Attorney Leah Wise: Texas, Accidents, Women’s Empowerment

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/12/05

Leah Wise is the founder and owner of Leah Wise Law Firm, PLLC, the first Latina-owned personal injury law firm in South Texas. Renowned for her success in securing millions of dollars in settlements for her clients, Leah has earned national recognition as one of the top lawyers in the field. In addition to her legal practice, she owns Leah Wise Enterprises, LLC, a real estate investment firm, and CrashGal Couture, LLC, a clothing brand. Leah is deeply committed to community service, co-founding “Latina Feature Friday” to spotlight Latina-owned businesses and leading mentorship programs for aspiring Latina lawyers and entrepreneurs. She also established the Leah Wise Latina Student Hardship Fund, donating $50,000 to support Latina law students at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Leah’s passion for women’s empowerment and gender equality is reflected in her professional and philanthropic efforts nationwide. GoBankingRates, USA Today’s Modern Woman Magazine, Retail Boss, InStyle, Bustle, and Best Life.

Wise discusses her pursuit of law to advocate for her community after being inspired by her work in the Texas State Legislature. She founded her practice in 2016, specializing in personal injury law. Wise emphasizes the importance of securing insurance and advocates for women entering male-dominated fields, highlighting the challenges and rewards of practicing law while balancing business ventures in fashion and real estate.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we’re talking with attorney Leah Wise. You graduated from high school in 2008 and are a Texas native. Please give us a quick background. What initially sparked your interest in pursuing law?

Leah Wise: I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012. At the time, I felt a bit lost. I was still determining where my life was headed and what I wanted to do. I needed more clear direction. So, I began working at the Texas State Legislature for a senator named Wendy Davis. During that time, I had the opportunity to observe various legislators on the Senate floor. I was deeply inspired by how these legislators advocated for their communities and passed meaningful legislation. I knew then that I wanted to be an advocate as well. I had no desire to run for office, but I wanted to advocate for my community.

The best way to do that was to attend law school and advocate for my clients. After working for a year in the state legislature, I started law school at St. Mary’s University School of Law. I graduated in 2016 and opened my practice the day after passing the bar exam.

Jacobsen: Excellent. I also saw a note about your work with crash cases.

Wise: Yes, that’s right. People probably don’t think about crashes and significant 18-wheeler accidents as something they want to dwell on, but that’s a significant part of my professional life.

Jacobsen: How do you approach car accidents, wrongful death cases, and similar matters?

Wise: It’s incredibly challenging. Almost 100% of my clients come to me during the most difficult time in their lives. They’ve been injured and unable to work, and when they can’t work, they can’t provide for their families. The accidents they’ve been involved in are often through no fault of their own, whether it’s a motor vehicle accident, an 18-wheeler accident, or a work-related incident.

As an attorney, it’s my job to secure justice for them and act as a counsellor. They are going through extraordinarily difficult times, often the most challenging periods. It can be emotionally taxing for me, but it’s also incredibly rewarding because I am passionate about helping these individuals. In the end, my work is almost always rewarding. My clients are good, hardworking, honest people, and it brings me great joy to help them through these difficult times. Knowing that I helped them return to a great life is incredibly fulfilling.

Jacobsen: When you’re actively working on a case, things can go well or poorly. How can things go wrong, and how can they go right?

Wise: I’ve had several cases go poorly, but the reasons often have nothing to do with me as their lawyer. One of the biggest issues is the high number of uninsured drivers in Texas. Sometimes, my clients are injured in accidents caused by uninsured drivers. When this happens, I ask my clients if they have their insurance, as we might be able to recover through their policy. Unfortunately, sometimes they don’t have insurance either. In such cases, our hands are tied because the likelihood that the person responsible for the accident has any significant financial resources is very low. We conduct our research and due diligence, but most of the time, if they don’t have insurance, it’s because they are living paycheck to paycheck. We could pursue a claim against the defendant. Still, it’s unlikely to result in significant compensation that would make my client whole again.

Nine times out of ten, the answer is no. When I say cases can go bad, it’s usually because there’s no insurance involved, and there’s no money to be secured to pay for my client’s medical bills or lost wages. Often, the clients themselves are also living paycheck to paycheck. They have a small savings. Now they’re out of a car, they’re injured, and there’s nobody to recover from. These incidents are heartbreaking, so I advocate on my social media channels: Get insurance! Get insurance! It’s so, so important to have uninsured motorist coverage. When an uninsured motorist hits you, your uninsured motorist coverage will kick in to cover your injuries and medical bills.

And suppose you have full coverage on your vehicle, which is called collision coverage. In that case, your vehicle will be covered, too. I always advise opting for as much insurance as you can. It hurts to pay that premium every month, but with the number of uninsured drivers in Texas, it’s worth it. The difference would be staggering if people compared the insurance cost to not having it and getting injured.

Jacobsen: Could you elaborate on that? I understand you’ve amassed some national recognition for settlements, some reaching up to nine figures.

Wise: Yes. I’ve seen cases where clients are catastrophically injured and sent to the hospital. I’ve had clients with seven-figure hospital bills and millions of medical expenses. When you don’t have health insurance, you don’t have car insurance, and the person who caused the accident doesn’t have insurance either, it’s a bad situation.

While paying for insurance might seem like a lot—$300 a month—it’s, in my opinion, so worth it. Hospitals can sometimes write off bills, but if they file a lien, there’s a legal requirement to pay it. And if there’s a third-party payout, those proceeds often go toward settling that lien. It’s a difficult situation, and I always say it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Jacobsen: What are the most frequent cases you see, and are there any rare cases that people wouldn’t necessarily expect?

Wise: Car accidents happen every single day, unfortunately. That’s by far the most common type of case we get. They’re happening right now—people are in accidents all the time. The likelihood of a car accident is high, which is scary. It’s like life insurance—people don’t want to think about it because they believe they will live forever. But the reality is that the chances of being in a car accident at some point in your life are very high.

Thankfully, cases involving defective products are less common. Many regulations now require companies to ensure that products are made safely, so defective product injuries are rarer. Work accidents are also less common because regulations ensure that employees are appropriately trained for their roles.

Car accidents, however, happen every single day, and we receive calls regularly.

Jacobsen: You’ve done some support initiatives. I understand you’ve started a fund or scholarship specifically for people from Latin backgrounds facing hardship. Please tell us a little about those.

Wise: Sure. I recently pledged $50,000 to the Latina Hardship Fund at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Each semester, $5,000 is awarded to a student in need who is facing hardship. These students often reach out to me to express their gratitude. Some of their stories are incredibly heartbreaking—women in domestic violence situations, women fleeing violent partners, or women struggling to make ends meet while in law school and raising children.

It’s deeply rewarding to be able to give back. While in law school, I was fortunate not to face such dire circumstances, but it still wasn’t easy. I struggled to make ends meet myself. I never went without food, so I don’t want to overdramatize my experience, but being able to help these women who are in even more difficult situations and still striving to better themselves and their families through education is incredibly fulfilling.

I’ve also awarded an LSAT prep course to the Minority Women Pursuing Law student organization at UT in Austin two years in a row. Many aspiring law students need to learn how they’ll pay for an LSAT prep course, so I’m happy to support them with that. We plan to do it every year in the future.

Additionally, we’ve raised funds for feminine hygiene products in underserved and low-socioeconomic areas. Many school-aged girls need access to these products, which forces them to miss school or work. This is a significant global issue, and we’re working to raise awareness about it. Philanthropy is a big part of what my law firm does.

Jacobsen: You also have a fashion line, CrashGal Couture. So, you have a diversified portfolio of businesses. What led you to expand into fashion? 

Wise: Yes! CrashGal Couture is something I’m very passionate about. It’s a way to express my aesthetic taste. It’s been an exciting journey to branch out into different ventures beyond law, and fashion is a natural extension of my creative interests. I love fashion. I feel that fashion is my creative outlet—my favourite way to express myself. I enjoy all different forms of fashion: women’s and men’s. It’s my passion project, and I have much fun with it. It’s my creative outlet.

I don’t currently sell men’s fashion. My clothing line is 100% women’s fashion. In the future, we’ll expand into plus-size and men’s fashion. We’re only two years old, so we’re still growing. It’s been a fun, rewarding, and creative outlet.

Jacobsen: You also have a real estate company. I need to become more familiar with this. Please provide me with some details.

Wise: Yes, I’ve started investing more in real estate. Recently, I bought an old strip club here in my city. We’re renovating it into a co-working space, which will also house my law office. I also own a few other investment properties. Learning the ins and outs of real estate, investment, and renovation has been a roller coaster. It’s a completely different world from law, but I enjoy it.

When the tenants left the strip club, they left everything behind—the poles, outfits, shoes, makeup, glitter—everything you’d expect in a strip club. We even made some fun content about what we found inside. Some former employees and dancers have stopped by, and I’ve become friends with them. It’s been a cool experience. For example, the former house mom, who takes care of the dancers much like a house mom in a sorority, came by and shared some incredible stories. We even did a tell-all interview with her, which was much fun. We also talked about myths about sex workers. It was all very empowering.

We’re aiming to finish renovations by January. The co-working space will open, and my law office will be on the top floor. I’ve got a few other real estate projects going on as well.

Jacobsen: So, fashion, real estate, law—you’re still managing to be recognized as one of the best attorneys in your area multiple times. How does that recognition feel, and how do you mentally project your success across these different ventures?

Wise: It feels great. What makes it even more special is that personal injury law, the area I specialize in is predominantly male. Most personal injury attorneys are men, so it was a tough industry to break into as a woman. I’m proud of that.

Jacobsen: For other women looking to follow in your footsteps, the key is mastering one trade, like law, and then moving on to other genuine interests, like fashion or real estate. How do you balance and structure all these different business ventures?

Wise: Exactly. It’s about mastering one area first—like law in my case—and then branching out into other areas of genuine interest. Fashion is a passion, and real estate is another exciting venture that ties back into my law practice in some cases, such as the strip club renovation. Balancing these requires careful planning, but it’s all incredibly rewarding.

It feels really special to have received that award and recognition. Regarding juggling all these different ventures, I followed what you said. I spent about five years mastering the law firm and lawyer work—that’s all I did before branching out into other things. Getting my law practice off the ground was the most time-consuming part of my career, especially since I didn’t have any savings when I started.

I wouldn’t say delving into these other areas is easy—because it’s not—but every day brings new challenges. I’m familiar with starting a business, managing taxes, payroll, marketing, bookkeeping, and accounting—all things I learned while growing my law practice from 2016 to 2020. I’ve been able to take that knowledge and apply it to these other ventures, which makes them a little less difficult—though still challenging. The skills I’ve learned as a lawyer have transferred into these other industries.

I also have a great team, which is super important. I can delegate, and I know the things that need to get done will get done. Delegation is key when managing multiple projects.

Jacobsen: Delegation and business practice—along with mastering one thing at a time before branching out—what would be your tips for women starting in law, particularly those heading into personal injury or other challenging fields? I know one woman who worked at a horse farm here in Canada—she was a divorce lawyer as far as I know, which sounds like a nightmare. She often went to the horse farm to ride, and I understand why!

Wise: If she were a divorce lawyer, she would have a much harder job than me! Kudos to her. When I first started my practice, I took on a few divorce cases, and they were incredibly difficult and heartbreaking—especially when children were involved.

For women starting in law, it depends on what you want to do with your legal career. If you’re going to work at a law firm with an 8-to-5 schedule, that’s great—it’s safe and provides much security, knowing you’ll get a paycheck every week or two. There’s much comfort in that.

However, if you plan to start your practice, get comfortable with making mistakes. Even as a new lawyer in a big law firm, you will make mistakes—that’s just the reality of any professional career. But being an entrepreneur and your boss is unique because things can go well in one moment, and then the next, everything can change. Everything is constantly evolving. Even now, one minute, things are great, and then, suddenly, it feels like it’s all going downhill.

We might secure a multimillion-dollar settlement, and then the next hour, there’s a client yelling on the phone because their car isn’t fixed, and somehow, it’s our fault because the body shop isn’t moving fast enough. So, it’s a constant roller coaster of ups and downs. A big part of being a business owner and a lawyer is always putting out fires. People don’t come to you when things are going well—they come to you because they’re in a business dispute, were arrested for a crime, injured in an accident, going through a divorce, or fighting for custody. These are all difficult situations where people need legal representation.

They’re being sued, or there’s a broken contract. As a lawyer, you’re constantly dealing with emergencies. Your clients come to you in difficult circumstances, and you need to counsel them emotionally while practicing law to secure justice. You have to be prepared for the emotional roller coaster of the legal field. If you’re worried, you’ll always feel like a “baby lawyer,” that’s fine. Even 10- or 20-year lawyers are still learning something new every day. So don’t feel like you have to master everything—none of us do. We’re all learning constantly.

Jacobsen: What are some common mistakes that clients come to you with, especially in terms of unrealistic expectations? Let’s set aside the question of insurance levels for the moment. What misunderstandings do people have about the role of a lawyer—professionally, ethically, and practically?

Wise: That’s a good question. Sometimes, there are funny misconceptions. For example, some clients think I can arrest people or act as a prosecutor to imprison them. I must explain, “Wait a second, I’m a private attorney. I don’t control the criminal justice system.” For example, if a drunk driver hits someone, I’m handling the civil case. The district attorney’s office deals with the criminal side of things, but clients sometimes think I can handle both. They’ll say, “Let’s make sure he gets put behind bars,” and I’m like, “I get it, but that’s the DA’s job, not mine.”

Another common misconception is that clients think if they’ve been in an accident, they’ll automatically get a million dollars, no matter what. However, in Texas, for example, the minimum insurance policy is $30,000 if one person is involved and $60,000 if more than one person is involved. So, it’s important to manage those expectations.

That’s the legally required minimum amount of insurance. Most people will buy the minimum because it’s the cheapest. If you’re spending money on insurance, you’ll likely choose the most affordable option. So, we often deal with policies that max out at $30,000 or $60,000, and clients need help understanding that.

They’ll say, “But my arm’s broken,” or “I have a traumatic brain injury. I need a million dollars!” I understand. However, the reality is that this person’s insurance policy has a maximum recovery of $30,000.

Jacobsen: Right, but people see these million-dollar settlements on TV.

Wise: They’ll see advertisements of people getting a million dollars from a settlement. Still, it’s usually an 18-wheeler with a higher insurance policy in those cases. This case might have a policy that only covers the minimum amount required by Texas, so that’s the most we can recover. It’s much-educating clients from the start. This isn’t a million-dollar case.

If it were a commercial vehicle or a catastrophic construction accident involving a billion-dollar company, they would carry much larger insurance policies. Those are the cases you see advertised on TV and billboards. But many clients need to realize that. They think every car accident could result in a million-dollar settlement. There’s much misinformation out there, and I don’t blame people—it’s not their job to know the law. My role often involves educating them about what’s realistic.

I also explain, “I’m not a prosecutor—I can’t put people behind bars,” and “Not every case is a million-dollar case.”

Jacobsen: How can women entering law, particularly in fields facing a male-dominated environment, navigate potential culture shock? It depends on the firm, community, and individual background. Men entering nursing, for example, might experience culture shock. Similarly, women entering male-dominated fields of law can feel out of place.

For women entering these spaces, particularly in areas where 70-90% of the field may be male-dominated

Wise: It’s important to understand that they might bring a different perspective. But that difference can also be their strength. It’s about finding ways to integrate and contribute while standing firm in who you are. It may take some adjustment, but resilience and persistence are key to making an impact in these environments.

Jacobsen: What are some of your tips for women entering male-dominated spaces? What will likely be different for them—positive and negative—and what will be the same, so they know what to expect?

Wise: Many women struggle with impostor syndrome when entering a space dominated by men. I get it—I’ve been there. You’re a 26-year-old female lawyer surrounded by 50- or 60-year-old men, and you question your ability. But it’s okay, it’s normal. Don’t think there’s something wrong with you for feeling that way—we all feel that way.

I remember once a bailiff tried to kick me out of the courtroom because he thought I didn’t belong there. He said, “Ma’am, you must step out because this area is for lawyers only.” This was in 2017, a while ago. You’d think things would have changed by now, but I didn’t get upset. I calmly said, “I am a lawyer, so I’m staying here.” He felt embarrassed and apologized. It was a valuable lesson for him.

There will be moments when you’re mistaken for the paralegal or support staff, even if you’re a partner. My favourite response is to be better—more prepared and the best person in the room. It might take a little more preparation, but that makes those moments so reaffirming. Once you’ve done it, it gets easier to keep doing it.

My advice is to get out of your head. Remember, you have the same bar card as all the men in the room. You all took the same bar exam, and you did the work to get here. You deserve to be there. It’s about holding your ground in that space so more women can join it. I feel proud of that.

Jacobsen: Have I covered everything? What do you think?

Wise: Yes, we’ve covered everything.

Jacobsen: Leah, thank you for the opportunity and your time today. I appreciate it.

Wise: Thank you for having me!

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