Houston Car Accident Compensation: What Your Case Is Really Worth

He grew up in San Angelo, in West Texas, where his father served as a district judge before returning to practice as an attorney. That upbringing shaped his decision to study law and the plainspoken way he talks to clients. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi, known to most as Ole Miss, then came to Houston for his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 2004, where he was a member of the Law Review. He has been licensed to practice in the state of Texas since 2005 and carries State Bar of Texas number 24047620.

Hank began his career on the other side of the docket, at the insurance-defense firm Phelps Dunbar, where he tried cases and learned how insurance companies evaluate and pay claims. In 2008 he and his business partner, Graham Sutliff, left their defense work to build a plaintiff's firm of their own and have run Sutliff & Stout together ever since, building a litigation-first practice that files suit early and works each case as though it is going to trial. While based in Houston, Hank represents clients across Texas, Utah, Montana, Alabama, and Florida, and the firm publishes Austin car accident guidance and resources for the Galveston coast.

Hank is Board-Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a designation requiring a documented record of completed trials, peer review, and a written examination most personal-injury lawyers never sit for. The clearest proof of why that matters is a case he tried for a little girl whose mother was killed in a Montana 18-wheeler pileup. The at-fault driver carried only a $1 million policy, and most lawyers would have taken that money and moved on. Hank filed suit instead, ran discovery into the trucking industry and its regulations, and surfaced three additional responsible entities the first investigation had missed, turning the $1 million settlement into a multimillion-dollar trust for the orphaned child. Texas Super Lawyers has recognized him every year from 2014 through 2026, following Rising Stars selections from 2012 through 2014. He is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, serves on the board of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and belongs to the Houston Bar Association and the Houston Trial Lawyers Association.

That history is what makes this book credible. Every chapter grows out of questions Hank has answered for injured clients for years: how the type of crash and the type of injury together set a case's value, why time works against the plaintiff, and why a judgment against a defendant who cannot pay is just a piece of paper. Readers can hear him work through them on the Houston Car & Truck Accident Law podcast , follow his work on LinkedIn , and confirm his standing through his State Bar of Texas profile . He built his practice on a West Texas conviction that people can handle honesty, even when the honest answer is that they do not need a lawyer. If you have been hurt in a crash and want a straight read on what your case is worth, schedule a free consultation with the firm.