Hurt on the job in Tarrant County? These 10 Fort Worth firms know DWC, the carrier playbook, and the non-subscriber loophole.
Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out of workers' compensation. Subscriber employers pay DWC-system benefits at statutory rates. Non-subscriber employers face full personal-injury liability — and many Tarrant County employers are non-subscribers. Whether your case is a DWC dispute, a non-subscriber work injury, or a third-party PI claim against a different company drives strategy and fees.
Texas workers' comp is unlike any other state. About one-third of Texas employers are non-subscribers — meaning they have no workers' comp insurance and can be sued directly for negligence. For subscriber-employer cases, disputes are handled through the Texas Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) with Benefit Review Conferences, Contested Case Hearings, and Appeals Panel review. Knowing which type of employer you work for determines almost everything about your case.
Below are 10 of the most respected Fort Worth workers' comp firms — from board-certified workers' comp specialists to non-subscriber PI boutiques to multi-office practices with hundreds of millions recovered.
How we picked these 10: We reviewed published verdicts and settlements, peer rankings (Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, Justia), client review patterns, and state bar specialty certifications. Firms that appeared consistently across at least two independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: DWC claims, denied claims, third-party PI crossover, non-subscriber
40+ years of Texas injury practice. Hundreds of millions recovered in workers' comp and personal injury cases. Free evaluation of work-related injury claims. Multi-office DFW intake with bilingual staff.
Practice focus: Workers' comp, denied claims, BRC and CCH representation, non-subscriber work injury
80+ years of combined experience. Six workers' comp attorneys across DFW. Top-rated trial bench. Strong on contested DWC cases that go to Contested Case Hearings and Appeals Panel review.
Practice focus: Workers' comp claims, denied claims, impairment ratings
S. Michael Graham is Board Certified in Workers' Compensation by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a credential held by fewer than 100 Texas attorneys. Has zealously represented and protected injured workers since 1997. Boutique practice with direct attorney access.
Practice focus: Non-subscriber work injury, third-party PI, workers' comp crossover
Eric Reyes is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas. Strong on the non-subscriber lawsuit lane.
Practice focus: Non-subscriber work injury, FELA railroad, third-party PI
Founding attorney Mark Anderson is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law. The firm handles FELA railroad worker injury cases. Fort Worth is a BNSF and Union Pacific railroad hub. Over $100M recovered. Non-subscriber and third-party PI focus.
Practice focus: Non-subscriber work injury, third-party PI, catastrophic work injury
Jason Stephens has been named to Texas Super Lawyers every year since 2004 and selected to the Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers in 2025. Boutique trial-heavy practice. Strong on catastrophic work injury where the third-party liability is the real lever.
Practice focus: Oil-field work injury, construction site accidents, third-party PI, non-subscriber
Strong on oil-field and 18-wheeler trucking cases. Fort Worth sits at the intersection of the Permian/Eagle Ford shale corridors. Multiple eight-figure recoveries on catastrophic work injury.
Practice focus: Non-subscriber work injury, catastrophic injury, oil-field cases
Charla Aldous is one of Texas's most decorated plaintiff trial lawyers. Multiple eight- and nine-figure verdicts. The firm takes non-subscriber and catastrophic work injury cases statewide. Useful when the case justifies BigLaw-level expert investment.
Practice focus: Workers' comp, third-party PI, non-subscriber, denied claims
Listed in the Fort Worth workers' comp directories on Justia and FindLaw. Boutique practice with steady Tarrant County DWC and district court bench. Strong reviews for client communication.
Practice focus: Workers' comp, denied claims, lifetime income benefits, supplemental income benefits
Long-established Fort Worth workers' comp boutique. Strong on the SIBs (Supplemental Income Benefits) and LIBs (Lifetime Income Benefits) cases that arise after the initial benefits run out. Free initial consultation.
Tell us about your situation and we will match you with vetted workers' compensation attorneys in Fort Worth. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Subscriber-employer DWC claims are decided through the DWC's dispute resolution process. A Benefit Review Conference (BRC) typically happens within 40 days of filing a dispute. If unresolved, the case moves to a Contested Case Hearing (CCH) within 60 days, then optional Appeals Panel review. Most cases resolve at BRC or CCH. Non-subscriber work injury cases are filed as standard civil lawsuits in Tarrant County District Court and follow the typical 12-24 month timeline. Third-party PI cases (against a non-employer) follow the standard PI timeline.
Texas workers' comp fees are tightly regulated for subscriber cases. The DWC sets a statutory hourly rate for claimant attorneys (around $200/hr for senior attorneys, with caps per dispute). Many claimant lawyers will not take routine DWC cases because of the fee cap. Non-subscriber cases and third-party PI cases are pure contingency: 33-1/3% pre-suit, 40% if filed. Catastrophic non-subscriber cases routinely settle in the seven figures because Texas does not cap general personal injury damages. Initial consultations are free.
Fort Worth has hundreds of attorneys advertising for workers' compensation cases. Most are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, or court outcome, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake, then never speak to them again. The case is handled by an unsupervised junior or paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer agreement in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume mill, not a craftsperson's practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. "We have helped thousands of clients" is marketing copy. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. "Do not worry about cost" is a red flag. Every legitimate Fort Worth lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what is covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them.
Most Fort Worth firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
Fort Worth is its own market. The procedure, the local statutes, and the strategy are city- and state-specific in ways that matter to your outcome.
Subscriber vs. Non-subscriber is the first question. Ask your employer (or the firm) which they are. The answer changes the entire case strategy. Subscriber: DWC system. Non-subscriber: standard personal-injury lawsuit with no comparative-negligence defenses available to the employer.
The DWC fee cap drives lawyer behavior. Because Texas caps claimant attorney fees at statutory rates for DWC disputes, many small denied-claim cases are hard to find a lawyer for. Cases with permanent impairment, denied lifetime income benefits, or insurance carrier bad faith are more attractive.
FELA covers railroad workers. If you were injured working for BNSF, Union Pacific, Amtrak, or any other interstate railroad, you fall under the federal FELA system instead of Texas workers' comp. FELA cases are filed in state or federal court and have no benefit cap.
Third-party PI cases are often the real recovery. If a non-employer (subcontractor, equipment maker, premises owner, negligent driver) caused your work injury, you can collect workers' comp AND file a separate PI lawsuit against the third party. The PI recovery is typically much larger than the comp benefits.
No. Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out of workers' comp. About one-third of Texas employers are non-subscribers. Public employers (state, county, city, school districts) generally must participate.
Subscriber employers pay statutory DWC benefits and are immune from suit. Non-subscriber employers have no statutory benefits but can be sued directly for negligence. And they lose the common-law defenses of contributory negligence, assumption of risk, and fellow-servant. Non-subscriber lawsuits often produce much larger recoveries than subscriber DWC claims.
Temporary Income Benefits are 70% of your average weekly wage (or 75% for low earners), capped at the statewide maximum. Impairment Income Benefits are based on your impairment rating. Supplemental Income Benefits and Lifetime Income Benefits apply in narrow long-term cases. Medical care is paid by the carrier.
Request a Benefit Review Conference within the statutory deadline. If unresolved, you proceed to a Contested Case Hearing in front of a DWC hearing officer. If you lose, you can appeal to the DWC Appeals Panel and from there to state district court.
Yes, if your employer is a non-subscriber. No (in almost all cases) if your employer is a subscriber. You can always sue a third party (subcontractor, equipment maker, negligent driver) who contributed to the injury, regardless of your employer's subscriber status.
No. Every firm on this list offers a free initial consultation. Non-subscriber and third-party PI work is pure contingency. Subscriber DWC cases follow the DWC fee structure.