Texas Personal Injury Law Blog

Having tried more than 175 jury trials, Al Ellis’ experience as a personal injury attorney leads the way for Dallas lawyers. His list of professional and personal achievements exceeds most of his peers, though you may not know this thanks to his humble personality. After Ellis graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and his service in the US Army, he obtained his J.D. from Southern Methodist University. While at SMU, he was Student Chief Counsel for the SMU Legal Clinic and a member of the board of editors for the Journal of Air Law and Commerce.

Today Ellis is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an elite organization comprised of only 500 members in the US; the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Dallas Bar Association, having served as President in 1990. He has also been recognized as a UTA Distinguished Alumni, Best Lawyers in America, D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas and the Justinian Award for Long-standing Community Service, to name a few.

Ellis’ dedication to those needing assistance reaches far beyond the court room. His involvement in organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Dallas Golden Gloves Tournament highlights Ellis’ unwavering commitment to his community. To learn more about Al Ellis’ background, legal honors and community involvement, view his attorney page here.

A worker who suffered personal injuries in a car wreck was the subject of the appeal in Grocer’s Supply, Inc. v. Cabello, ___ S.W.3d ___ (Tex. App.—Dallas 2012, no pet.) (December 21, 2012). 

The personal injury attorney for the worker struck by an 18-wheeler while changing a tire on the side of the road sought lost income damages (lost earnings/earning capacity). The attorneys for the trucking company asked the trial court and the Appeals Court to consider the effect of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) on an undocumented worker’s ability to seek damages for future wage loss/earning capacity. In defending the claims arising from the truck wreck, Grocer’s Supply claimed that federal law prohibited undocumented workers from receiving wages in this country and thus, pre-empted state law tort claims seeking that element of damages. The Court of Appeals declined to find that federal labor law pre-empted state court tort law in this area.

After one Dallas Cowboy was killed and another arrested for a drunk driving accident in early December, people are calling on the National Football League to address drunk driving among its players.

The accident that killed Cowboy linebacker Jerry Brown was nose tackle Josh Brent's second drunk driving arrest in just three years, and he is certainly not alone. Brent's arrest is the 18^th time that an NFL player has been arrested for DUI this year alone, and the third time in the last three years that an NFL player's drunk driving killed someone else.

"It's wrong but it happens all across this country," Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn said. "Whether it's players who do it or everyday workers who do it, it's something people need to take accountability for and stop and understand it's affecting the lives of not just the driver but other people."