Get an inside look at why Texas is a hotspot for litigation and how data-driven insights are reshaping case evaluation as we visit with Trey Sandoval, a trial attorney with MehaffyWeber in Houston, Texas, and vice chair of USLAW’s transportation practice group. He and USLAW Live co-hosts Michael Judy of Dysart Taylor in Kansas City, Missouri, and Nick Rauch of Larson • King LLP in Minnesota and North Dakota break down the legislative efforts to curb runaway awards, what other states can learn from Texas and why mentorship and firm culture matter. Trey also dives into his data-driven approach to case valuation—rooted in his background in clinical psychology—and how sophisticated verdict analytics help clients understand true case value. Enjoy this episode of USLAW Live.
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3:20 Trey’s intro to and rise within USLAW.
4:30 Recognizing early on the value of USLAW.
6:16 State-level defense association for years – Trey understands the importance of a network within the state of Texas. This model is essentially what the firm did with USLAW. Being nationwide has taken the firm to the next level since joining USLAW. Clients benefit via referrals.
8:11 That is in and off it else is why this network works.
8:30 Making connections helps your practice and your clients’ legal matters.
9:43 Building relationships starts with attorneys in the firm.
10:10 What’s going on in Texas - boots on the ground. Rise in verdicts in the transportation arena.
10:51 What makes Texas unique is a convergence of 3 factors.
13:17 Texas has a highly plaintiff-oriented environment that generates many cases.
15:22 Generational aspects of growing a practice; having mentors from year one is critical.
17: 24 Mentality, instilling in others - “we're not fighting to keep these cases, we're fighting to do the best job that we can, and that will take care of the rest of it.”
18:45 Are there things you see that could come forth from the legislature that could help other states?
19:38 Very involved through the local and state defense bar in getting involved as an advocate for changes in law.
20:05 Why is Texas a litigation-heavy state?
20:15 Dealing with runaway verdicts and the significance of why there are states without caps and the need to deal with that through the legislature, since the courts are not going to do that, especially when they are so plaintiff-oriented throughout the state.
23:43 Data points on verdicts - to be able to advise clients on true value, and which ones we can pick to try and tell our story.
24:30 Genesis of verdict data points and how they are used today to tell a story to clients to evaluate cases.