Description

A civil litigation attorney handles non-criminal disputes such as injury claims after a crash or fall. This guide explains Texas timelines, fault rules, and when Feizy Law Office can help.

Civil Litigation Attorney: What Texas Injury Victims Need to Know

#TLDR
A civil litigation attorney represents you in a private lawsuit for money damages, not a criminal prosecution. In Texas, most personal injury and property-damage suits must be filed within two years. You can still recover if you share some fault, as long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible. Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

• What a civil litigation attorney actually does
• How civil cases differ from criminal cases
• The Texas civil process, from filing to trial
• Deadlines that can end a claim
• Fault, insurers, and proportionate responsibility
• When an injury claim needs a lawsuit
• How Feizy Law Office works with DFW clients

People search “civil litigation attorney” after a crash, a store fall, or a letter from an insurance company that already sounds like a decision. They want to know whether they need a courtroom lawyer or just someone to talk to the adjuster. In Frisco, Plano, McKinney, and Dallas, that question usually sits on top of medical bills and a damaged car.

Feizy Law Office represents injured people in those civil disputes. Nick Feizy has practiced since 2000. If you were hurt, call (214) 651-8686.

What a civil litigation attorney actually does

A civil litigation attorney handles disputes between people, businesses, or insurers where nobody is being prosecuted for a crime. MetLife’s explainer describes civil lawyers as attorneys who work non-criminal cases and often specialize, including personal injury.

In an injury file, that work looks practical:

• Investigate how the collision or fall happened
• Identify every party who may share legal responsibility
• Gather medical records, wage proof, photos, and video
• Deal with insurance companies so you are not guessing on a recorded statement
• File a lawsuit when the insurer will not pay a fair amount
• Prepare the case as if a Collin County or Dallas County jury may hear it

Litigation does not always mean a trial. Many injury claims settle after the evidence is in. The attorney’s job is to make settlement a choice, not a last-minute scramble because the file was never ready.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

How civil cases differ from criminal cases

Criminal cases punish a violation of public law. Civil cases resolve a private dispute, usually with money or an order to do or stop doing something. The Texas court system treats those tracks separately. The Office of the Attorney General lists civil litigation and criminal justice as different divisions for a reason: different rules, different burdens, different outcomes.

A driver can receive a ticket and still dispute a civil injury claim. A driver can avoid criminal charges and still owe damages if negligence caused harm. The police report is evidence. It is not the civil verdict.

Civil cases also use a lower standard of proof than criminal prosecutions. The injured person must prove the claim by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning it is more likely than not. That is why evidence collection in the first days, photos, nearby cameras, and witness names, matters as much as later legal briefing.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

The Texas civil process, from filing to trial

Texas Law Help breaks civil litigation into pre-trial, trial, and post-trial work. For an injury victim, those phases usually look like this.

Pre-trial. The attorney investigates, then files a petition that states the claim. The defendant is served and must answer. Discovery follows: written questions, document requests, depositions, and sometimes inspections of vehicles or a store aisle. Motions can ask the court to compel records, continue a setting, or end part of the case early.

Resolution without a full trial. Cases can end by settlement, nonsuit, dismissal, default if the defendant never answers, or summary judgment if the law and undisputed facts leave nothing for a jury. Most injury files never reach a verdict. That does not make the pretrial work optional. Insurers pay more when they know the file can be tried.

Trial. A judge or jury hears testimony and decides fault and damages. Texas trial courts hear civil injury matters in district and county courts, depending on the amount in controversy and local structure. The Texas Courts trial court overview explains that trial courts handle civil, criminal, juvenile, and family matters, with different courts carrying different dockets.

Post-trial. Deadlines for motions, enforcement, and appeal run quickly. Missing one can lock in a result you wanted to challenge.

A civil litigation attorney’s value is less about dramatic closing arguments and more about keeping each of those steps on time while you get medical care.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

Deadlines that can end a claim

Texas sets hard filing windows. Texas Law Help explains that if you miss the statute of limitations, you will likely lose the right to pursue the claim in court.

For most personal injury, property damage, and wrongful death claims, the period is two years. Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003 requires suit for personal injury not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues. For death claims, the same section says the action accrues on the death of the injured person.

Texas Law Help also notes a two-year window for property damage from a car accident. Other civil claims use different clocks: one year for libel and slander, four years for many contract and fraud claims, under Chapter 16 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code.

Do not treat two years as a planning calendar. Camera footage, vehicle data, and witness memory fade in days or weeks. Filing on time still fails if the evidence is already gone.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

Fault, insurers, and proportionate responsibility

Texas uses proportionate responsibility. Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 33.001 says a claimant may not recover damages if that person’s percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent. Below that line, recovery is reduced by your share of fault.

Insurers know this rule. They may argue you were speeding, looking at a phone, or had a preexisting condition. Those arguments shrink the check or try to bar recovery. A civil litigation attorney answers with records, scene photos, medical timing, and, when needed, expert analysis, not with a guess at the scene.

You should report a crash to your own carrier. You do not have to give the other driver’s insurer a long recorded statement before you understand your injuries. Early settlement checks often arrive before the MRI, the missed work, or the specialist visit shows what the wreck actually did.

Compensation in a civil injury case can include medical bills, future care, lost income, reduced earning capacity, property loss, pain, and the daily limits the injury puts on your life. What damages you may recover depends on the facts of your file, not a chart on a billboard.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

When an injury claim needs a lawsuit

Not every crash needs a petition on day one. A lawsuit becomes the right tool when:

• The insurer denies liability despite clear evidence
• The offer covers only part of the medical picture
• A commercial truck, premises owner, or multiple vehicles complicate coverage
• The two-year deadline is approaching and talks are stalled
• The other side will not preserve video or vehicle data

Filing starts the court’s clock. It also forces answers under oath. For many DFW injury victims, that is the first time the other side treats the claim as real.

If you already received a citation, or if you worry you share some blame, talk to counsel before you assume you have no case. The 51 percent bar is a trial finding, not an adjuster’s opinion on a recorded call.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

How Feizy Law Office works with DFW clients

Feizy Law Office is a personal injury firm in the Frisco and Dallas area. The civil work the office handles is injury work: car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian wrecks, slip and fall, wrongful death, insurance claims, and property damage tied to those events.

The first conversation is a free consultation. Bring what you have: the crash report if it exists, photos, insurance letters, and a list of providers. You will get a straight read on fault, coverage, and timing. Nobody can honestly promise a dollar figure before the records are in.

Nick Feizy has practiced since 2000. Clients come from Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Prosper, and Dallas. The office number is (214) 651-8686.

If a civil litigation attorney is what your search described, that is this work: a private injury claim, prepared as if it may be tried, settled only when the number matches the harm.

Call Feizy Law Office at (214) 651-8686 for a free consultation.

FAQ

Do I need a civil litigation attorney if the insurance company already called?
Yes, if you have injuries or significant property damage. The caller’s job is to close the file. Yours is to get care and protect the claim.

Is a personal injury lawyer the same as a civil litigation attorney?
Personal injury is a type of civil practice. The lawyer who files your crash or fall case is doing civil litigation.

How long does a Texas injury lawsuit take?
It depends on the court, the injuries, and whether the insurer will negotiate. Pre-trial discovery can take months. Some cases settle earlier. Some need a trial setting.

What if I think I was partly at fault?
Texas still allows recovery if you are not more than 50 percent responsible. Get the facts reviewed before you accept blame.

Does Feizy Law Office charge for the first meeting?
Consultations are free. Call (214) 651-8686.