About Hastings Law Firm - Medical Malpractice Lawyers · Dallas
Hastings Law Firm - Medical Malpractice Lawyers is a boutique Texas-based law firm dedicated exclusively to medical malpractice, prescription drug, and healthcare product liability cases. Founded in 2005 by board-certified trial attorney Tommy Hastings, the firm represents patients and families harmed by medical negligence from offices across Texas and in Phoenix, Arizona. Its Dallas office, located on North Central Expressway, serves the entire DFW metropolitan area from two Dallas-area locations, including Central Dallas and North Dallas. The firm works on a contingency fee basis, with a 24/7 intake team offering free case reviews in English and Spanish.
Hastings Law Firm was founded in 2005 by Tommy R. Hastings with a singular mission: to hold healthcare providers accountable when preventable medical errors change patients' lives. Hastings began his legal career at a long-established plaintiff's firm in Houston, where he obtained a multi-million dollar verdict just three months after passing the bar exam. In 2002, he joined another Houston firm where he developed his specialty in medical malpractice litigation, and in 2004 Texas Magazine named him one of the state's 'lawyers on the fast track.' Since 2005, the firm has grown into one of the most respected boutique med-mal practices in the country, with offices in Houston, The Woodlands, Dallas, North Dallas, and Austin, plus a 2023 expansion into Phoenix, Arizona. The firm exclusively handles medical malpractice, prescription drug, and healthcare product liability cases. Cases are staffed by a national network of medical experts, former defense attorneys, and in-house medical professionals—nurse practitioners and Board Certified Patient Advocates—who analyze records including electronic fetal monitoring to identify charting inconsistencies. The Dallas office serves patients and families from across the DFW metroplex, handling the full lifecycle of a case from investigation through resolution, including expert report preparation under Texas Chapter 74, settlement negotiations, jury trials, and appeals to the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas at Dallas. The firm has been recognized by Texas Super Lawyers, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, the Million Dollar & Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums, and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), where Tommy Hastings was inducted in 2025.
- In business
- Founded 2005 (20+ years in business)
- Owner
- Tommy R. Hastings — Founder, Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer; University of Missouri (B.A.), University of Houston Law Center (J.D., with honors); born and raised in rural Missouri; licensed in Texas and Arizona
- Serves
- Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, including Downtown Dallas, Oak Lawn, Uptown, Oak Cliff, South Dallas, Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Lakewood, Pleasant Grove, Far North Dallas, Preston Hollow, Lake Highlands, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper, Denton, Carrollton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Irving, Coppell, Grapevine, Southlake, Fort Worth, Mesquite, Garland, Grand Prairie, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Lancaster, Duncanville, Arlington; broader Texas and select Arizona cases.
- Rating
- 4.4 average across 92 Google reviews (TrustAnalytica); 5.0/5.0 on Avvo (4 client reviews); 350+ five-star client reviews cited on the firm's own site.
About Hastings Law Firm
Hastings Law Firm was founded in 2005 by Tommy R. Hastings with a singular mission: to hold healthcare providers accountable when preventable medical errors change patients' lives. Over the past two decades, the firm has grown into one of the most respected boutique medical malpractice practices in the country, securing multi-million dollar results in birth injury, surgical error, hospital failure, and wrongful death cases. The firm exclusively handles medical malpractice, prescription drug, and healthcare product liability matters. Its philosophy, drawn directly from Tommy Hastings' statements, is that 'great lawyers use both head and heart'—representing individuals and families during the most difficult times of their lives, never losing sight of the human stakes behind every case.
- Founded 2005 by Tommy R. Hastings
- Exclusive practice: medical malpractice, prescription drug, healthcare product liability
- Six offices: Houston, The Woodlands, Dallas, North Dallas, Austin, Phoenix
- Work on a contingency fee basis (no fee unless recovery)
- 350+ five-star client reviews cited
Founder: Tommy R. Hastings
Tommy Hastings is a board-certified medical malpractice trial lawyer and the founder of Hastings Law Firm. He was born and raised in rural Missouri, earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri, and graduated with honors from the University of Houston Law Center. He passed the bar and obtained a multi-million dollar verdict just three months into his career at a long-established Houston plaintiff's firm. In 2002 he joined another Houston firm developing his specialty in med-mal, and in 2004 Texas Magazine recognized him as one of the state's 'lawyers on the fast track.' He founded his own firm in 2005 with the singular mission of representing patients harmed by medical negligence. Today he is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization—a distinction earned by fewer than 1% of attorneys.
- Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Texas Super Lawyers (2013–2015, 2020–Present); Rising Star (2006–2013)
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) 2025 inductee
- Member, Million Dollar & Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums
- Member, National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Top 25 Medical Malpractice Lawyers
- Course Director, State Bar of Texas 2024 Medical Torts Seminar
- Licensed in Texas and Arizona
Dallas Office Locations and Coverage
The Dallas office of Hastings Law Firm is located at 6060 N Central Expressway, Suite 575, Dallas, TX 75206, and a second DFW-area office sits at 14850 Quorum Drive, Suite 330, Dallas, TX 75254 (North Dallas / Galleria area). From these two locations the firm serves the entire Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, representing patients and families harmed by medical negligence wherever the injury occurred.
- Central Dallas: 6060 N Central Expy, Suite 575, Dallas, TX 75206 — phone 972-449-9399
- North Dallas: 14850 Quorum Dr, Suite 330, Dallas, TX 75254 — phone 214-888-8980
- Intake available 24/7 in English and Spanish
- Toll-free firm number: 877-269-4620
Dallas and DFW Communities Served
From the Central Dallas office the firm serves Downtown, Oak Lawn, Uptown, Oak Cliff, South Dallas, Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Lakewood, Pleasant Grove, Mesquite, Garland, Grand Prairie, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Lancaster, Duncanville, and Arlington. From the North Dallas office it serves Far North Dallas, Preston Hollow, Lake Highlands, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper, Denton, Carrollton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Irving, Coppell, Grapevine, Southlake, and Fort Worth. Many of these communities fall within the same Dallas County appellate jurisdiction; cases from Collin, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties follow similar procedural paths, while Tarrant, Denton, and Ellis counties may have different local court rules. The underlying Texas medical liability standards remain the same throughout.
Types of Medical Malpractice Cases Handled
The Dallas office handles the full range of medical negligence cases that occur in hospitals, surgery centers, nursing homes, and clinics across North Texas. The site lists more than three dozen specific case types, reflecting both the breadth and the specialized nature of the practice.
- Anesthesia Error
- Birth Injury and Brachial Plexus Malpractice
- C-Section Malpractice / OB-GYN Malpractice
- Cerebral Palsy Malpractice
- Eclampsia & Preeclampsia
- Fetal Monitoring Error / Forceps & Vacuum Birth Injury
- Shoulder Dystocia Birth Injury / Infant Brain Injury
- Misdiagnosis and Failure to Diagnose
- Medication Error and Over-Prescribing
- Surgical Error (including Robotic Surgery, Laparoscopic, Gallbladder, Prostate, Hysterectomy)
- Delayed or Prolonged Surgery / Unnecessary Surgery
- Organ Puncture or Perforation / Bowel Perforation
- Retained Medical Objects / Postoperative Malpractice
- Doctor Malpractice / Nurse Malpractice
- Pediatric Malpractice
- Hospital Malpractice (under Bush v. Columbia Medical Center/HCA)
- Hospital Infection / Home Health Care Provider Malpractice
- Nursing Home Abuse, Fall, Malnutrition, Sexual Abuse, Supervision
- Dangerous Drug Injury
- Defective Medical Device / Defective Joint Replacement
Proving Liability and the Standard of Care in Texas
To win a malpractice case in Texas, a patient must prove four elements: duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and resulting damages. A doctor-patient relationship must exist, the provider must have failed to act as a reasonably prudent doctor in the same specialty would have, and there must be a direct link between the provider's error and the injury. Damages must be measurable—physical, emotional, or financial. The firm works with a national network of medical experts who provide objective analysis and credible expert witness testimony; former defense attorneys on staff anticipate how hospitals will challenge each element of a case.
- Element 1: Duty of care (doctor-patient relationship)
- Element 2: Breach of duty (vs. reasonably prudent specialist)
- Element 3: Causation (direct link between error and injury)
- Element 4: Damages (physical, emotional, or financial)
- In-house nurse practitioners and Board Certified Patient Advocates analyze records, including electronic fetal monitoring (EFM)
Texas Statute of Limitations for Medical Injury Claims
Texas law generally requires medical malpractice lawsuits to be filed within two years from the date of the injury or the date the injury was discovered. Missing this deadline almost always means losing the right to pursue a claim, regardless of the strength of the evidence. Discovery-rule and minor-claim provisions apply in limited circumstances.
- Two-year general statute of limitations (from injury or discovery)
- Discovery rule: clock may begin when patient knew or should have known of the harm
- Minors under 12: until the child's 14th birthday to file
- Statute of repose: absolute 10-year outer limit from the negligent act
- Chapter 74 expert report must be served within 120 days of each defendant's original answer
Recoverable Damages and Texas Damage Caps
Texas damages fall into three categories: economic, non-economic, and punitive. Texas Tort Reform, enacted in 2003, placed statutory caps on non-economic damages, though economic damages have no cap. The firm focuses heavily on documenting every financial loss—current and projected—so that damage caps do not prevent fair compensation.
- Economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, future earning capacity, rehab, home care): No cap
- Non-economic damages (pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, loss of companionship): $250,000 against all physicians/providers combined; $250,000 per healthcare institution (up to $500,000 for two or more institutions); aggregate maximum of $750,000
- Punitive damages: subject to separate statutory limits
- Wrongful death damages can include both economic losses (funeral costs, loss of future financial support) and non-economic losses (loss of companionship, mental anguish)
Where Dallas Malpractice Cases Are Filed
Medical malpractice cases originating in Dallas County are filed in the Dallas County Civil District Courts at the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas. The county has 13 civil district courts, and county courts at law hold concurrent jurisdiction with no cap on jury-awarded damages. All attorneys must use the state's electronic filing system. Appeals are heard by the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas at Dallas, which covers Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties and is the largest appellate court in the state by number of justices.
- George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street
- 13 civil district courts in Dallas County
- Appeals go to the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas at Dallas
- Electronic filing system mandatory for all Dallas County filings
Hospital Liability Under Bush v. HCA
The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Columbia Medical Center/HCA established that hospitals can face direct liability for failing to implement adequate systems, protocols, or policies that would prevent medical errors, even when the actual care is delivered by independent-contractor physicians. This matters because many patients do not realize their treating doctor may have no employment relationship with the hospital. The Hastings team investigates these institutional relationships carefully because hospital negligence claims often hinge on whether the institution can distance itself from the negligent doctor.
Major North Texas Hospitals Involved in Past Cases
The firm's Dallas-area experience includes cases involving many of the region's major hospital systems. Past case descriptions reference facilities across DFW.
- Children's Medical Center Dallas
- Crescent Regional Hospital
- Baylor Scott & White Sunnyvale
- Baylor Scott & White Lake Pointe
- Baylor University Medical Center
- Methodist Dallas Medical Center
- Texas Health Harris Methodist
- USMD Hospital at Arlington
Client Testimonials
Every review on the firm's testimonials page represents a real person who trusted Hastings Law Firm during one of the most difficult experiences of their lives. Common themes from clients and from aggregators such as TrustAnalytica describe professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate attorneys who provide thorough explanations, communicate well, and treat clients as individuals. Reviews originate from Google and other platforms across the web.
- 'A Great Team' — Gabe Sassin stayed the course and settled the case
- '10 Stars!!!' — Tommy was amazing; clients highly recommend the firm
- 'Compassionate and Knowledgeable' — handled a mother's case with compassion, patience, and respect
- Praise for staff members Lisa and Natalie for attentiveness and kindness
- Praise for thorough explanations, organized process, and free case reviews
Why the Firm Focuses Exclusively on Medical Malpractice
Tommy Hastings is one of the only attorneys in Texas who still handles medical malpractice cases exclusively, and that singular focus shapes every part of how the firm operates. Med-mal work demands clinical literacy, access to credentialed experts, and the willingness to invest years in a single case—resources most general personal-injury firms cannot sustain. By limiting the practice to healthcare-injury litigation, the firm has built a track record of seven- and eight-figure results against hospitals, drug companies, and negligent healthcare providers across Texas and Arizona.
- Exclusively med-mal, prescription drug, and healthcare product liability
- National network of credentialed medical expert witnesses
- Former defense attorneys on staff to anticipate hospital strategy
- In-house nurse practitioners and Board Certified Patient Advocates
- Multi-million dollar results in birth injury, surgical error, hospital failure, and wrongful death