Texas Barratry Lawyers
Protecting the Rights of Texans from Illegal Legal Solicitation
After an accident, you already have more than enough on your plate, including medical care, insurance calls, missed work, and the long road to recovery. The last thing you want is a lawyer you never contacted showing up to pressure you into handing over your case. If that happened to you, it was not aggressive marketing or a coincidence. In Texas, it may be a criminal offense called barratry, and you may have the grounds to file a civil claim against the law firm that committed barratry against you.
At the Law Offices Of Vic Feazell, P.C., we represent clients across Texas who were illegally solicited by predatory attorneys. We know how to hold those attorneys accountable, and we would be honored to get the chance to represent you.
Call (254) 938-6885 today for a free, no-obligation consultation with our Texas barratry attorneys, serving Waco, Austin, Belton, Temple, Killeen, and more.
Choose the Law Offices Of Vic Feazell, P.C. for Your Barratry Case
Who can you turn to after being solicited by an unethical lawyer? Attorney Vic Feazell, of course! He has spent over four decades fighting for justice in Texas, and he has seen the legal system from top to bottom. He knows how it works, and he knows when attorneys are abusing it to try to get a potential client to sign a contract.
We believe our law firm stands apart from many others because:
- Vic Feazell became the youngest District Attorney in McLennan County history, giving him a prosecutor's instinct for holding wrongdoers accountable.
- Vic Feazell has spent decades representing injury victims across central Texas, securing multimillion-dollar results in some of the state's most challenging cases.
- We handle barratry cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there is no cost to you unless we recover on your behalf.
What Is Barratry Under Texas Law?
Barratry is the illegal solicitation of legal clients, and Texas law addresses it on two fronts. Texas Penal Code § 38.12 makes barratry a criminal offense, while Texas Government Code § 82.0651 gives victims of illegal solicitation the right to pursue civil action against the attorney or law firm responsible. If a lawyer or someone acting on their behalf contacted you after an accident without you ever reaching out to them first, you may have grounds for a legal claim.
How Ambulance Chasers Track Down Accident Victims
Illegal solicitation is rarely a solo effort. Many barratry operations depend on organized networks of "runners" or "cappers,” who are hired to identify fresh accident victims and deliver them to a law firm as quickly as possible. Some attorneys pay these runners a fee for every client they bring in, too, so they are incentivized to track down and pester the maximum number of people that they can manage.
Barratry tactics used by runners or cappers may include:
- Monitoring police scanners to learn about accidents the moment they happen
- Positioning themselves near hospital emergency rooms to approach injured victims
- Appearing at crash scenes before victims have even left the area
- Purchasing newly filed accident reports to obtain contact information directly
If a lawyer somehow knew about your accident before you ever called them, that is not a coincidence. Instead, it is very likely the outcome of a system designed to exploit you at your most vulnerable.
Harm Caused by Being Illegally Solicited
Barratry causes genuine harm to the people it targets. Victims are approached at their most vulnerable and before they have had any chance to research attorneys, gather their thoughts, or understand their options. Under that kind of pressure, many people end up with lawyers who are not right for their case, which can lead to mishandled claims, rushed settlements, or compensation well below what the case was actually worth. The attorney who reached out to you illegally was acting in their own interests, not yours.
What a Barratry Claim Can Recover
Texas Government Code § 82.0651 gives barratry victims real tools for recovery. The Law Offices Of Vic Feazell, P.C. is here to help you use those tools and demand as much compensation as allowed.
Depending on the facts of your case, you may be able to:
- Void any contract you signed as a result of the illegal solicitation
- Recover statutory damages of up to $10,000 per violation—and potential penalties up to $50,000 per violation as the law changed recently
- Recoup fees the soliciting attorney earned from your original injury claim
- Pursue compensation for any additional harm you suffered
Even if your underlying injury case has already concluded, you may still have a viable barratry claim, so do not assume your opportunity to act has passed.
Bringing Cases Against Lawyers Who Break the Rules – Call Now
At Law Offices Of Vic Feazell, P.C., we believe that attorneys who engage in illegal solicitation should be held accountable. Our Texas barratry attorneys are prepared to pursue that accountability with everything we have. Make us the law firm that you know you can really trust with a case that’s this important.
If you were the target of ambulance chasing or illegal solicitation anywhere in Waco or anywhere else in Texas, contact us today at (254) 938-6885 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation with our team.