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Law Office of Dennis L. Richard: From Insurance Defense “Coordinator” to Employee-Side Trial Advocate

Dennis Richard describes his career shift in football terms: eight years as a “defensive coordinator” defending insurance companies, then more than three decades as an “offensive coordinator” using those same defense-side techniques on behalf of the employees and injured people he now represents. That inside knowledge of how the other side builds its cases is a genuine, documented career arc rather than a marketing framing.

Origin and Background

Law Office of Dennis L. Richard is based at 14255 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78216. Richard graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Tulane University in 1973 and earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center in 1976. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in Jefferson and Harris Counties, prosecuting more than 80 criminal jury trials, and worked as an FBI Special Agent in Mobile, Alabama, before spending eight years on the insurance-defense side and then more than three decades representing plaintiffs.

Practice Concentration

Richard’s employment practice covers sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, and unsafe working conditions claims, alongside a broader personal injury and wrongful death practice. He has tried more than 150 civil cases to verdict over his career. See this San Antonio Employment & Labor directory for how this dual board-certified, plaintiff-focused trial practice compares to other firms in this category.

Notable Work / Track Record

Richard has recovered millions of dollars in settlements and awards over his career, earning membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and has served as lead counsel on cases that set new precedents in personal injury and employment law. As an individual trial practice, he does not publish a running table of case-specific employment settlement figures distinct from these documented career achievements, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify one.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not locate a substantial independent consumer review platform sample specific to this firm’s employment practice at the time of this profile’s research. Awesome Attorneys discloses this gap directly.

Beyond the Courtroom

Richard holds the rank of Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an invitation-only membership held by only a small fraction of Texas lawyers, and is a member of the San Antonio Bar Association and the El Paso Bar Association.

Recognition for This San Antonio Employment Law Firm

Dennis Richard’s Board Certification in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, held since 1983, was independently verified. Awesome Attorneys notes these certifications are not specific to labor and employment law, so “specialist” language in that specific area is not applied on this basis; his certifications do reflect genuine, independently verified trial credentials directly relevant to employment litigation. He has been selected to Super Lawyers, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and was named one of the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Richard’s documented eight years representing insurance companies before switching to plaintiff’s work reflects direct, firsthand familiarity with defense-side litigation strategy in personal injury and employment matters — a background that can inform anticipation of how an employer’s defense counsel is likely to approach a case. None of this is legal advice; a specific employment matter should be evaluated by a licensed Texas attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Dennis Richard’s clearest differentiator is a genuinely unusual career arc — extensive insurance-defense experience followed by more than three decades of plaintiff’s trial work — combined with dual TBLS board certification and invitation-only ABOTA membership. The honest trade-off is that Awesome Attorneys did not locate independent client reviews specific to his employment practice, and his primary trial-practice identity centers on personal injury and wrongful death rather than employment law exclusively. For a San Antonio employee who wants a genuinely battle-tested trial lawyer with insider knowledge of defense-side strategy, that combination is a strong basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from the Law Office of Dennis L. Richard’s own website (attorney biography and employment law practice page), Super Lawyers’ attorney profile documenting his certifications and career history, and the State Bar of Texas attorney directory.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Law Office of Dennis L. Richard or Dennis Richard prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.