RICHARD FASS
Richard Fass joined Zabel Freeman in 2020. He is a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial lawyer with extensive experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury, property damage, and catastrophic loss cases. He spent the first 19 years of his practice primarily representing defendants and insurance companies. He then spent the next nine years exclusively representing plaintiffs. At Zabel Freeman, Rich combines his experience to represent insurance companies in catastrophic loss subrogation and will continue to represent plaintiffs in personal injury matters involving workplace and industrial accidents, transportation (trucking, automobile and motorcycle collisions) and victims of clergy sexual abuse. Mr. Fass is licensed in both Texas and New Mexico and has a nationwide docket of subrogation and personal injury cases.
Mr. Fass is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction that less than 10% of all Texas lawyers achieve, based on his trial experience and recommendations of trial judges and opposing counsel. He is a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates, an organization of trial judges and trial lawyers from both sides of the bar that recognizes real trial lawyers who uphold the highest ethical and professional standards. He is rated AV by Martindale Hubble and has been recognized by Texas Monthly as a Super Lawyer every year since 2012. He has been named a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization limited to attorneys who have won million-dollar verdicts and settlements.
Mr. Fass received his Bachelor of Arts with a double-major in Government and Economics from the University of Texas. He then obtained his law degree from South Texas College of Law. During his studies, he participated in mock trial and moot court competitions. He has been licensed to practice in the State of Texas since 1991 and State of New Mexico since 2016.
In his spare time, Rich enjoys playing golf and is a volunteer scorer at the Houston Open. He is a member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World Championship Barbeque Committee. He has been an active member of the Board of Directors of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
EDUCATION
South Texas College of Law, J.D., 1991
University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 1988
- Double-Major in Government and Economics
ADMITTED
State Bar of Texas,1991
State Bar of New Mexico, 2016
United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of Texas
AWARDS AND HONORS
AV-rated by Martindale-Hubble
Texas Monthly Super Lawyer – 2012 to present
Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer – 2015
H Texas Magazine Top Lawyer in Civil Litigation and Personal Injury – 2015
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Richard Fass has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in property damage, personal injury, wrongful death, negligence, products liability, premises liability, and workplace injury cases since 1991.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
American Board of Trial Advocates
Houston Trial Lawyers Association – Board of Directors
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association
American Association for Justice
Houston Bar Association
Texas Bar Foundation
Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of New Mexico
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Life Member
World Championship BBQ Committee
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Former Director
Houston Open, Volunteer Walking Scorer
SIGNIFICANT REPRESENTATION
Workplace Injuries
Successfully arbitrated a non-subscriber case for a client who was injured in a Central Texas plant. The plant did not subscribe to worker’s compensation insurance. The workplace injury plan required our client to try the case in an arbitration proceeded. Obtained a substantial award for the client following a three-day arbitration.
Successfully arbitrated a non-subscriber case for a client who was injured in a Houston hospital. The hospital did not subscribe to worker’s compensation insurance. The workplace injury plan required our client to try the case in an arbitration proceeding. Obtained a substantial award on behalf of the injured employee following a week-long arbitration.
Obtained a confidential settlement for the family of a man who was killed while working for an excavation company
Obtained a confidential settlement for the family of a man who was killed while working in a plant in Harris County, Texas
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was injured while working at a large retail store
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was injured in a Texas Panhandle commercial tire facility
Represented and achieved confidential settlements for clients injured in manufacturing facilities and machine shops
Obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of a client who was injured while working on a vessel in navigable waters of the coast of Texas
Transportation
Represented and obtained settlements on behalf of many clients in motor vehicle collisions throughout Texas. My clients’ injuries have included Traumatic Brain Injuries, orthopedic and neurologic spine injuries, broken bones, facial trauma, and damage to vital organs.
Obtained a verdict on behalf of a teenager injured in a rear-end collision in Harris County, Texas
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle collision
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who, along with her children, were injured in a collision Harris County, Texas
Obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of a client who was riding a bicycle when he was struck by a motor vehicle
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was injured when the car in which he was a passenger collided with a cow in the roadway
Obtained confidential settlements on behalf of pedestrians struck by motor vehicles
Clergy Abuse
Represented many victims of abuse committed by clergy in a Catholic Diocese. The Diocese filed for bankruptcy protection and we successfully negotiated a settlement of the bankruptcy estate to provide compensation for our clients.
Represented and obtained confidential settlements for the victims of clergy abuse committed in Massachusetts
Medical Malpractice
Obtained a medical malpractice verdict in Jefferson County, Texas, that was ranked in the Top 10 in the State of Texas in 2012
Obtained a confidential settlement for the family of a child who suffered brain damage during childbirth at a Central Texas hospital
Obtained a confidential settlement for the family of a child who suffered brain damage during surgery at a South Texas hospital
Obtained a confidential settlement for the family of a child who suffered brain damage during childbirth at a Houston, Texas, hospital
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who suffered Wernicke’s Encephalopathy following bariatric surgery
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who suffered nerve damage following cervical injections
Obtained confidential settlements for several families of mothers who died during childbirth
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who suffered permanent damage from failure to timely diagnose a stroke
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was harmed by a retained surgical sponge
Represented a woman who was sexually assaulted by a medic
Obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of a client from a doctor who operated on the wrong body part
Obtained a confidential settlement for the parent of a child who aspirated during surgery and died.
Obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of the family of a woman who died during surgery
Other Cases
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was injured when an elevator failed and crashed to the lower level of a structure
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was assaulted in the parking lot of a retail shopping center
Obtained a confidential settlement for a child who was mauled by a dog
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was injured in a go-cart wreck
Obtained a confidential settlement for a client who was injured at a swimming pool in his apartment complex