The Dirty Verdict

If you were hurt on a construction site in Texas, one of the biggest questions is whether the case is only a workers’ compensation issue or whether it may also be a personal injury claim. That distinction matters because a construction accident can involve more than one company, more than one layer of responsibility, and… Continue reading When Is a Construction Injury a Personal Injury Case Instead of Just Workers’ Comp in Texas?

If you were hurt in a slip and fall and the property owner or business immediately blamed you, that does not mean they are right. In many premises liability cases, blame shows up early because blame is useful. If the business can frame the fall as your mistake rather than as a dangerous condition on… Continue reading What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall if the Property Owner Blames You?

After a motorcycle accident in Houston, your first few decisions can shape the rest of your injury claim. That is true not only because of the crash itself, but because motorcycle riders often face a second problem almost immediately: wrong assumptions. Wrong assumptions about speed. Wrong assumptions about risk. Wrong assumptions about fault.  When those… Continue reading What to Do After a Houston Motorcycle Accident Before the Insurance Company Uses It Against You

If you were hurt in an Uber or Lyft accident in Houston, one of the first questions is also one of the most confusing: who is actually responsible? That confusion is not an accident. Rideshare cases often involve overlapping insurance policies, changing coverage rules, and facts that depend heavily on what the driver was doing… Continue reading Who Pays After an Uber or Lyft Accident in Houston?

On this episode of The Dirty Verdict, Kyle Herbert and Bill Ogden sit down with attorney and mediator Sherra Gilbert for a wide-ranging conversation about the experiences that shaped her career, what she has learned from practicing on both sides of the courtroom, and why preparation can make or break a case long before anyone gets to trial. Sherra shares her journey from growing up in Laredo, Texas, to attending the University of Texas and eventually earning her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She discusses beginning her legal career in immigration law, where removal proceedings gave her valuable bench trial experience, before moving through plaintiff-side personal injury, workers' compensation, insurance defense, commercial litigation, and ultimately mediation. The conversation dives into Sherra's years with Farmers Insurance, where she deliberately pursued as much trial experience as possible and developed an appreciation for the ethical responsibility defense attorneys owe to the insured—not simply the insurance carrier. After nearly a decade of insurance defense work and additional experience handling commercial and trucking cases, Sherra transitioned toward mediation, becoming board certified and beginning her mediation practice in 2019. From there, the group gets into the realities of modern personal injury litigation: attorneys arriving at mediation unprepared, cases sitting unresolved because nobody has properly evaluated them, unrealistic expectations about case value, and the importance of understanding a case from both the plaintiff and defense perspectives. Sherra explains why a mediator's outside perspective can expose weaknesses the lawyers handling a case every day may no longer see. They also discuss the increased pressure Texas courts are putting on attorneys to move cases toward trial, how aggressive trial settings are changing settlement dynamics, and why attorneys who prepare their cases early may actually benefit from the faster pace. Sherra explains how looming trial dates are creating urgency around mediation and forcing both sides to take a hard look at the strengths and weaknesses of their cases. As always, the legal discussion comes with plenty of Dirty Verdict detours, courtroom stories, friendly shots at fellow attorneys, and the kind of unscripted conversation that happens when Kyle and Bill are left mostly unsupervised. Main Highlights 03:27 — Growing Up in Laredo & Learning Spanish 12:42 — From UT to Law School 19:34 — Thurgood Marshall & Breaking Into Immigration Law 24:59 — Moving From Immigration to Personal Injury 28:20 — Farmers Insurance & Learning to Try Cases 33:05 — The Ethical Duty of Insurance Defense Lawyers 35:42 — Becoming a Mediator 36:37 — How Lawyers Sabotage Their Own Cases 39:09 — Why Sherra Still Tries Cases 41:35 — Catastrophic Injuries vs. Everyday PI Cases 42:48 — Courts Are Pushing Cases to Trial Faster 46:21 — Why Trial Dates Make Mediation More Effective 47:45 — Mediator's Proposals & What a Case Is Really Worth

A truck accident case is not just a bigger version of a car accident case. When a commercial truck is involved, the claim can become more complicated very quickly. There may be more serious injuries, more evidence to preserve, more insurance layers, and more than one party trying to control the story. That matters because… Continue reading Why Truck Accident Claims in Houston Are Different From Regular Car Accident Cases