To compare Dallas wrongful death firms, this evidence-based 2026 list looks at their practice focus and published results, plus client reviews and experience.
Because Hastings Law Firm focuses on medical malpractice and publishes results involving diagnostic and surgical errors, it leads this list. Check who would handle your family's claim before you call. Ask how the firm charges for case costs and whether it has handled similar deaths. Review the deadlines in the Texas law guide if the death involved medical care.
4.752 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 52 reviews
Best for: Deaths involving medical care
Among Hastings Law Firm's published results are a $19,750,000 failure-to-diagnose settlement and a $10,700,000 negligent-prescribing jury verdict. Because the firm focuses on medical malpractice, it ranks here; its site also addresses wrongful death alongside surgical errors and hospital negligence. The firm dates to 2005, when founder Tommy Hastings established it.
Stood out in our review for how much of its work is medical malpractice and the results it publishes.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.9526 Google reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 526 reviews
Best for: Medical and other wrongful deaths
With 526 Google reviews and a 4.9 rating, Anderson Injury Lawyers gives you a substantial record of client feedback to read. Clear explanations and regular updates come up often in reviews. Poor information about expenses and case progress appears in one review.
Stood out in our review for the recognition it has earned and what its clients say.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.392 Google reviewsRated 4.3 out of 5 on Google from 92 reviews
Best for: Birth-related medical negligence
In its published results, Miller Weisbrod Olesky, Attorneys At Law reports a $13.75 million birth injury settlement involving failures to monitor a mother's blood pressure during delivery. Rather than a published death recovery, this result involves related medical litigation. When discussing hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), the firm's site describes an injury involving inadequate oxygen and blood flow to the brain.
Stood out in our review for the results it publishes and how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Not sure who to call first?
Tell us what happened. A malpractice lawyer who serves Dallas can look at it with you, and it costs nothing.
4.6123 Google reviewsRated 4.6 out of 5 on Google from 123 reviews
Best for: Families seeking a medical focus
The two practice areas listed by Van Wey & Metzler are medical malpractice and birth injury. If your family's concern involves treatment rather than an accident, that narrow focus matters. At its Dallas office, the firm lists attorneys Kay Van Wey and Luke Metzler.
Stood out in our review for how much of its work is medical malpractice and what its clients say.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Best for: Deaths involving defective medical devices
For people injured or killed by infections linked to a defective heater-cooler used during open-heart surgery, Sol Weiss served as lead counsel in a $225,000,000 settlement. Through that result, Anapol Weiss has a direct connection to deaths involving medical devices. The firm's founding dates to 1977.
Stood out in our review for the results it publishes and its years of experience.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
When you contact a Texas lawyer, give the treatment's start and end dates. Rather than a general discovery date, the breach or completion of treatment or hospitalization starts the general 2-year filing clock.
Review the medical records
Before deciding whether to take the claim, the lawyer reviews the chart and your treatment concerns. If the firm doesn't proceed, who pays for that review? Ask how the firm gets medical opinions.
File the complaint
The applicable filing deadline must be addressed if the firm takes the case. A 10-year outer limit also applies in Texas. Because children's claims have a separate age rule, don't use an adult's filing calculation.
Serve the expert report
Within 120 days after each defendant files an answer, that defendant must receive an expert report and the expert's CV. If that requirement is missed, dismissal with prejudice and fees follow.
Work toward a resolution
Whether through settlement or a trial result, the claim may end. In health care liability cases, Texas caps non-economic damages. Because death cases also have a separate inflation-indexed cap on total damages, ask how both rules affect the claim.
Malpractice claims in Dallas: the rules that matter
The filing deadline in Texas
The clock startsOn the day of the treatment
Time to start a claim2 yearsMiss it and the claim is usually lost.
At the very most10 yearsafter the treatment, with a few exceptions
Limits on damages in Texas
Pain and sufferingCapped at $250,000
All damages togetherNo overall cap
Expert paperworkServe an expert report and CV for each defendant within 120 days after that defendant's answer is filed; failure leads to dismissal with prejudice and fees.
A written agreementThe share the lawyer takes, set out before work starts.
If you recover moneyThe agreed share and the case costs come out of it.
If the claim failsNo legal fee on a contingency agreement. Ask about costs.
According to most listed firms, they work on contingency. If the claim fails, there's no lawyer's fee; otherwise, the lawyer receives a share of any recovery. Records and medical opinions cost money, and so do court filings (these are separate case costs). If the firm advances those expenses, when must you repay them? Ask whether it does. In cases published by Miller Weisbrod Olesky, Attorneys At Law, expenses were reimbursed from the gross settlement. Before you sign, get the fee calculation in writing. Because the listed firms don't all disclose their payment terms, also ask what happens to unpaid costs if the claim doesn't succeed.
A free consultation is offered by nine of the ten firms on this list, they say. Contingency work is reported by eight.
What to bring to your first call
Your written timeline showing when the treatment and death occurred
When treatment or hospitalization began and when it ended
Which doctors and hospitals were involved, by name
The medical records you already have, with any delivery or surgery notes
Any discharge instructions, along with medication lists
Receipts and bills showing the care costs
Messages or letters you've received from the hospital or insurer
What mainly concerns you and what you want to ask about what happened
Questions to ask a lawyer
1In deaths you've handled, was the treatment like my loved one's?
2For our file, who's handling it and reading the medical records?
3Given our family's circumstances, what's the filing deadline?
4To meet Texas's requirement, how will you get the expert report?
5What's your calculation for the contingency fee?
6If the claim fails, what could we owe, and who pays case expenses?
7If we need an update, whom do we contact, and how?
8What could Texas damage caps mean for our claim?
Choosing a Dallas lawyer after a medical death
Consider what happened first. While some firms on this list handle wrongful death broadly, others focus on medical malpractice. Ask about cases involving that care if you're concerned about a missed diagnosis or a hospital's treatment. You won't get that answer from a published accident recovery. Unless the wrongful death case involves health care liability, the Texas rules below don't apply.
Ask about the lawyer who will handle the records
Talk about your family's file, not just the firm. When you give the treatment dates, explain when you believe something went wrong. Before choosing, ask who will read the chart and whether that lawyer handles similar medical cases. Ask next how the firm decides whether to proceed. Even without publishing a comparable result, a firm may list wrongful death. Although that's a reason to ask more questions, it doesn't prove the firm can't help.
Did the published result involve a death? Ask whether the amount was a verdict, a settlement or the client's net payment.
If your regular contact isn't available, how does the firm respond? Find out who that contact will be.
To prepare the expert report Texas requires, how does the firm get medical opinions?
An expert report has a deadline, too. After each defendant files an answer, that defendant must receive an expert report and the expert's CV within 120 days. If you miss it, dismissal with prejudice and fees follow (you can't file the claim again after dismissal with prejudice). How will the firm keep track of this deadline? To learn how these rules apply to your family's circumstances, talk with a Texas lawyer.
Get the payment terms in writing
When a consultation is free, you can discuss possible representation without paying for that first conversation. Even then, the firm hasn't necessarily accepted your case. If the claim fails under a contingency agreement, the lawyer receives no lawyer's fee; otherwise, the lawyer takes a share of a recovery. Expenses aren't part of that fee. If there's no recovery, what could you owe? Ask who pays expenses while the case proceeds.
Be cautious if you can't get a clear answer about expenses or who would handle the file. Because reviews of several firms raise communication concerns, discuss those concerns directly. Even past recoveries can't promise an outcome. Nor can a hospital's CMS star rating establish what happened during your loved one's care.
Questions people ask
What should I do first if I think medical negligence caused a death in Dallas?
As you write down the treatment dates, note what concerns you. You don't need every record to make the call, so contact a Texas lawyer who handles medical negligence next. Among the firms on this list, several address deaths involving medical care. Ask the lawyer to check the filing deadline before you spend time comparing published recoveries.
What is the Texas deadline for a medical malpractice claim?
Under Texas rules, filing is generally required within 2 years of the breach or when treatment or hospitalization ended. For these claims, no general discovery rule applies. There's also a 10-year outer limit in the statute. Unless a wrongful death case involves health care liability, these rules don't apply to it. To determine which rule applies to your circumstances, ask a Texas lawyer.
Do these Dallas firms offer free consultations?
Nine listed firms say they offer a free consultation. Van Wey & Metzler's consultation policy isn't stated here, so ask before booking. A free conversation doesn't mean the firm has agreed to represent you or that later case expenses are waived. Use the call to discuss fit and ask for the proposed payment terms.
Will I owe money if a contingency case fails?
If the claim fails, a contingency agreement provides no lawyer's fee; otherwise, the lawyer gets a share of a recovery. This is the arrangement eight listed firms say they use. Expenses don't follow that rule. If there's no recovery, what does the agreement say about records and medical opinions, along with court charges? Ask. Even with that fee rule, you may still have an obligation to pay expenses.
What expert report does Texas require?
Within 120 days after each defendant in a health care liability claim files an answer, that defendant must receive an expert report and the expert's CV. If the requirement is missed, dismissal with prejudice and fees follow. Before proceeding, ask who pays for the report and how the lawyer will prepare it. Don't confuse this deadline with the separate deadline to file the complaint.
Are children's medical claims subject to a different deadline?
If a child is under 12, Texas allows until the fourteenth birthday. Regardless of age, the 2-year rule otherwise applies. Don't calculate the deadline from that sentence alone if a child has died or several claims may be involved. When you give a Texas lawyer the child's age and treatment dates, ask which rules apply.
Does Texas limit damages when a patient dies?
It does. Along with Texas's cap on non-economic damages in health care liability claims, death cases have a separate inflation-indexed cap on total damages. If a loss can't be measured with a bill, non-economic damages cover it. To understand how both limits apply to your claim, ask a Texas lawyer. Even the listed firms' large published results can't establish what your family could recover.
How long will a medical wrongful death claim take?
You can't get a reliable overall timeline from the listed firms' results. Although some clients describe delays in reviews, one person's review doesn't set a timetable for your claim. Before the firm can assess resolution, what needs to happen? Ask the assigned lawyer about those steps. Rather than your first consultation, each defendant's answer starts Texas's 120-day expert-report clock.
Which listed firms publish results involving a patient's death?
In its published medical malpractice death case, Bailey & Galyen Attorneys at Law reports $501,000 net to the client. For people injured or killed by infections linked to defective surgical equipment, Anapol Weiss publishes a $225,000,000 settlement. The cases behind these results differ in kind. If your loved one received similar care, ask whether the firm has handled a death involving it.
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