Eric K. Gerard - Houston, TX
Attorney at Sorrels Law
Catastrophic Injury Lawyers in Houston, TX
5300 Memorial Dr. Suite 270 Houston, TX 77007
Houston Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Updated: 03/10/2026
Areas of Practice
- Catastrophic Injury
Litigation: 100%
Attorney Information
Overview
Eric Gerard is a former federal prosecutor and accomplished trial lawyer fiercely committed to protecting our community and making big companies do right by the people they’ve harmed. He has recovered over $200 million for victims of negligence and fraud in the last 5 years alone.
Eric brings endless energy and a drive for excellence to everything he does. He graduated in the top 10% of his class from the prestigious University of Virginia School of Law, concurrently earning a master’s degree with highest honors from Johns Hopkins University’s top-ranked foreign policy program. When he took the Texas Bar Exam, he got the top score in the country.
He began his career in the Trial Division of the storied Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City. Later, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. His trials spanned a range of complex offenses, from international money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy to murder-for-hire, identity theft, and foreign child exploitation. He won them all. After leaving public service, Eric was named partner at one of Benchmark Litigation’s “10 Best Plaintiff Firms in the United States,” winning recoveries of $105 million, $40 million, and $16 million in courts across the country.
Since returning to Texas and joining Sorrels Law as its first partner, Eric has won millions more. He brings an aggressive prosecutor’s mindset and years of experience handling tough, complex cases from investigation through trial to the fight for injured victims. Recent victories include $5.88 million and $4.5 million in commercial vehicle crashes, $2.2 million in an invasion of privacy matter, and $2 million at trial in an electrocution case.
Eric has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer, one of “Houston’s Top Personal Injury Lawyers,” a member of the Texas Bar College, a Fellow of both the Texas Bar and Houston Bar Foundations, and a member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums. He has also served as an instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy; given talks to bar associations and other groups on topics ranging from trial techniques to investigating complex cases to working with trauma victims; and published peer-reviewed articles on presenting damages evidence at trial, the admissibility of neuroimaging evidence, and legal ethics. Outside of the law, he helped establish a boxing program for at-risk youth and actively supports charities serving families of fallen law enforcement officers and our nation’s veterans. He lives in Houston with his wife and two boys and is a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.
At Sorrels Law, Eric fights for victims in catastrophic injury cases in Texas, Louisiana, and across the country. He welcomes the opportunity to partner with other like-minded lawyers committed to protecting our community and serving those who need it most.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Top Scorer, Texas Bar Exam
- Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Member, Texas Bar College
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation
- Houstonia Magazine’s “Top Personal Injury Lawyers”
- Texas Super Lawyers
- U.S. Inspector Generals’ Council’s “Top Financial Crimes Investigation”
- “Legal Article of the Year,” Houston Bar Foundation
- National Trial Competition, National Finalist
- Order of the Coif, Virginia Chapter
- Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society
Education
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Legal Education
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University of Virginia School of Law,
Charlottesville,
Virginia, 2009
J.D.
Honors: Order of the Coif (top 10% of class)
Honors: National Trial Advocacy College, Graduate, 2009
Honors: U.Va. Law National Trial Advocacy Team, 2007-2009
Honors: Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition, Finalist, 2007
Honors: American Bar Association Criminal Justice Competition, Finalist, 2008
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University of Virginia School of Law,
Charlottesville,
Virginia, 2009
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Non Legal Education
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Washington and Lee University,
Lexington,
Virginia, 2003
B.A.
Honors: summa cum laude
Honors: George C. Marshall Foundation, Undergraduate Marshall Scholar, 2001
Honors: National Security Education Program, Senator David L. Boren Scholar, 2002
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Honors: Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, 2002
Honors: Visiting Scholar at Bogazici University (Istanbul, Turkey), 2002-2003
Major: Politics -
Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies,
Washington,
District of Columbia, 2009
M.A.
Honors: Graduation Honors (top 10% of class)
Major: American Foreign Policy
Major: International Economics
-
Washington and Lee University,
Lexington,
Virginia, 2003
Past Positions
- Manhattan District Attorney's Office (New York, New York), Assistant District Attorney, 2009 - 2012
- Fishman Haygood LLP (New Orleans, Louisiana), 2012 - 2013
- Hogan Lovells US LLP (Houston, Texas), Associate, 2013 - 2015
- Gerger, Hennessy & Martin, Partner
- Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, Partner
- U.S. Department of Justice, Assistant U.S. Attorney
- Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz, Associate
Classes and Seminars
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Trial Advocacy Training Program, National Institute of Trial Advocacy (April 2024) (instructor)
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Deposition Skills Training Program, National Institute of Trial Advocacy (April 2024) (instructor)
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The Science & Practice of Handling Trauma Cases, Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists Bar Association (March 2024) (speaker)
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Working with Trauma Victims, Houston Bar Association (November 2023) (speaker)
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Case Study in International Money Laundering, Financial Crimes/Inspectors General Conference(Tampa, Aug. 2017) (speaker)
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Emerging Trends in Securities Enforcement, Hillsborough Bar Assoc. (Tampa, April 2017) (speaker)
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Effective Opening Statements, Goldberg Inn of Court (Tampa, Jan. 2017) (speaker)
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Address on Behalf of New Inductees, Texas Bar Induction Ceremony (Austin, June 2014) (speaker)
- Prosecuting Opportunistic Hate Crimes, Anti-Defamation League (Boston, July 2008) (speaker)
Pro Bono Activities
- International Rescue Committee, Refugee Resettlement Project, 2006 - 2007
- Anti-Defamation League, New England Hate Crimes Project, 2007 - 2008
- American Civil Liberties Union, Louisiana Chapter First Amendment Project, 2012 - 2013
Published Works
Articles
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When Money Is All We Have: Seeking Full Value for Full Justice in Serious Injury Cases, The Advocate (Texas State Bar – Litigation Section) (Fall 2024) (co-author)
-
Houston-area brothers sue Citgo for $400 million over imprisonment in Venezuela, Houston Public Media (May 30, 2024) (quoted)
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Senior living facilities at risk as temps climb, city leaders say, Houston Chronicle (May 23, 2024) (quoted)
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Sorrels Law Adds Litigation Muscle with Ex-Prosecutor, Law360 (April 20, 2023) (profiled)
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Did Texas Rangers miss a key fact in probe of Lina Hidalgo’s office?, Houston Chronicle (April 3, 2022) (quoted)
- Hidalgo Aides Are Accused of Steering a Contract to an Ally. Internal Communications Paint a Murkier Picture, Texas Monthly (March 29, 2022) (quoted)
- Supreme Dilemma: Handling Conflicts Between State Medical Privacy Laws and Federal Investigative Subpoenas, 31 The ABA Health Lawyer 6 (Aug. 2019) (co-author)
- Lessons in Due Diligence Seen in Case of Jailed Fraudster Whose History Hid in Plain Sight, Regulatory Compliance Watch (Dec. 3, 2018) (quoted)
- Seeking Justice for Victims, UVA Lawyer (Spring 2018) (profiled)
- Woman Who Ordered ‘Colombian Necktie’ Hit from Pinellas Jail Tells Judge She Has ‘Bad Judgment,’ Gets 65 More Years, Tampa Bay Times (Jan. 4, 2018) (quoted)
- The Benefits and Costs of the Joint Venture, 79 Texas Bar J. (Nov. 2016) (co-author)
- Timely Disclosure Requirements of Texas’s RTP Statute, Texas Lawyer (Nov. 2, 2015) (co-author)
- Joint Venturing the Case, 52 Houston Lawyer (July/Aug. 2015) (co-author)
- Called to the Bar, 77 Texas Bar J. (July 2014) (author)
- Waiting in the Wings? Assessing the Admissibility of Neuroimagery, 27 Dev. Mental Health L. 1 (2008) (author)
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 2014
- Louisiana, 2012
- New York, 2009
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 2014
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Louisiana, 2012
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana, 2012
- U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana, 2012
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 2012
Other Affiliations
- American Association for Justice Admiralty Law Section, 2015 - Present (Member)
- American Bar Association Trial Practice Committee, 2014 - Present (Committee Member)
- American Bar Association Trial Evidence Committee, 2014 - Present (Committee Member)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2015 - Present (Member)
- Texas Association of Consumer Lawyers, 2014 - Present (Member)
- Texas Bar Association, 2014 - Present (Member)
- Louisiana Bar Association, 2013 - Present (Member)
- New York Bar Association, 2010 - Present (Member)
- Houston Trial Lawyers Association, 2015 - Present (Member)
- American Bar Association, 2008 - Present (Member)
- Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2015 - Present (Membership Committee, Member)
- Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2015 - Present (Member)
- Houston Bar Association
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