Before you hire any Houston personal injury attorney, check five things you can look up or read for yourself: the State Bar of Texas license and public discipline record, whether the lawyer holds a board certification in personal injury trial law, a written contingent-fee contract that follows Texas rules, who will do the work and how you will hear about it, and how the lawyer first reached you.
The short version
- Look the lawyer up. The State Bar of Texas keeps an online profile for each attorney, and a public sanction appears in the record (State Bar of Texas page, opened 16 October 2026).
- Board certification is voluntary and individual. It belongs to the attorney, not the firm, and the personal injury standard requires at least 10 contested civil cases tried as lead counsel (TBLS standards).
- A contingent fee needs a signed written contract under Government Code § 82.065(a), and Rule 1.04(d) lists what it has to include.
- Ask who does the work. Disciplinary Rule 1.03 requires a lawyer to keep you “reasonably informed” and to answer reasonable requests for information.
- Be wary of a first contact you did not ask for. Texas restricts accident-related solicitation before the 31st day after the accident (Penal Code § 38.12(d)), and a contract procured by barratry under § 38.12(a) or (b) or Rule 7.03 is voidable by the client.
How do I check that a Houston injury lawyer is licensed and in good standing?
Search the lawyer’s name under “Find a Lawyer” on the State Bar of Texas website. The profile shows license status and practice location, and the State Bar posts a lawyer’s public disciplinary history on the full profile.
The State Bar says every Texas attorney must keep an online public profile with a license date, primary practice location and law school, plus any out-of-state disciplinary information, and that the Chief Disciplinary Counsel posts grievance history on a lawyer’s full profile (State Bar of Texas public information page, read 16 October 2026). A Houston station showed viewers the same lookup: type a name under “Find a Lawyer,” read the status symbol, and expand the details to see any disciplinary action (KPRC 2, 26 February 2016). A later Houston case shows why that lookup is worth the minute it takes: KPRC 2 reported on 12 September 2024 that the Supreme Court of Texas accepted the resignation of Houston-area injury attorney David Lee Pettus, cancelling his license, after State Bar records showed at least 24 active misconduct investigations involving him. If you want names to check, the Houston Lawyer Referral Service describes itself as a public service of the Houston Bar Association and eight other local bar associations, certified by the State Bar of Texas, and says a referral itself costs nothing.
Read the result with its limits in mind. The State Bar says disciplinary proceedings are generally confidential, with exceptions, and that an evidentiary panel’s final judgment imposing a public sanction is public from the date it is signed, even while an appeal is pending. A clean profile therefore means no public sanction is posted; it says little about how a lawyer treats clients, so use it as a first filter.
What does board certification in personal injury trial law mean?
It means the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, acting under standards approved by the Supreme Court of Texas, has recognized an individual attorney’s special competence in that field. It is voluntary, it is not required to practice, and it cannot be claimed by a firm on behalf of its other lawyers.
The board’s own standards say certification “is individual and voluntary” and that its benefits “may not be fulfilled by or attributed to a law firm of which a board certified attorney is a member.” Applicants must have practiced law full time for at least five years, disclose any professional-misconduct sanction, and renew every five years (TBLS Standards for Attorney Certification, general requirements revised 31 January 2025).
The personal injury trial law section, as the board posts it (revised 8 February 2011), adds field-specific tests. The applicant must have spent at least 25 percent of his or her time on Texas personal injury trial law in each of the three years before applying, and must have tried at least 10 contested civil cases to a trier of fact in a Texas court of record as lead counsel, five of them personal injury jury trials, with a minimum of 20 trial days. Under Disciplinary Rule 7.02(b)(1), a lawyer who holds the certificate may advertise it with this wording: “Board Certified, area of specialization — Texas Board of Legal Specialization.”
Bernard G. Johnson III of Maida Law Firm holds this board’s certification in personal injury trial law, and the attorney profile page has the details. The firm’s founder is Sam A. Maida, Jr.
What should a Texas contingent-fee contract say before I sign?
It must be in writing and signed by you and the attorney. Disciplinary Rule 1.04(d) requires it to state how the fee is figured, any different percentage for settlement, trial or appeal, and which expenses are deducted from your recovery and whether they come out before or after the fee is calculated.
Texas puts the writing requirement in two places. Government Code § 82.065(a) provides that the contract “must be in writing and signed by the attorney and client.” Rule 1.04(d) fills in the contents: how the fee is figured, each stage’s percentage where settlement, trial and appeal differ, and the litigation and other expenses that will be taken out of the recovery, including whether they are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. It also covers closing out the file, since the lawyer owes you a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, how your share was computed (Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, effective 7 March 2025, official text).
Read the expenses clause twice. The order in which costs and the percentage are applied changes your net amount, and the contract is where that answer lives. Our guide to what a Houston accident lawyer costs covers liens, expenses and fee disputes in more depth, and the piece on valuing a claim explains why a figure on day one is a guess.
Who will actually handle my case, and how often will I hear from them?
Ask for a name, not a job title. Then ask who attends depositions and mediation, who answers your calls, and how updates arrive. Rule 1.03 requires a lawyer to keep you “reasonably informed” and to “promptly comply with reasonable requests for information,” so you are entitled to a direct answer.
Rule 1.03(b) goes further: a lawyer “shall explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation.” The rule’s comment says a lawyer who receives an offer of settlement in a civil controversy should promptly tell the client its substance, unless earlier discussions have left it clear the offer will be unacceptable. Ask the lawyer how a settlement offer would reach you, how fast, and who makes the final decision on whether to accept.
Also ask who would try the case if it does not settle, and how the firm responds to common adjuster tactics. The answer shows whether the person you are meeting stays involved after you sign. To see the pace of a case once it is filed, read about the usual timeline for an injury case, and about the expert witnesses who join when fault or injuries are disputed.
How do I judge a lawyer’s experience and promises about results?
Ask for the types of cases handled and what happened in them, then treat any promise of an outcome as a warning. Disciplinary Rule 7.01(a) bars statements “substantially likely to create unjustified expectations about the results the lawyer can achieve,” so a guaranteed number at the first meeting is a red flag.
Advertising has its own rules. Rule 7.02(a) requires an advertisement to publish the name of a lawyer responsible for its content and the lawyer’s primary practice location, and Rule 7.02(c) requires a contingent-fee advertisement to state whether the client must pay expenses such as the costs of litigation. If an ad leaves those out, ask why.
Ask whether the lawyer has handled your kind of claim, such as an 18-wheeler crash, a motorcycle wreck or a drunk-driving crash, how many of that kind went to verdict, and what the lawyer would need to learn before estimating your claim. For past matters involving Maida Law Firm, see the results page, which carries the usual caution that earlier outcomes do not predict a new one.
Can an attorney contact me after a crash before I reach out?
Texas limits it. Penal Code § 38.12(d) makes it an offense for a licensed attorney, with intent to obtain employment, to send a communication or solicitation about a personal injury or an accident involving the recipient or a relative before the 31st day after the accident, to someone who has not sought the lawyer’s help. In-person and phone solicitation is restricted more broadly.
Section 38.12(d)(2)(A) covers a written communication or a solicitation, “including a solicitation in person, by telephone, through a direct message on a social media platform, or by another electronic communication,” that “concerns an action for personal injury or wrongful death or otherwise relates to an accident or disaster involving the person to whom the communication or solicitation is provided or a relative of that person” and “was provided before the 31st day after the date on which the accident or disaster occurred.” Section 38.12(a) separately makes it an offense, with intent to obtain an economic benefit, to solicit employment in person, by phone or electronically, or to pay or accept money for solicitation. Disciplinary Rule 7.03(b) bars a lawyer from soliciting employment from a non-client through in-person contact or live telephone, social-media or electronic contact, with exceptions for other lawyers, people who have a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer, and experienced business users of legal services (Texas Penal Code ch. 38, read 16 October 2026).
The civil consequences matter to you as the client. Government Code § 82.065(b) makes a legal-services contract voidable by the client if it was procured as a result of conduct violating Penal Code § 38.12(a) or (b) or Disciplinary Rule 7.03; the statute does not list § 38.12(d). Section 82.0651(b) lets a client who prevails in an action to void such a contract recover fees and expenses paid, actual damages, “a penalty in the amount of $10,000,” and reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees from any person who committed barratry (Government Code ch. 82, read 16 October 2026). Section 38.12(d) also reaches a communication about an action for “personal injury or wrongful death,” so if your family lost someone, start with our wrongful death attorneys page and the explainer on which relatives may bring a fatal-crash claim. A Houston Chronicle report updated 3 January 2016 described a case in which several local lawyers had paid a convicted felon to mine police accident reports for leads, and a Montgomery County jury convicted a Fort Bend County attorney of barratry; as of that report he had appealed (Houston Chronicle). If you need your own copy of the report, see how to get a copy of your accident report.
What warning signs should make me walk away before signing?
A guaranteed result, pressure to sign the same day, a contract that is not in writing, vague answers about costs or who will work on the file, and a first contact you did not invite shortly after the crash. Any one is a reason to pause and check further.
| What to check | Where to look | What the rule says |
|---|---|---|
| License and public discipline | State Bar of Texas “Find a Lawyer” | Profile carries license date and practice location; a public sanction is public record. |
| Board certification | Texas Board of Legal Specialization | Individual and voluntary; PI standard requires 10 contested civil cases tried as lead counsel. |
| Fee contract | The agreement itself | Written and signed (Gov’t Code § 82.065(a)); states fee method and expenses (Rule 1.04(d)). |
| Updates and decisions | Ask before signing | Client kept “reasonably informed” (Rule 1.03(a)). |
| Promises of results | Ads and the first meeting | No statements likely to create unjustified expectations (Rule 7.01(a)). |
| How the lawyer reached you | Your own memory of the contact | Accident solicitation restricted before the 31st day (Penal Code § 38.12(d)). |
None of these checks replaces judgment, and client reviews on our testimonials page are one more input, not a substitute. If you have already spoken with an insurance adjuster, read why you should talk to a car accident attorney before the adjuster.
What should I bring and ask at a free first consultation?
Bring the crash report, photos of the scene and your injuries, insurance cards, medical bills and anything the other side has sent you, and bring written questions. A consultation is where you test the answers above, so ask the lawyer to explain the fee, the process and the risks before you commit to anything.
Our checklist for a case evaluation explains why each document matters, and the post on attorney-client privilege covers what you can say in confidence while deciding. If you are unsure what to do first, see what to do after a car accident. Read what witnesses add to a claim and see our FAQ page. Questions about delay and insurer tactics are covered in how Houston insurers stall injury claims, and common legal questions after a Houston crash answers many others.
How does Maida Law Firm answer these questions?
Maida Law Firm takes injury cases on contingency, so there is no fee for our attorneys unless a recovery is made, and it offers a free consultation. Put every question in this article to any firm you are considering, ours included, and check each answer for yourself.
Take these same questions to the state bar profile of every lawyer you are comparing, including the founder. Our car accident page and our Houston personal injury lawyers page describe the claims we take. Call (713) 785-9484 or contact us to schedule the free consultation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a personal injury lawyer?
Look up the license and public discipline record on the State Bar of Texas site, ask about experience with your kind of claim, read the written fee contract, and ask who will handle the case and how you will be updated. Decide only after you have those answers in hand.
What questions should I ask a personal injury lawyer?
Ask who will work on your file, how settlement offers reach you, how the fee and expenses are calculated, whether expenses come out before or after the fee, what similar cases the lawyer has taken to verdict, and what the next step is after the consultation.
How do I choose a good personal injury lawyer in Houston?
Use the same checks as anywhere in Texas, and add one local question: whether the lawyer regularly appears in Harris County courts.
Does board certification make a lawyer better?
It shows the Texas Board of Legal Specialization found the individual attorney met its experience, reference and examination standards in that field. It does not guarantee a result, and many capable lawyers are not certified because the program is voluntary.
Can a lawyer legally call me right after an accident?
Texas restricts it. Penal Code § 38.12(d) covers accident-related communications and solicitations made before the 31st day after the accident, and Disciplinary Rule 7.03 limits live solicitation of non-clients. If someone contacts you that way, you can report it to the State Bar.
Can I cancel a contract I signed because of an unwanted solicitation?
Government Code § 82.065(b) makes a legal-services contract voidable by the client if it was procured by conduct violating Penal Code § 38.12(a) or (b) or Rule 7.03. Talk to a different lawyer about the facts of your situation before you act.
Does a free consultation obligate me to hire the lawyer?
No. A consultation is a chance to ask questions. A contingent-fee contract must be in writing and signed (Government Code § 82.065(a)), so you can read the proposed agreement and compare more than one firm before you decide.
About the authors
Sam A. Maida, Jr.
Owner and Managing Attorney
Sam A. Maida, Jr. has represented injured Texans in the greater Houston area since the firm opened in 1993.
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Bernard G. Johnson III
Litigation Managing Attorney
Bernard G. Johnson III is a board certified trial lawyer licensed in Texas since 1996 and a graduate of South Texas College of Law.