About Houston Personal Injury Lawyer – Ryan Zehl

Ryan Zehl is the founding partner of Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers and one of Houston’s most nationally recognized personal injury trial attorneys, having built the firm since 2007 into a practice that has recovered billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for injured clients across Texas, Louisiana, and the United States. Licensed in both Texas and Pennsylvania, he leads a team based in Houston with a second office in Midland.

BACKGROUND & CREDENTIALS

Ryan earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin before completing his J.D., magna cum laude, at South Texas College of Law, where he graduated in the top 5% of his class and won the school’s Judge Evan A. Evans Moot Court Competition. After law school, he served as a briefing attorney for Justice Scott Brister on the Texas Supreme Court, then joined the litigation and appellate group at Gardere Wynne Sewell in Dallas, where he built his early trial experience on complex commercial and personal injury matters before striking out on his own. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2004 and to the Pennsylvania bar in 2011, and he practices before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas, as well as the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

TRIAL PHILOSOPHY

Ryan founded the firm in 2007, originally under the name Fitts Zehl, before it became Zehl & Associates, and has since grown it into a trial practice known for taking on large corporate defendants rather than settling early. The firm’s approach is built around preparing every case as though it’s headed to a jury, a philosophy reflected in the firm’s self-reported undefeated trial record and the billions of dollars it has recovered for clients. Ryan and his team represent injury victims in truck and 18-wheeler accidents, oilfield and drilling accidents, maritime and offshore injuries, plant and refinery explosions, and wrongful death claims, along with catastrophic injury and premises liability matters.

RECOGNITION & MEMBERSHIPS

  • Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since 2009, and featured on the cover of Texas Super Lawyers magazine
  • Named to The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Litigation – Insurance, and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
  • 5.0 client rating on Avvo
  • Peer-reviewed attorney profile on Martindale
  • Lifetime member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Named to the Lawdragon 100 Managing Partners You Need to Know (2025)
  • Under his leadership, Zehl & Associates has repeatedly been named a finalist for “Personal Injury Law Firm of the Year” by Law.com and The National Law Journal, and has been recognized in the Chambers Spotlight Texas Guide
  • Member, Houston Trial Lawyers Association and Texas Trial Lawyers Association

CASE RESULTS

Ryan and his team have recovered billions of dollars for clients through verdicts and settlements. Select results include:

  • $100,000,000 – Refinery/Plant Explosion Settlement
  • $90,000,000 – Oilfield Burn Injury Settlement (#1 largest individual settlement of its kind in U.S. history)
  • $85,700,000 – Refinery Worker Traumatic Brain Injury/Spinal Injury Settlement
  • $37,500,000 – Wrongful Death Verdict Against Oncor Electric Delivery (Dallas County, 2024)
  • $35,000,000 – Wrongful Death Settlement, Trucking Accident (Tarrant County)
  • $18,600,000 – Personal Injury Verdict Against Greyhound Lines
  • $4,800,000 – Personal Injury Verdict Against R&L Carriers (punitive damages affirmed on appeal)

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case.

OFFICE LOCATIONS

–> Houston (Main Office) – 2700 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 1000, Houston, TX 77056 – (713) 491-6064
–> Midland – 306 W. Wall Street, Suite 701, Midland, TX 79701 – (432) 220-0000

Serving Houston, Midland, Odessa, Dallas, and clients across Texas, Louisiana, and the United States. Free consultation, no fee unless you win.

Practice Areas

Oilfield Accidents

Truck Accidents

Wrongful Death

Frequently Asked Questions

Most Houston personal injury lawyers, including Ryan Zehl, work on a contingency fee basis, you pay nothing upfront, and the attorney only gets paid a percentage of your settlement or verdict if they win your case.

Contingency fees in Houston typically range from 33% to 40%, depending on the complexity of the case and whether it goes to trial. Case-related costs, like expert witnesses and filing fees, are usually advanced by the firm and repaid out of the final recovery, not out of pocket

How much does it cost to hire a Houston personal injury lawyer?

In most cases, Texas law gives injury victims two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, under the state’s statute of limitations. Missing this deadline generally bars you from recovering compensation, regardless of how strong your case is.

Certain claims, such as those involving a government entity or a minor, can have shorter notice requirements or different rules, which is why it’s worth talking to a lawyer as soon as possible after an accident rather than waiting.

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Texas?

Seek medical treatment immediately, even if your injuries seem minor, since some conditions, like traumatic brain injuries or internal injuries, aren’t obvious right away.

Document the scene with photos, get contact information from witnesses, and avoid giving a recorded statement to the at-fault party’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts, and early statements can be used against you later.

What should I do after a serious accident in Houston?

Case value depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical expenses (past and future), lost income and earning capacity, and non-economic damages like pain and suffering. Cases involving catastrophic injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, burns, or wrongful death, tend to carry higher damages because of the long-term impact on the victim’s life.

No attorney can guarantee a specific outcome, but firms with a strong trial record, like Zehl & Associates, are generally better positioned to negotiate from strength rather than settle for less because they’re unwilling to go to court.

How much is my personal injury case worth?

Yes. Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule, meaning you can still recover damages as long as you’re found to be 50% or less at fault for the accident. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault; for example, if you’re found 20% responsible, your award is reduced by 20%.

If you’re found more than 50% at fault, Texas law bars you from recovering anything, which is why insurance companies often try to shift blame onto the injured party.

Can I still recover compensation if I was partly at fault for the accident?

Ryan Zehl and his team at Zehl & Associates represent clients in truck and 18-wheeler accidents, oilfield and drilling accidents, maritime and offshore injuries, plant and refinery explosions, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death claims across Houston, Texas, and the United States.

The firm is known for taking on large corporate defendants, trucking companies, oil and gas operators, and industrial employers, rather than settling cases early for less than they’re worth.

What types of cases does Ryan Zehl handle?