Medical malpractice claims are not like typical injury claims. The evidence is technical, the deadlines are tight, and the attorney must understand medicine and Texas health care liability procedure right from the beginning.

For Claimants in Houston, focused experience on specific types of cases and access to qualified medical professionals can be just as important as trial experience.

This Firm Comparison focuses on five Houston firms that actively take on medical negligence cases. It focuses on areas of practice, trial experience and credentials, type of cases they take, and what type of client they may best serve.

Inside This Comparison

• Quick comparison

• Hastings Law Firm

• McGehee Chang Feiler

• Chelsie King Garza, P.C.

• Pierce Skrabanek

• Roberts Markland LLP

• How to choose a Houston malpractice attorney

• Final verdict

Quick Comparison

1. Hastings Law Firm: Best Overall

When Hastings Law Firm gets props for standing out in the crowd, it’s because the firm doesn’t dabble in healthcare injury litigation. On its Houston medical-malpractice website page, the firm says it is a medical malpractice, pharmaceutical and medical device law firm with a focus on medical negligence.

That limited focus becomes important when your claim involves medical records, clinical language, causation, expert review and all of the procedural requirements unique to Texas health care liability claims.

The firm is headed by Tommy Hastings, of Hastings Law Firm, who has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 2001. According to his State Bar of Texas public profile, he is admitted to practice law in Texas and board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law.

The clearest reason to start here is specialization.

The firm’s present Houston office materials also mention staff doctors and nurses and a case management system designed around medical malpractice claims. That can be helpful when you have a case involving a misdiagnosis, surgical mistake, birth trauma, hospital malpractice, or another situation in which the medical issues must be sorted out before your litigation strategy can be developed.

Claimants can also visit a public customer review profile for a firm in addition to their personal case information page.

If you are looking for a Houston medical malpractice lawyer, not a general injury practice, then Hastings Law Firm is your best bet out of the groups here.

2. McGehee Chang Feiler: Best for Complex Catastrophic Claims

McGehee Chang Feiler handles medical-malpractice claims along with catastrophic injury lawsuits such as birth injuries, brain injuries, surgical mistakes, prescription errors and misdiagnosis.

Jack McGehee is a founding partner who has been practicing in Texas since 1980. Jack is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law. The firm’s current Medical Malpractice page focuses on litigation for serious injury and medical provider claims.

Consider if this will likely become a major trial issue in the malpractice claim.

The trade-off is breadth. Medical negligence is one important niche within the larger civil trial practice pie. Buyers looking for a firm with business focused almost exclusively on healthcare injuries may want someone more narrow in focus.

3. Chelsie King Garza, P.C.: Best for Direct Attorney Access

Chelsie King Garza, P.C. is located in Houston. Chelsie King Garza, P.C. handles Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, and Civil Litigation.

Garza has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 2002. Descriptions of her practice emphasize her experience with state and federal litigation and include her previous work trying medical-malpractice lawsuits. The ability to work directly with Garza is also featured in her firm’s marketing.

That creates a different appeal from a larger team.

If you’re a claimant who prefers a closer relationship with your attorney, this is one of the clearer options in this group.

The firm is larger than a specialty medical-negligence boutique. However, the smaller practice may appeal to those who desire personal contact with the attorney who will try the case.

4. Pierce Skrabanek: Best for Broader Catastrophic Injury Context

Pierce Skrabanek represents clients in Houston medical-malpractice cases involving misdiagnosis, birth injuries, medication mistakes, surgical mistakes and wrongful death.

The practice areas of the firm also extend beyond medicine to include industrial accidents, maritime, motor vehicle accidents and other catastrophic injury cases.

Why does that matter?

Cases presenting issues of overlapping liability questions, multiple defendants or serious injury with broader litigation issues might be served by a team familiar with both large personal-injury cases as well as medical negligence.

Pierce Skrabanek is an ideal choice when clients are looking for a larger trial firm that has malpractice as one of its practice areas.

5. Roberts Markland LLP: Best for Birth Injury Claims

Roberts Markland LLP handles medical-malpractice cases through its Houston office and pays special attention to birth injuries and children’s claims.

The site’s medical-malpractice page includes misdiagnosis, surgical mistakes, medications, inadequate follow-up and early discharge as types of cases that it handles.

The firm is actually wider, with lawyers practicing personal injury, business litigation, maritime, civil rights, and other cases.

The most obvious reason to compare Roberts Markland is that they claim to focus on birth injury cases within a broader litigation practice.

That tighter scope makes it particularly applicable to parents seeking counsel following a suspected birth, delivery, neonatal or pediatric care mistake.

How to Choose a Houston Medical Malpractice Attorney

The smartest first consultation is not just about years in practice.

Texas has special notice rules and expert-report requirements for health care liability claims in Chapter 74. For that reason, the law firm’s medical-malpractice case process should be reviewed before you sign.

Ask practical questions:

• Who reviews the medicine? See if the company employs nurses, doctors, outside consultants, or has some other formal medical-review process.

• Who will run the case? Will the attorney you are meeting work on your case after intake.

• How is expert strategy managed? Inquire about how it finds the right experts and how it works to ready expert reports for Texas.

• Is the injury something the firm handles on a regular basis? Birth injury, delayed diagnosis, surgery error and medication cases can require different medical expertise.

• Is the lawyer licensed and in good standing? Verify the attorney through the State Bar of Texas website instead of marketing pamphlets.

Deadlines and procedural rules may depend on the facts of the case. Therefore, potential clients should seek case-specific legal advice early.

Final Verdict

Houston has several credible firms handling medical malpractice claims, but they are not interchangeable.

McGehee Chang Feiler is excellent for catastrophic trial work. Chelsie King Garza might be good if you want direct access to the attorneys handling your case. Pierce Skrabanek has a larger catastrophic injury group. Roberts Markland appears frequently in birth injury searches.

If you are a claimant whose primary goal is a medicine-centered practice, then Hastings Law Firm is the baseline comparison.

Due to its niche focus, board certified trial attorneys and medical-malpractice framework, Elite actually lines up the best with readers in need of a Houston medical malpractice attorney.