Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Guerrero.
Hi Joe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I am the owner of HURTINTEXAS.COM, a Houston-based law firm that represents clients all over the state of Texas. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, I moved to Houston in 2004 to attend Thurgood Marshall School of Law. After law school, I relocated to Washington, D.C., and co-founded a law firm that represented homeowners in foreclosure. During this time, companies were going out of business and people were being fired in droves. There were about 3 million foreclosure filings in 2008, which was an 80% increase from the year prior.
My practice focused on litigating civil lawsuits against lending institutions for engaging in deceptive practices to target low-income and minority borrowers. Nearly 90% of our clients were first-generation Americans who did not speak English. As a bilingual attorney, I hosted a radio show that helped articulate complex lending and foreclosure laws to Spanish-speaking residents of D.C. While we were not able to save every client’s home, we litigated some great outcomes for many who were able to restructure their mortgages and avoid foreclosure.
The experience of litigating foreclosure lawsuits was the catalyst for eventually returning to Texas to pursue personal injury trial law. There was just something about fighting for ordinary folks against goliath companies that appealed to me on so many levels. In 2010, I moved from D.C. to work as a trial attorney for a personal injury firm in San Antonio. I was reluctant to leave D.C. but welcomed the opportunity to be closer to family and friends in Texas. During my time with this firm, I represented hundreds of clients from El Paso to Houston, Dallas to the Rio Grande Valley, and everywhere in between.
I eventually returned to Houston after a five-year hiatus to help build a litigation practice for a small firm that had little to no experience in doing so. In that role, I was able to create and manage a burgeoning litigation docket of personal injury cases in counties all over Texas. After ten years of practicing law, I decided to “hang my own shingle” and build my own personal injury law firm called HURTINTEXAS.COM. It was the BEST decision I’ve ever made!!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? I’ll give a lawyer’s answer: “well, that depends on your definition of smooth.” All joking aside, the practice of law is not generally the type of profession that one expects to encounter “smooth” roads. At its core, it involves opposing sides with differing views pulling in opposite directions, and that almost guarantees that bumpy roads are ahead.
In fact, any profession in which you assume responsibility for another’s problems is bound to encounter more than its fair share of bumps in the road. My journey led me to relocate to 3 different cities in 2 different states 1,600 miles apart within a span of 5 years. I hold different licenses to practice law in Texas, D.C., Maryland, and U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Western Districts of Texas.
I have met friends, co-workers, clients, and colleagues from all over the world. It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I never expected it to be and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As you know, we’re big fans of HURTINTEXAS.COM. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
HURTINTEXAS.COM is a Houston-based law firm that helps injured individuals and their families recover compensation for physical, emotional, and financial losses caused by accidental injury and wrongful death. We are a Houston-based law firm, but we represent clients all over the state of Texas.
We have recovered millions in compensation for clients who have suffered serious or fatal injuries in accidents caused by individual or corporate negligence. My firm is a member of the Multi-million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is limited to attorneys who have attained multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. One of our greatest accomplishments was obtaining a multi-million dollar settlement for a client within 60 days of retaining my firm.
In addition to practicing law, my firm also owns trademarks related to our unique brand name and logos. We create brand content and promote it heavily on various social media platforms including Facebook (@hurtintexasdotcom), Twitter (@HurtinTexas), Instagram (@hurtintexas), and Youtube (“HURT IN TEXAS”). We recently created and are currently promoting “El Guerrero De La Ley” (FB/IG: @elguerrerodelaley), which is geared towards reaching Spanish-speaking clientele.
We aim to create more brand presence in Spanish-speaking markets in 2022. My firm also offers annual scholarships to law students at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, not simply for academic achievement but also for having unique, unconventional attributes. What sets us apart from other personal injury law firms is that we are a boutique firm.
We are particular about the types of cases and clients that we represent. When we decide to take on a client, it is because we wholeheartedly believe in them and their case. My clients are treated as personal friends – they have my cell phone number and can call or text me anytime.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
From a very young age, my siblings and I were taught the importance of education as a means to improve our own lives and the lives of others in our community. My parents encouraged us to pursue a profession that would allow us to use our education to help others in need.
They not only had these expectations of us but also of themselves. One of my favorite childhood memories was watching my parents accomplish their goals of attaining higher education later in life. My father graduated from law school when I was 12 years old, and my mother graduated from college when I was in high school.
Witnessing their dedication and resolve to accomplish their educational goals is a memory that has really stuck with me and motivated me for all of these years.
Contact Info:
- Email: joe@hurtintexas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hurtintexas/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hurtintexasdotcom
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HurtinTexas
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUbdW4Dv3pemesdy-WFJxtw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hurtintexas-com-houston
- Other: www.elguerrerodelaley.com
