneys work on contingency, which means you pay them only if you win your case. If you do win, your attorney will take a predetermined amount or percentage of the award. Professional attorneys will go through this information with you before you hire them and outline it in your agreement.

This depends on the classification of the driver at the time of the accident. In some cases, the driver may be classified as an employee of the trucking company. This makes the company liable for the driver’s actions. However, there are also companies that hire drivers as independent contractors. If this is the case, you may need to file a lawsuit against the driver instead. However, you still may have an option to file against the company if they contributed to your accident, such as by improperly maintaining their trucks.

It is very important to hire an experienced, knowledgeable, and ethical lawyer if you have suffered an injury, especially if you are dealing with a corporation or insurance company on the other side. After a major accident, the other side will immediately work to build a case against you and spin the evidence in the best possible light for their defense. You need a lawyer on your side who will immediately begin building your case, demanding that relevant evidence is preserved and protecting your rights as soon as possible. Even in an accident without catastrophic injuries, the at-fault insurance company will do everything it can to avoid paying the full and fair amount of your claim. They will often ask to take a recorded statement of the accident to try to poke holes in your account of the accident, especially if there were no independent witnesses. Hiring the right lawyer will put the insurance company on notice that you have a serious case and that they should expect to pay full and fair compensation for your injuries. Once you hire our firm, the insurance company will know you’re serious. We’ll take care of the rest.

We represent people from all walks of life, from grocery store clerks, to oilfield workers, to corporate executives. The common thread that connects our clients is that they have all been hurt because of the negligence of someone else—whether a reckless driver or a major oil company. Every client matters to us. We fight for every client, no matter how humble or sophisticated, no matter their race, religion, gender, orientation, color, or creed. We do not represent corporations or insurance companies.

We have a simple, but effective approach. We put our clients’ interests first. We focus on the issues that matter. We get to work early and leave work late. And if the other side is not willing to give you full and fair compensation, we will present your case to a jury. We’re serious about every client that walks through our door. We also hear a common complaint from people who have hired lawyers—I can’t ever get in touch with my lawyer. You won’t have that problem with us. You will have a team of highly trained lawyers and staff working on your case. We’re serious about making sure your questions are answered and that you have all of the information you need to make important decisions regarding your case.

We don’t take every case. In fact, we are selective about the cases we take because we want to make sure that every client that hires us is represented to the best of our abilities and given the personal attention they deserve. Please contact us using the form below, or call us at 832-402-6637 anytime for a free consultation with an attorney, who will let you know if our firm is the right fit for you and your case. After the consultation, we will generally let you know within 24 hours if we are willing and able to represent you.

We will carefully listen to the facts of your case to make sure we understand what happened. We will speak with you about all of the injuries and damages that you’ve suffered because of the accident. Once we know what’s going on, we will explain the important legal principles you need to know and how they apply in your case. If there is enough information available, we will also research the at-fault party to determine whether there may be enough insurance coverage or assets that can be recovered to compensate you. If you would like to move forward after the consultation, we will provide you with a Power of Attorney agreement to allow our firm to begin working on your case to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. The consultation is always free, even if you don’t hire our firm.

This is a difficult question to answer without knowing the specific facts of your case, your injuries, and who is on the other side. That is why we recommend you contact our firm. A trained attorney will help you decide whether you have a strong case and evaluate your chances for a successful resolution. In general, the strength of any case depends on the facts and the applicable law. There are three key questions that we ask in evaluating the potential success of a case: First, who is at fault under the law? Second, how seriously injured is the person bringing the claim? Third, does the at-fault party have the ability to pay or available insurance? There are many complexities within each of these questions. But, in general, the answers to these questions will determine the relative strength of the case.

Over 95% of the cases we accept have resolved with a settlement or favorable judgment. Each case is different. Ultimately, if a case does not settle, a judge or jury may need to decide the case. Therefore, we cannot ethically guarantee a particular outcome. We do, however, counsel our clients with the best legal advice that we can based on our extensive knowledge and long experience handling injury cases so they can make an informed decision based on the available facts and potential outcomes.

Most people can’t afford the high hourly rates of the big downtown law firms that insurance companies hire in cases like yours. But that doesn’t mean you should compromise on the quality of the legal representation you’re able to afford. Our firm can go toe-to-toe with any firm on any injury case, any time. We have the track record to prove we’re serious. We work for our clients on a “contingency fee” basis. That means that we do not take an hourly fee or any payment up front. In fact, we start spending money right away to investigate your claim, order medical records, file a lawsuit, and hire experts if necessary to make sure your case is taken seriously by the insurance company. We only get paid if we are successful in getting a judgment from a jury or a settlement that you approve. Our fee is a percentage of the total recovery. If we are unsuccessful in getting a settlement or judgment, you do not have to pay us anything—even if we have spent thousands of dollars working on your case. We take that risk on ourselves.

No. You are not responsible for any up-front costs, like the cost of ordering medical records, expert fees, investigation expenses, or administrative costs like mail and fax. If you need help getting to and from medical care, we can help with transportation costs too. If we are successful in getting a judgment from a jury or a settlement, we will be reimbursed for our costs out of the total recovery. But if we are not successful, you don’t have to pay us anything back. We take that risk on ourselves.

No. You are not responsible for litigation costs, like the cost of filing a lawsuit, process server fees, deposition expenses, court reporter fees, jury fees, and other filing fees. If we are successful in getting a judgment from a jury or a settlement that you approve, we will be reimbursed for our costs out of the total recovery. But if we are not successful, you don’t have to pay us anything back. We take that risk on ourselves.

Every state has different laws regarding the type of damages that you can recover, but in general, you can recover economic damages including your past medical bills and lost wages. You can also recover for medical costs that you will incur in the future, as well as future lost earning ability. In addition to these economic damages, you can also recover for pain and suffering, mental anguish, impairment of your normal functions, and physical disfigurement like scarring—both in the past and in the future. The jury generally decides the amounts of these “non-economic” injuries after seeing the evidence and hearing the testimony of the witnesses in the case. In a wrongful death care, the spouse, children, and parents of the deceased person are also entitled to recover for their losses because of the death. These damages include emotional distress, loss of advice and guidance of the deceased, and loss of inheritance they may have received. The estate of the deceased is also entitled to recover any medical expenses, as well as for the pain and suffering they may have experienced before death. Under certain circumstances situations, you may be entitled to punitive damages if the at-fault party’s conduct was particularly egregious or reckless.

The at-fault party or insurance company is legally responsible to pay the medical expenses that you have incurred because of an accident. They may also be responsible for future medical care that can be proven at trial. Until the settlement or judgment is reached, you may need to carry the costs of medical treatment, for example, by using your own health insurance. You would be responsible for paying your deductible or co-pays, but those costs can be reimbursed as part of the final resolution of your case. Once a resolution is reached, our firm will negotiate your medical bills with any medical providers, health insurers, or lienholders that have to be paid out of your case. We do this because we want to reduce the amount of money that you have to pay back to medical providers and to put more money in your pocket for the pain, suffering, and inconvenience you have suffered.

If you don’t have health insurance or otherwise can’t afford medical care, we work with a network of board-certified doctors, physical therapists, imaging facilities, and other medical providers who will defer collection of payment for their services until your case is resolved. We are happy to recommend a provider close to your home or your workplace so that you can get the medical treatment that you need to get on the road to recovery. The case managers at our firm will coordinate with you and your providers to make sure that you are satisfied with the medical care that you are receiving and regularly check up on the status of your treatment. If you need transportation to and from your appointments, we can take care of that too.

A first-party insurance claim refers to the process of filing a claim with your own insurance company to seek compensation for damages covered by your policy. Once you file the claim, the insurance company reviews your policy to determine if you have the necessary coverage to receive compensation for the specific type of loss. Hiring an attorney for assistance with your first-party insurance claim can be beneficial as they possess expertise in insurance laws and can guide you through the complex claims process, ensuring that your rights are protected and maximizing your chances of receiving fair compensation.

The first step will be to promptly inform your supervisor about your work-related injury. To obtain a copy of your specific Target injury policy and understand the applicable time limits, consult your supervisor. It is important to report the injury without delay. It's crucial to seek medical care from an approved provider under your private plan. Ensure that you inquire with your supervisor regarding authorized medical providers. Promptly obtaining medical attention is typically a requirement. Finally, file your injury compensation claim following Target's policy guidelines. Familiarize yourself with the deadline for filing, which is often within 30 days or less. To clarify the timeframe, refer to your handbook or inquire about the specific deadline. It is crucial to submit your claim as soon as possible. Read more about Target workers' compensation claims.