The Aaron Herbert TBLS Personal Injury Knowledge Hub
Aaron Herbert TBLS Certified Personal Injury Knowledge Hub
How can a board-certified personal injury trial lawyer help evaluate and prepare my case?
You may know how you were hurt but have no idea what a lawyer would do next. The first work is often quite practical: finding a witness, requesting a recording before it is erased, or checking what a medical record actually says. As the evidence comes in, counsel must assess your losses and the defenses you may face. Ask what still needs to be proved before you can make an informed decision about an offer or a lawsuit.
Texas Bar #24036761 · Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2008.
The Law Firm of Aaron A. Herbert, P.C. · Dallas, Texas
Featured pillar article
What It Means to Be Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law in Texas
Our main guide follows board certification from practice experience through examination and renewal. It explains what the credential can tell you about an attorney, how to check a lawyer’s current record, and which questions to bring to a consultation.
Use it as a starting point before exploring the individual requirements below. The guide puts certification in context alongside relevant experience and the work needed for your own injury claim.
Read the complete certification guide →I'm choosing a lawyer for my injury case
Bring the questions that would change your decision about hiring the firm. If you are comparing two certified lawyers, give each the same facts and listen for a specific explanation of what needs investigation.
Who will actually handle my case?
Ask who will assess the claim, take depositions, negotiate, and appear at trial if necessary. Find out who answers routine questions and how you reach a lawyer when a decision cannot wait. A lawyer's name on the website does not answer those staffing questions.
Resource
Who Will Handle My Injury Case if I Hire a Firm Led by a Board Certified Lawyer
A firm led by a board-certified lawyer may assign different tasks to different people. This article explains the questions to ask about who evaluates your claim, handles depositions and negotiations, prepares for trial and keeps you informed. Use it to clarify the certified lawyer’s role and the responsibilities of the rest of the team before hiring a firm.
Read about who will handle your injury case →When does trial experience matter?
An old back injury can become a sticking point in negotiations. The insurer may say it explains the treatment you received after the accident. Your lawyer would need the earlier records, the recent records, and an explanation from the treating doctor of what changed. You can ask whether taking the doctor’s deposition would help. If the lawyer recommends another expert, ask what question that person would answer and what it would cost. Those are useful things to discuss when comparing trial experience. The credential itself does not guarantee a larger offer.
How should I compare two certified lawyers?
Ask about recent work involving similar disputed issues, the firm's capacity to take the case, and what it would investigate first. A useful answer explains a difficulty as well as an opportunity. Compare who would be responsible for the work, rather than relying only on a credential or a past result.
What should I ask about fees, expenses, and communication?
Take time to read the proposed fee agreement with the lawyer. “What would I owe if we recover nothing?” is a question worth asking directly. So is “Can you show me how fees and expenses would come out of an offer?” An estimate should account for repayment claims too, or explain why their amount is still unknown. Before leaving the meeting, get a name and contact details for updates. You should know where to report a new treatment recommendation or additional time away from work.
Prepare for your first meeting or check the lawyer's certification record.
For Referring Attorneys
Begin a referral inquiry with the information needed for a conflict check. Confirm a secure way to share the file before sending confidential records. Once that is arranged, a short chronology is useful: the incident, treatment, filings, service, and the next deadlines. Identify which entries are supported by a document and which come only from an interview. Flag any recording or physical evidence that could be lost while the matter is being evaluated.
Evidence, causation, and resources
In a truck case, for example, counsel might have a witness who saw a lane change but no reliable speed evidence. That is a different problem from having electronic speed data but no account of the movement. Work through the disputed issues with the records at hand. Note who holds anything still missing. Copies of preservation letters belong in that file, together with the responses. Counsel needs to know whether the evidence has actually been retained, not merely whether somebody requested it.
The damages discussion can begin with a gap in the medical records. Perhaps a doctor mentioned a future operation without saying how likely it was. What further medical support is available? It may be too early to commission a cost projection. Employment losses raise their own questions and may call for vocational evidence. Discuss what each proposed specialist would contribute before committing to the expense. The budget also needs to cover the anticipated deposition work, mediation, and trial preparation.
Discussing responsibility for the case
An attorney considering a referral should first ask whether the firm is able to evaluate the case. Until responsibility is accepted, do not assume that an inquiry has transferred the file or its deadlines. The proposed engagement needs to say who will advise the client and who will do the litigation work. Expenses and decision-making responsibilities need attention as well. Any referral or joint-representation terms must come from the firm and the appropriate written agreement. This page offers no particular arrangement.
For more detail, read For Referring Attorneys Evaluating and Preparing Complex Texas Injury Cases.
Relevant resources include the Texas truck accident litigation hub, Walmart injury claims hub, and Texas injury claim value hub.
What does board certification tell you about an injury lawyer?
TBLS awards certification to individual lawyers who meet its standards in a particular field. Personal Injury Trial Law is one of those fields. The process examines a lawyer's experience, education, and professional references, and includes a written examination. Certification is voluntary. A Texas lawyer does not need it to handle an injury case.
Aaron A. Herbert is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS).
Use this hub when you are comparing attorneys or getting ready to meet one. Start with the requirements below, or go straight to the official records. You can find Aaron A. Herbert's Personal Injury Trial Law certification in the State Bar of Texas directory. Ask which attorney would work on your case: Aaron's certification does not extend to everyone employed by the firm.
Read the requirements before comparing credentials
Five years in practice is only the starting point. TBLS also looks at the work the applicant has actually done. Under its published Personal Injury Trial Law standards, an applicant ordinarily needs 10 qualifying Texas civil trials as lead counsel. At least five must be personal injury jury trials. The submitted cases must account for at least 20 separate trial days, including 10 days in personal injury jury trials. The general standards allow TBLS to consider certain exceptions.
Those terms matter. A lawyer who attended a trial did not necessarily serve as lead counsel. In a jury case, the definition calls for primary responsibility for the client, jury selection, an opening statement or closing argument, and significant examination of live witnesses. A summary judgment hearing does not count as a trial under this definition.
The standards also require substantial involvement in the specialty, continuing legal education, and references from lawyers and a judge familiar with the applicant's work. Applicants must pass the specialty examination. You can read the full requirements in the official TBLS standards linked below.
Resource · Certification requirements
What Are the Requirements to Become Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law in Texas?
This article takes a closer look at the experience, trial work, continuing education, references, and examination involved in applying for certification. It helps readers understand what is being evaluated and why a general claim of courtroom experience is not the same as meeting the specialty’s standards.
Explore the certification requirements →Resource · Trial experience
How Many First-Chair Trials Are Required for TBLS Personal Injury Certification?
Trial counts tell only part of the certification story. This article separates the required cases from trial-day totals and explains what serving as lead counsel involves, including the courtroom responsibilities that distinguish leading a case from attending it.
Readers can use the guide to understand qualifying proceedings, questions about the application record, and why the current TBLS standards matter when evaluating a lawyer’s trial experience.
Understand first-chair trial requirements →
Check the lawyer's current record
Use the lawyer's name to search TBLS. A badge on a law firm's home page does not tell you which attorney holds the credential. Check the specialty beside the name: for this hub, you are looking for Personal Injury Trial Law. The State Bar directory is a separate place to check the person's Texas license.
To find Aaron's record, search for Aaron Alan Herbert or bar number 24036761. The profile shows a November 6, 2002, Texas license date. You will also find the Personal Injury Trial Law designation there. For his background and work at the firm, open the attorney biography below.
Certification has to be maintained. The ordinary certification period is five years, with recertification requirements at the end of that period and obligations along the way. It is reasonable to ask a prospective lawyer about both the credential and the work they have handled recently.
Choose a topic
Browse the topics below and explore the published resources alongside the relevant sections of this guide. Additional articles will be linked here as they become available.
Comparing lawyers and preparing for a consultation
- Board-certified and non-board-certified lawyersHow to weigh certification alongside relevant experience and the needs of your case.
- Certification and insurance companiesWhy an adjuster's evaluation still depends on the claim, its evidence, and the lawyer's work.
- Trial preparation and settlementHow preparing evidence for court can help a client evaluate a proposed settlement.
- Certification, awards, and membershipsQuestions to ask about who issued a credential and what was required to earn it.
- Verifying a lawyer's certificationWhere to search and what to check in the official records.
- Questions to ask before hiring the firmWho will handle the case, how updates work, and what the fee agreement covers.
Resource · Choosing counsel
What Does a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer Actually Do for an Injured Client
This article follows the work involved in evaluating an injury claim—from testing a liability theory and preserving evidence through medical support, valuation, negotiation and trial preparation. It also explains what board certification can help a reader assess and what the credential cannot promise about an individual case.
Explore the lawyer’s role and certification →Applying those questions to a serious injury claim
What Makes a Serious Injury Case Difficult to Prove
- Catastrophic injury casesDiscussing medical evidence, future needs, and the resources available for a complex claim.
- Texas truck accident casesAsking about counsel's experience with commercial vehicles and the evidence these cases may require.
- Premises liability and Walmart injuriesConnecting trial experience with the investigation of a dangerous condition and the property's response.
Earning and maintaining certification
- Requirements for TBLS Personal Injury Trial Law certificationA closer look at eligibility, practice concentration, and the application record.
- First-chair trials and the lead-counsel requirementWhich courtroom responsibilities count, and why attending a trial is not enough.
- The TBLS specialty examinationWhat the exam is intended to assess after an applicant meets the experience requirements.
- Peer and judicial reviewTBLS asks other lawyers and a judge about the applicant's work. This article follows that part of the application.
- Continuing legal educationHow much study is required, when must it be completed, and what subjects count?
- Five-year recertificationPassing the exam does not end the process. Here we look at what is required when renewal comes around.
For material already available on store injuries, visit our Aaron Herbert Texas Walmart Injury Knowledge Hub.
Questions worth asking at your first meeting
At the first meeting, start with when and where you were hurt and the treatment you have received since then. Bring the photographs and correspondence you have, including documents anyone has asked you to sign. It is fine if you cannot name the legal theory for a claim; that is something to discuss with counsel.
Ask who will be responsible for the file. Will the lawyer you are meeting handle depositions or trial? Who can answer routine questions? Ask about similar matters, including the difficulties those cases presented, rather than asking only about the largest past result.
The fee agreement deserves time too. Have the lawyer explain the fee, expenses, and what happens if there is no recovery. If you do not understand a term, ask for an explanation before signing.
Does certification guarantee a better result?
No. A disputed collision remains disputed after a certified lawyer is hired. The investigation still needs to establish what happened, using the available records and witness accounts. Certification neither resolves that factual disagreement nor determines the value of the injury. It cannot promise a settlement.
A lawyer without this credential may have substantial experience. A lawyer with it still needs to explain how the firm would approach your particular matter. Use certification to inform the conversation, then listen closely to the answers.
Official sources and further reading
Read the TBLS Standards for Attorney Certification. The general requirements come first in this document; the Personal Injury Trial Law provisions follow them.
For the procedures that govern applications and renewals, see the TBLS Attorney Rules and Regulations.
Find Aaron Alan Herbert in the State Bar of Texas directory.
Read Aaron's biography on this site.
We checked these sources on September 21, 2026. If you are checking a credential later, open the official record again to see whether anything has changed.
Discuss your injury claim
Contact The Law Firm of Aaron A. Herbert, P.C., at (214) 200-4878 or request a consultation. Bring your questions about the case and about the attorney who would handle it.
This hub provides general information, not legal advice for a particular matter. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.