Litigation Attorney
(Harris County, TX)
Houston Personal Injury Attorneys, Hampton & Rawlings
I received my undergraduate degree in 1977 from the University of Texas. I then graduated from The University of Houston Law School with a JD in 1980. I have been a licensed attorney ever since and have spent my entire 39 years in litigation. I have tried to verdict over 150 cases. Starting as an Assistant District Attorney for Harris County, Texas, I handled everything from auto theft to capital murder. I left the DA’s office in 1985 and with my partner, Keith Hampton, we formed Hampton & Rawlings. We started as a criminal defense firm for the first six years. In 1991 I tried my first personal injury case and obtained a jury verdict of $1,061,000. We then spent the next 28 years focused primarily on obtaining economic justice for the injured and disabled. Since that time, Hampton & Rawlings has recovered many millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. It has been my honor to serve with my partner, Keith Hampton, for 34 years.
I am married to the love of my life and we have raised 5 wonderful children who are all educated and raising families of their own. My oldest son owns a very successful barbershop in Santa Monica, California. My youngest daughter won the silver medal in the NCWA finals and was declared an All American. She was the first female wrestler to ever represent The University of Texas. My second youngest daughter is in an artillery unit in the United States Army. She is presently assigned as a gunner on a multi rocket launcher and her unit is about to deploy to Afghanistan. They have been assigned as support for an elite Rangers Unit. I am proud of all my children. I raised my girls to be warriors. It never occurred to me they would take it literally.
I have always been a thrill seeker. For that reason, I have been a downhill snow skier, scuba diver (including wreck, cave, and night dives), and skydiver. I flew with the Texas Air Aces and engaged in mock aerial combat at 10,000 feet. I parachuted twice from 13,000 feet. My wife and I have run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain three times. Nearly gored twice. We returned to Texas, bruised, bloodied, but head unbowed. It is that same sense of adventure that I take into the courtroom.
Litigation Attorney
(Harris County, TX)
Houston Personal Injury Attorneys, Hampton & Rawlings
This is a book that explains personal injury law in conversational English. This is not a textbook for a law school, but rather an introduction to civil litigation for actual litigants. Every attempt has been made to avoid “legalese” so people with little or no legal training can understand it. No one plans or expects to be in court on a personal injury case. Then out of nowhere, life happens. The entire process can be very confusing for the uninitiated. It is my hope to pull back the curtain, so to speak, so people will not be intimidated if they find themselves thrust into, what appears to be, the very hostile environment of litigation. Most cases are settled before trial. That said, when the other side will not be reasonable, you will find yourself in front of twelve citizens “fair and true.” Keep in mind that “fair” is a relative term. One person’s justice is another person’s atrocity. For that reason alone, an understanding of effective litigation is crucial. It has been my experience that the public at large has no real understanding of how to resolve a lawsuit. They hear things, see things, and read things that create a belief system as to how the system works. It starts with “make a ridiculous demand and then stand on it.” My favorite is “once you make a demand, they will settle. They can’t afford the publicity of a trial.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Litigation is controlled exclusively by the insurance carrier. They do not care one wit about what publicity will do to their insured. They just want to get out paying as little as possible and they are never afraid to litigate. They employ an army of lawyers for that very purpose. It seems Google has made everyone a lawyer. I know this because a lot of my time is spent convincing my clients the blogger they thought was brilliant is just flat wrong. Clear your mind of so called “conventional wisdom” for a moment and read the following pages with an open mind. I am happy to take the mystery out of civil litigation in the personal injury arena so you can approach it in such a way as to maximize your recovery. Remember, the right to trial by jury is protected by the Constitution of the United States.
