Best Car Accident Lawyers in Austin: Austin is a bustling city full of live music, amazing restaurants, and the motto “Keep Austin weird.” This capital city of Texas is a unique melting pot of residents from all over the country (and the world). But with all the benefits come some drawbacks, and traffic is one of them. And with traffic comes car accidents.
Many attorneys advertise that they represent accident victims. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find one. But you don’t want just any lawyer. You want a superstar. We have put together a list of some of the best car accident lawyers in Austin, TX. Additionally, we have included information about the laws related to car accidents in Texas and a guide to choosing the right attorney for your case.
Top 10 Best Car Accident Lawyers in Austin
Hayden Briggle
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2007
- Law School Attended: University of Texas School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Hayden Briggle and his partner Parker Polan (also included on this list) have been making waves on the Austin legal scene since the law firm Briggle & Polan PLLC was formed in 2011. Since then, this two-person law firm has had more than 100 successes to its name, including six cases in which more than a million dollars were recovered. Briggle, who served as Austin city attorney, speaks fluent English and Spanish.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Life Member of the Austin Bar Foundation
- # Served on the Board of Directors of the Austin Young Lawyers Association
- # Texas Watch Member
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
- # Collective grievances
Read More: Top 5 Best Car Accident Lawyers in Bakersfield
Michelle M. Cheng
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 1996
- Law School Attended: University of Texas School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Michelle Cheng has an impeccable reputation among her colleagues and clients. She has practiced law for more than 25 years, after a first career as an engineer. The law firm where she is a partner, National Trial Law, has been responsible for multiple eight-figure judgments and settlements, particularly in the areas of medical malpractice and birth injuries.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Named Pioneer by Travis County Women Lawyers Association
- # Executive Committee of the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association
- # Previously served on the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas
Practice Areas:
- # Medical negligence
- # Product liability
- # Traffic accidents
Daniel J. Christensen
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 1999
- Law School Attended: University of Iowa College of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Daniel Christensen has over 25 years of experience, has tried nearly 200 trials, and served in the U.S. Army Advocate General Corps. Additionally, he has supervised many other personal injury attorneys, giving him provided knowledge on thousands of cases. It is not surprising, then, that the firm he founded, DC Law, has multiple million-dollar results.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- # Austin Bar Civil Litigation Section Board Member
- # Former President of the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
Michael B. Ely
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2014
- Law School Attended: George Washington University Law School
Why Are They on Our List?
Michael Ely knows how to handle a personal injury case, having worked for the other side. After getting into insurance defense, he decided to go into the plaintiff’s injury because he wanted to work duals, not corporations. He’s also not afraid to go to court: Ely has participated in nine jury trials in just the last four years.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Cases litigated in 14 different states
- # Licensed to practice law in four states and several district courts
- # Licensed to practice in the Military Court of Appeals
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Aviation accidents
- # Traffic accidents
Yanni Funk
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2000
- Law School Attended: Vanderbilt University School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Yanni Funk decided early in his career that he wanted to represent everyday people and not corporations. After a period developing a business in Argentina, he fina fully settled in Austin and started a studio that his clients rave about. Funk speaks English and Spanishravedtable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Named one of the top 10 lawyers for client satisfaction
- # Member of the Billionaire Advocates Forum
- # Spends his free time at his children’s soccer games
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
- # Construction accidents
Michael G. Guajardo
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 1992
- Law School Attended: Texas Tech University School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Michael Guajardo has practiced law in Texas for more than 30 years. During that time, he has achieved great recoveries for his clients. He is a member of the Billionaire Heh restricts its membership to attorneys who have won settlements or verdicts over $2 million. Guajardo has also over in the profession, holding leadership positions in several legal organizations. Guajardo speaks English and Spanish.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Board of Governors of the American Association of Justice
- # Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors
- # Past President of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
- # Unjust death
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2009
- Law School Attended: Baylor Law School
Why Are They on Our List?
Tom Jacob was one of the attorneys responsible for the $230 million verdict against the United States Air Force in the Sutherland Springs mass shooting. He has also won multiple verdicts and even eight-figure settlements and has achieved all this with less than 15 years of practice. Jacob is one of the lawyers to watch out for Facts and Recognitions:
- # Member of the Texas Bar Foundation
- # Socio del Calvert Inn of Court
- # Member of the American Association for Justice
Practice Areas:
- # Catastrophic injuries (including car accidents)
- # Medical negligence
- # Collective grievances
Linda Leibfarth
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2012
- Law School Attended: Vanderbilt University School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Texas native Linda Leibfarth returned to the Lone Star State after spending time working as a secretary in New Mexico and practicing law in Washington, DC. Leibfarth currently works for Slingshot Law, which has handled multiple seven-figure cases.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Worked as a mentor on the program Big Brothers, Big Sisters
- # Member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- # Member of the Austin Young Lawyers Association
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
- # Facility liability
Adam J. Loewy
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2003
- Law School Attended: University of Texas School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Adam Loewy, who has owned his law firm for almost 18 years, is deeply loved in the Austin community. He created the Loewy Family Playground in Northwest Hills and the Lowey Law Firm Garden Building at the Central Texas Food Bank. But Loewy is more than just a philanthropist. He is a highly effective attorney who is responsible for multiple verdicts and seven-figure settlements for his clients.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Winner of the 2020 David H. Walter Community Excellence Award from the Austin Bar Association
- # Regular appearances on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and local television stations
- # Avid traveler who has visited more than 100 cities and 25 countries
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
- # Medical negligence
Parker P. Polan
- State Bar of Texas: Active
- Year of Admission to the Texas Bar: 2007
- Law School Attended: University of Texas School of Law
Why Are They on Our List?
Parker Polan owns the two-person law firm Briggle & Polan PLLC, along with his partner Hayden Briggle (also included on this list). His law firm, although only 12 years old, already has more than 100 positive results, agreements, and verdicts. Polan, a Texas native, has been honing his skills as a personal injury attorney his entire career, since graduating from law school in 2007.
Notable Facts and Recognitions:
- # Named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers
- # Member of the Board of Advocates of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- # Life Member of the Austin Bar Foundation
Practice Areas:
- # Personal injuries
- # Traffic accidents
- # Product liability
Car Accident Laws in Texas
Texas has some unique requirements that you should be aware of if filing a car accident case. A qualified attorney can help you understand these laws. Here’s a primer on what to expect.
Statute of limitations
The statute of limitations in Texas for injury and medical malpractice cases is two years. This includes car accident injuries and begins on the date of injury. It is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible to ensure that your case is filed on time.
Determination of fault
Texas is a modified comparative fault state. This means that the court will consider how much each party is at fault and adjust damages based on that. However, anyone who is 51% or more responsible for the accident cannot recover damages.
Here are some examples of what that might look like:
Driver A is determined to be 75% at fault for an accident, so he cannot collect any damages. Driver B is determined to be 25% at fault for the accident. Driver B’s damage is then reduced by 25%. So, if Driver B’s damages were $40,000, he would receive $30,000.
Driver C is found to be 100% at fault for an accident with Driver D. Driver D can recover 100% of the damages from him because he was not at fault in the accident.
Driver E and Driver F are each determined to be 50% at fault for an accident. Each of them can collect 50% of your damages.
Car Insurance Requirements in Texas
Texas offers a Consumer Bill of Rights for auto insurance published by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). It should be offered with every auto insurance policy. The document provides information about drivers’ rights and responsibilities regarding auto insurance and can answer any questions you may have. You can also contact TDI if you have any questions that are not covered in the Consumer Bill of Rights.
Texas Damage Limits
Texas has damage limits for some types of damages, but they typically do not apply to car accidents. Damage limits apply in these circumstances:
Medical negligence. You can sue for the full amount of economic damages you have suffered (such as medical bills), but non-economic damages (often called “pain and suffering”) are limited to $250,000 per medical facility.
Government organizations. If you are injured by a government employee (such as a police officer), the most you can recover is $250,000 per person injured or $500,000 per incident if multiple people were injured.
Punitive damages. Punitive damages sometimes occur in cases where the defendant is considered extremely reckless or dangerous. They are awarded as punishment and go beyond any economic and non-economic damages awarded. These damages are capped at $200,000, whichever is greater, or twice the non-economic damages, up to $750,000.
How to Find an Austin Car Accident Lawyer?
It is not difficult to find a car accident lawyer in Austin, but it takes some work to find the right one for you. You want to make sure your attorney is someone you can trust and trust. Here are some ways to do it:
Ask for references
There is a good chance you know someone who has been in a car accident in the past few years. Ask them which lawyer they used and if they would recommend them. This can give you some ideas about which attorneys are good and which ones you should avoid.
Seek experience
You want your attorney to be someone with experience handling car accident cases. Many attorneys handle injury claims, but not all handle car accidents. Make sure your attorney has experience in this particular type of case. Ask potential attorneys what types of clients they typically represent to get an idea of whether they are the best fit for you.
Find out about rates.
Car accident lawyers generally do not offer a flat fee service or hourly billing. Instead, they work on a contingency basis, meaning that if your case is successful, they will keep a portion of the amount you win.
Austin lawyers typically charge around 33% for cases that don’t go to court (such as those where a settlement offer is made) and around 40% (or more) if the case goes to trial.
Make sure you understand the fee structure a lawyer is proposing before you sign anything. You don’t want to get to the end of a long lawsuit only to find out that your attorney is charging much more than you expected.
Each lawyer listed here has its own merits. Please note that our list relates to the legal training of these attorneys, but does not evaluate their personalities or knowledge of the law. One attorney may be better suited than another for your specific legal situation.
However, one thing that cannot be quantified is the relationship he establishes with his lawyer. Personality goes a long way when working with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and possible starting point in your search for the right attorney for you and your attorney.
