San Antonio Personal Injury Attorney - An Interview with Dennis C Peery
Q. Tell us about yourself and your practice.
A. I am a managing partner of a personal injury law firm that practices throughout South Texas, representing people and families, who have been injured or killed because of the negligence of others. Our firm is involved in all aspects of civil litigation, involving the trial and settlement of personal injury and wrongful death claims. Our firm is composed of a team of trial lawyers and experienced support staff. We have tried cases throughout most of South Texas and the Texas Hill Country, as well as, many other parts of Texas. My partner, John Tyler and I started this firm in 1990 some 20 years ago. Since then, we have grown from 2 attorneys to 6 with the focus on personal and professional representation of each client. Our mission is to take the load off your shoulders during difficult times, so that you can focus on your family and your recovery.
I am a native Texan who graduated from TexasA& MUniversity in 1983, before enrolling in law school at St. Mary’ s University in 1985. Upon graduation from law school in 1988, I began my legal career as a prosecutor with the Bexar County District Attorney’ s office. I left government service in 1990 to start private practice. I have been board certified in personal injury trial law since 1996. I am licensed to practice in all state district and county courts, as well as, the Federal Court for the Western District of Texas. I have earned an AV rating by my peers, which is the highest ranking available for both ethical conduct and legal ability.
My practice is devoted to representing injured people and their families in the most difficult times of their lives. We never lose sight of the fact that our clients are real people who have been placed in a very difficult position, through no fault of their own. Usually, my clients are at a disadvantage before they hire an attorney because the negligent defendant is represented by attorneys, insurance companies and large corporations, whose sole objective is to save the company money. I have tried cases against the largest companies in the United States, and I have taken on the government at the city state and federal level. We battle some of the largest insurance companies and corporations in the world to make sure that each individual client receives a fair shake. Our trial attorneys are no strangers to the courtroom because we believe, that you and your attorney must be ready to try each case if you want to receive a fair settlement. The insurance companies know which firms will go to trial and which ones will not. Our AV rating indicates that both sides of the bar appreciate our legal abilities, as well as, our ethical conduct.
My practice involves all aspects of personal injury and wrongful death litigation, including medical malpractice, automobile accidents,, trucking accidents, products liability, pharmaceutical liability, defective products, rail road crossing accidents, explosions, burns, catastrophic injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, quadriplegia, paralysis, herniated discs, birth injuries, nursing home neglect, construction accidents, boating accidents, drunk driving accidents, dram shop liability, rollovers, seatbelt cases, airbag cases and crashworthiness cases.
I believe that we should all try to make this world a better place than we found it. To this end I have been active in my church , St. Joseph’ s Catholic Church of Devine Texas having served as President of the Finance Council and as a team member for the Life Teen program. I have volunteered time in my community by coaching Little League, coaching youth sports and helping disadvantaged families. I am a member of the Texas Trial Lawyer’ s Association The American Association for Justice, the San Antonio Bar Association and the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association. I served as President of the San Antonio Trial Lawyer’ s Association in 2005.
I have personally tried cases in Bexar County, Travis County, Medina County, Jim Wells Count, La Salle County, Bandera County, Gonzales County, Atascosa Count, Kerr County, Uvalde County and Guadalupe County while having filed or settled cases in many cases throughout Texas including Harris County, Mason County, Brazos County, Denton County, Dallas County, Nueces County ,Aransas County, Webb County, Real County, Tom Green County, Maverick County, Val Verde County, Kinney County, Dimmit County ,Victoria County ,Nueces County , Live Oak County , Karnes County ,Wilson County, Bee County, Goliad County, Frio County, Gillespie County, Kendall County, Smith County,Starr County, Hidalgo County and Kimble County to name a few.
Q.Do you offer free initial consultations?
A. Yes
Q.Do you accept any of the pre-paid “ legal plans” that are offered to help with legal fees?
A. No, but we don’ t charge anything unless we obtain a recovery for our client.
Q. Does your office offer paralegal services for simple forms and filings?
A. No, all legal documents are reviewed by attorneys before they are filed. Texas law does not allow for a paralegal to perform legal services independent of attorney supervision.
Q.Do you always pay the expenses up front?
A.Yes. Our fee agreement provides that we will pay expenses up front. If a recovery is made our expenses and attorney fees are taken out at that time. If no recovery is made you do not owe us the expenses that we advanced.
Q.How soon should one file a lawsuit?
A. That depends entirely on the specific facts of each case. In some cases, we might file suit immediately in order to preserve evidence. In other cases it might be best to wait before suit is filed, while the client recovers from injuries or surgeries.
Q.Does one need to hire a personal injury lawyer in their city or town?
A. Usually , that is best but there are exceptions to every rule. You want to make sure that your attorney has the legal and financial resources to handle your case through investigation and trial. Our firm has handled cases throughout Texas.
Q.Is there any time limit to file a personal injury lawsuit in San-Antonio?
A. Most cases have a 2 year statute of limitations, but there are shorter notice periods on some types of cases such as suing a governmental entity like the city state or county.
Q.Can a person recover damages for injuries sustained on someone else s property?
A. Yes. There are 2 types of coverages that usually apply. The first is a no-fault coverage that provides for payment of medical bills and lost wages. The second is general liability coverage that only applies if you can prove negligence.
