Richard Sarabia

Biography

Richard Sarabia is a battle-tested trial lawyer with more than four decades in the courtroom and a reputation for trying, and winning cases across Texas. As Senior Litigation Counsel, Of Counsel at Gamez Law, he is brought in when the stakes are high and the injuries are very serious, and the defense refuses to pay what a case is worth. He prepares every case for trial from day one, and forces defendants to confront real litigator risks. Within months of joining the Gamez Law, Mr. Sarabia secured a $1,000,000 settlement, signaling exactly what insurers and trucking companies can expect when he is on the other side: relentless pressure, trial-ready cases, and results.

Mr. Sarabia’s family is originally from Seguin. He grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas. Mr. Sarabia earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Arlington and his Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Mr. Sarabia’s work ethic was forged long before the courtroom. It took him 11 years to complete college and law school while working full-time some of those years, including night shifts on a trucking freight dock, supporting his wife and two young children. He became the first lawyer in his family, carrying forward the same blue-collar grit and determination he now brings to holding trucking companies accountable.

What separates Mr. Sarabia from approximately 99% of all the other attorneys in Texas is simple—trial experience that insurance companies do not want to face.  He has served as first-chair trial counsel in approximately 200 jury trials, a number few lawyers in Texas will ever approach. That experience is a weapon in commercial trucking and catastrophic injury litigation, where corporations and their insurers aggressively defend cases to avoid full accountability. Mr. Sarabia does not back down, he prepares, he pushes the case to the courthouse, if necessary.

He began his litigator career in 1984, as a prosecutor with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, where he first-chaired approximately 75 jury trials, including serious felony cases up to murder. He later became a Board-Certified Criminal Defense Attorney, trying dozens more jury trials and earning national attention for litigating one of the country’s first videotaped sexual assault cases. His courtroom skill and legal insight also led to appearances as a television commentator on high-profile trials. Mr. Sarabia then moved into civil litigation, where he spent years inside the insurance industry defending personal injury claims. As Managing Attorney and Senior Trial Counsel, he handled a heavy trial docket and first-chaired approximately 80 insurance defense jury trials across Texas. That experience gives him a decisive advantage today, he knows exactly how insurers evaluate risk, minimize claims, and try to avoid paying full value. And he knows how to attack and dismantle those strategies.

For the last seventeen years, Mr. Sarabia has used that insurance defense insider knowledge to fight for injured victims and their families in personal injury cases. He has handled hundreds of cases involving severe injuries and complex medical and liability issues. Whether negotiating in mediation or standing before a jury, he has just one thing in mind: maximizing recovery and holding defendants accountable.

In a state with over 100,000 attorneys, very few bring the depth of jury trial experience Mr. Sarabia delivers. His rare combination of prosecutorial, criminal defense, insurance defense and plaintiff-side experience makes him a formidable opponent for trucking companies, defendants, and their insurers, and a powerful advocate for those they’ve harmed. Mr. Sarabia is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association (and former board member), and is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Western and Northern Districts of Texas.

Outside the courtroom, Richard and his wife Lorraine have been married for 50 years. They have four children and three grandchildren. He is active in his community through Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Kolbe Prison Ministry, Ministry of the Third Cross, and ACTS Retreats. He also enjoys golf and playing guitar.