Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida.
After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Court judge. He researched and wrote legal precedent in published opinions on behalf of the Court.
He has been an editor, columnist and journalist at the Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Golf Digest, FindLaw.com and other media outlets.
He lived in Colombia and Argentina teaching legal English to attorneys and law students. He is also a Spanish-language subject matter expert.
An avid waterman, he surfs and scuba dives frequently.
Reviewed
Adam Ramirez, J.D.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida.
After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Court judge. He researched and wrote legal precedent in published opinions on behalf of the Court.
He has been an editor, columnist and journalist at the Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Golf Digest, FindLaw.com and other media outlets.
He lived in Colombia and Argentina teaching legal English to attorneys and law students. He is also a Spanish-language subject matter expert.
An avid waterman, he surfs and scuba dives frequently.
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
When you think of San Antonio, you might picture the Riverwalk or the Alamo or maybe even the Spurs (the basketball team or the boot adornment). You might think of a sleepy old Texas town, but San Antonio is actually a thriving city of over one and a half million people.
Most of those people drive cars, so car accidents are unfortunately not uncommon.
Luckily, finding a car accident lawyer in San Antonio isn’t hard. We’ve put together a list to give you a place to start. Not only that, but we also offer guidance on how you can find the perfect car accident lawyer for your situation, whether they’re on our list or not.
Read more
Best Car Accident Lawyers in San Antonio
Compare Our Top Attorneys
| Lawyer Name | TX Bar Association Status | Year Admitted to TX Bar | Law School Attended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert C. Alden | Active | 1987 | University of Texas school of Law | View More | ||
| Scott DeShazo | Active | 1999 | Texas Tech University Law School | View More | ||
| Marc E. Gravely | Active | 1993 | St. Mary’s University School of Law | View More | ||
| Randy Howry | Active | 1985 | South Texas College of Law | View More | ||
| Stephen F. Lazor | Active | 1975 | University of Texas School of Law | View More | ||
| Fidel Rodriguez, Jr. | Active | 1980 | University of Texas School of Law | View More | ||
| Daniel J.T Sciano | Active | 1981 | St. Mary's University School of Law | View More | ||
| Michael L. Slack | Active | 1983 | University of Texas School of Law | View More | ||
| Laura G. Tamez | Active | 1995 | St. Mary’s University School of Law | View More | ||
| Shalimar S. Wallis | Active | 2001 | South Texas College of Law | View More |
Other Texas Car Accident Lawyers
Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit in Texas
Texas is a huge state with millions of drivers and the highest speed limits in the country. It’s no surprise, then, that Texas also has plenty of car accidents.
Like all states, Texas has its own set of laws concerning accidents and insurance. Below are some of the most important, but keep in mind that an experienced San Antonio auto accident attorney can tell you a lot more about Texas laws and your situation.
Texas Statute of Limitations
Auto accidents are personal injury claims, and the statute of limitations on personal injury claims in Texas is two years.
This means that you must file a lawsuit within two years of an accident or you won’t be able to sue. There may be other rules that you have to comply with, however, depending on the circumstances of your case. For example, if an Austin city employee or vehicle was involved in your accident and you believe that the employee was at fault, you have to provide notice of your intention to sue within just 45 days.
So, even though you have two years, it’s essential that you consult with an attorney as soon as you can to make sure you have every opportunity to recover for your injuries and other damages.
Texas Laws for Car Drivers
Texas—like nearly every other state— requires drivers to carry insurance.
| Texas Auto Insurance Requirements (minimum) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
$30,000 in bodily injury liability per person
|
$60,000 total bodily injury liability
|
$25,000 property damage
|
It’s important to keep in mind that these are the minimum requirements for each type of coverage. Having less coverage than this will prevent you from registering your car in Texas and could lead to being cited for being underinsured. However, just because your insurance will only pay for $25,000 in property damage doesn’t mean you can’t be held responsible if you cause more than that amount of property damage.
While requiring insurance is hardly unique to Texas, there are some unusual Texas driving laws worth knowing about:
- Texas law requires all vehicles to have windshield wipers on public roads—but there’s no requirement for having a windshield.
- Horses are required to have tail lights after dark in Texarkana, Texas.
- Cell phone use is legal for Texas drivers who are over 18, but you cannot read, write or send a text message or email while driving.
Identifying Fault for Car Crash
Texas follows a fault-based system for car insurance, which requires the driver who causes an accident to be held liable for the damages. The insurance companies of the drivers involved in an accident determine fault based on evidence such as police reports and damage to the vehicles. The driver found at fault and their insurance are responsible for paying for the property damage and injuries resulting from the accident.
Under this system, anyone injured in an accident can seek compensation by filing a claim with the insurance company of the at-fault driver or by filing a lawsuit against them for damages.
How Can An Attorney Help You?
After a car accident, an experienced car accident lawyer in San Antonio can prove invaluable. An attorney can:
- Handle communication with other parties and their insurance providers. By stepping in to communicate about the accident with all relevant parties, your attorney can let you focus on recovering from the crash while keeping you informed of only the most vital information.
- Protect your rights. An attorney knows how to estimate your damages and assess a fair offer. They also know when certain actions must be taken to make sure you don’t miss deadlines for notifying insurance or—if necessary—filing a lawsuit.
- Represent you. Your lawyer can speak for you in negotiations and can represent you in court if no acceptable settlement is offered.
How to Find the Best Car Accident Lawyer in San Antonio
You’ll find dozens of options for auto accident lawyers in San Antonio. Knowing how todetermine which one is best for you is therefore essential. Here are some of the criteria you should consider before you agree to let anyone represent you.
Seek Referrals
An excellent place to start when looking for a car accident lawyer is to ask for referrals from friends, family and colleagues. There’s a good chance that you know more than one person who has needed a lawyer in an accident case. When you find someone who has a referral, ask them specifically what they liked about working with the lawyer. This will give you a good idea of what to expect in the interaction. Also, ask about things they didn’t like so that you get a broad picture of the relationship.
Ask About Expertise
Ask the lawyers that you are interviewing what their expertise is. While some lawyers specialize in car accident cases exclusively, others are generalists who practice personal injury law dealing with other cases such as workers’ compensation. You can work with either, but you do want to make sure that a generalist has worked on a lot of car accident cases and be sure that they know the ins and outs of the insurance game.
What Do They Charge?
Car accident lawyers in San Antonio will likely not charge you an hourly fee to retain them. Injury attorneys work on contingency, which means they only get paid when you get a settlement. Their pay is a percentage of the settlement, so you want to be sure the fees fall in line with the industry standards of 33% to 40%.
Settlement amounts usually factor these fees in so you aren’t losing money by having a lawyer work for you, but if someone is charging more than the standard, this might start to eat into what you take home from a settlement.
Can They Litigate?
Most car accident cases don’t ever see the inside of a courtroom because lawyers can
negotiate directly with insurance companies to get settlements. Roughly 95% of all civil lawsuits never reach trial.
However, if your case is one of the 5% that go to trial, you want to make sure that your lawyer has the experience to litigate the case. Going to court is very different from negotiating with insurance carriers, so you want to find someone who has the experience to fight.
Methodology
To come up with the Best Car Accident Lawyers in San Antonio in 2024, Forbes Advisor considered many factors. Forbes Advisor’s mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.
Within the model, we take into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:
- Legal experience
- Special licenses & certifications
- Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
- Legal thought leadership
- Education & employment background
- Scholarly lectures & writings
- Awards & honors
Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.
Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Bear in mind that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds, but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.
One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does an insurance company have to settle a claim in Texas?
Texas insurance carriers have 35 business days to settle a claim once it is filed. If there is a delay, the insurance company needs to notify you in writing what the delay is and the expected decision date.
Can you be personally sued over a car accident in Texas?
Yes, technically.
Since Texas is a fault-based state, the person who causes an accident is liable for the damages caused. If you happen to be the at-fault person, you can be sued for those damages. It’s important to know, however, that part of your insurance contract requires your insurance company to defend you and to pay for any damages you’re responsible for up to your policy limit.
If you don’t have insurance, however, you’ll be on your own.
Do car insurance claims go to court?
Very few car insurance claims actually reach the courtroom.
In order for a case to go to trial, it must usually get through an insurance claims negotiation, a complaint, an answer and a discovery phase. There may also be various preliminary hearings and mediation attempts. At every stage along the way, there are opportunities for the two sides to settle. Most cases—more than 95% of cases—do settle before a trial ever gets started. And the case can always settle during trial, too.
