Dallas Trial Lawyers Chris Hamilton and Paul Wingo Join Forces

© 2017 The Texas Lawbook.

By Brooks Igo

(Sept. 11) – Two Dallas trial lawyers announced late last week that they have teamed up to start their own firm focusing on commercial litigation and personal injury matters.

Chris Hamilton, formerly a named partner at Standly Hamilton, and personal injury attorney Paul Wingo have launched Hamilton Wingo. Together, they have obtained more than $100 million in verdicts and settlements for their clients.

Hamilton and Wingo are joined by six other attorneys, including the entire litigation group from Standly Hamilton, one recent graduate of the UNT Dallas College of Law and Hunt Bonneau, a personal injury attorney who had his own firm for the last 20-plus years.

“We will be one of the premiere trial firms in the country,” Hamilton, who is not-yet-40, says. “There are a limited number of lawyers of my generation who are focused on building a trial practice. This new setup will give us the opportunity to try more cases and help more clients.”

Establishing the new firm puts a structure in place that helps in two key areas, Hamilton says.

The firm will have one group focused on eight-figure complex commercial cases. The other division will concentrate on cases from $100,000 to $2 million.

“There is a real hole in the market for folks that can maximize the value of these cases [from $100,000 to $2 million],” he said. “Often, they are settled way too cheap.”

This second category, Hamilton says, serves as an avenue to train younger lawyers by providing more opportunities to get in the courtroom. He notes that there is a shortage of young lawyers with real trial experience.

Hamilton and Wingo are currently representing Dallas Theatre Director Derek Whitener in a lawsuit against Target Corp. alleging negligence. Whitener was attacked in the Target parking lot near Dallas Cityplace in January.

In another case that has received media attention, Hamilton is representing a family in Palo Pinto County that was injured from a water well explosion. The family maintains the well, drilled by Fairway Resources, exploded as a result of contamination from fracking. The case is set for trial in October.

Earlier this year, Hamilton and Wingo teamed up to launch Lawyers for America, a nonprofit they created in response to the detention of foreign nationals at DFW Airport during President Trump’s travel ban in January.

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