In every sizeable community in Texas there exists a myriad of top notch civil litigators capable of getting a client from point A to point B. What separates most of these capable attorneys is at what step in the process they are able to distinguish between the desired outcome and the probable outcome, what costs have thus far been expended by their client in arriving at this crossroad, and what additional costs can reasonably be anticipated to be paid by the client to achieve a beneficial result.
My name is Douglass D. Hearne, Jr., and I pride myself on getting my clients from point A to B more cost effectively than most other litigators in Central Texas.
I’m a proud native Austinite, and have been practicing law in Texas for 25 years. My practice focuses predominately on matters involving civil litigation, though I do spend roughly a quarter of my time working with and counseling existing clients on non-litigation matters. I’m proud of the fact that of the thousand or so clients I have represented over the preceding quarter century, I can count on three fingers the number of fee disputes I have had with clients. There are several reasons there have been so few. First and foremost, I strive at all times to do the right thing. For my clients, that means representing their interests as effectively and efficiently as possible. A client’s best interest is seldom served if an attorney is performing services that do not directly ready the case for trial or otherwise advance his or her client towards their desired destination. Second, an effective lawyer needs to have the breadth of experience to both recognize when a client’s desired destination may be cost prohibitive or unlikely and identify alternative strategies to achieve a more cost effective outcome for the client. A successful attorney should also have the self-confidence to refer an existing or prospective client to other counsel if the attorney knows of another lawyer who, through specific expertise or otherwise, can more cost effectively handle the matter; to do otherwise would not serve the best interest of the client. Third, for the vast majority of my clients I have been successful in achieving a favorable outcome of their issue, and happy clients make happy attorneys, thus reducing the potential for client-attorney conflict. Finally, and in the interest of full disclosure, I am blessed with a good amount of repeat business from existing clients, each of whom are enjoyable to work with and likewise strive to do the right thing.