Dean Omar Branham Shirley

What Dean Omar Branham Shirley does

Dean Omar Branham Shirley (DOBS) is a national plaintiff trial law firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with additional offices in Indianapolis, Indiana and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by Jessica Dean and Amin Omar with name partners Trey Branham and Lisa Shirley, the firm concentrates on high-stakes personal injury litigation with a particular emphasis on mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease claims, product liability, catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, unpaid wages, and shareholder/consumer class actions. The firm operates exclusively on a contingency fee basis, advancing all case expenses and earning fees as a percentage of recovery, with multi-year litigation timelines characteristic of mass-tort dockets. Headcount is in the 51-100 range and the firm has been independently recognized by Lawdragon, Super Lawyers, Forbes, and the Elite Trial Lawyers Awards, with nine attorneys on the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list for 2026.

The firm's revenue mechanics are tied directly to verdict and settlement outcomes on behalf of individual plaintiffs, most prominently in mass-tort asbestos litigation against corporate defendants such as Johnson & Johnson, Avon Products, Union Carbide, and Pabst Brewing. In 2025 alone, DOBS secured verdicts aggregating to over $1.5 billion including a $1.5 billion Baltimore verdict against Johnson & Johnson and a $966 million Los Angeles verdict against the same defendant, with multiple additional multi-million-dollar outcomes in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, and Louisiana. Geographic reach is national despite only three physical offices, with attorneys admitted across multiple state and federal jurisdictions. The firm also operates the DOB+S Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate providing scholarships and access-to-justice grants that functions as both community-relations infrastructure and a soft-marketing channel.

DOBS is a privately held limited liability partnership with no disclosed external capital — no PE backing, venture investment, or public listing. Ownership is concentrated among name and equity partners, with five additional attorneys promoted to partner in 2025. The firm has no proprietary technology platforms; its competitive moat is human capital (trial lawyer expertise and reputations), reputational brand equity from record verdicts, and the capital capacity afforded by contingency fee structures to sustain multi-year, high-expense litigation against deep-pocketed corporate defendants.

Name

Dean Omar Branham Shirley

Legal name

Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP

Website

https://dobslegal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dean Omar Branham Shirley is a national plaintiff trial law firm specializing in mesothelioma, asbestos, product liability, and catastrophic injury litigation on a contingency fee basis, with offices in Dallas, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh serving individual plaintiffs nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Contingency Fees: The firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning lawyers are paid based on a percentage of the financial compensation recovered on behalf of clients. If there is no financial recovery, the firm does not earn a fee. The firm advances all expenses of cases, which are repayable only if the firm is successful.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DOBS is a national plaintiff trial law firm that represents individuals in mesothelioma and asbestos litigation, product liability, catastrophic injury, unpaid wages, shareholder liability and consumer class action, personal injury, and medical malpractice cases. The firm takes cases on a contingency fee basis with no upfront client cost and advances all litigation expenses, recovering through a percentage of financial compensation obtained. It serves clients nationwide from offices in Dallas, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.

Product overview

Dean Omar Branham Shirley (DOBS) is a national plaintiffs trial law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides legal representation for individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries or wrongful death due to corporate negligence, focusing on mesothelioma and asbestos litigation, product liability, catastrophic injury, unpaid wages, shareholder liability and consumer class actions, personal injury, and medical malpractice cases. The firm also operates the DOB+S Foundation which provides scholarships and grants for justice-related causes. The firm operates from offices in Dallas, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DOB+S Foundation: Charitable foundation that provides scholarships for DISD students accepted to 4-year universities and access to justice grants for non-profit organizations serving underserved populations.

Products and services

• Mesothelioma Legal Services Legal representation for individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure, including investigation, case preparation, expert witness coordination, and trial litigation against responsible companies (talc manufacturers, brake pad makers, shipyards, breweries, etc.).
• Product Liability Legal Services Legal representation for individuals harmed by defective or dangerous products, holding manufacturers, designers, and sellers accountable for product-related injuries.
• Catastrophic Injury Legal Services Legal representation for families dealing with wrongful death or grievous injuries resulting from car accidents, truck accidents, oil and gas explosions, gas pipeline explosions, or negligent property acts.
• Unpaid Wages Legal Services Legal representation for employees who have not been fully compensated, including unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, misclassification as salary employees, and wage theft claims.
• Shareholder Liability and Consumer Class Action Legal Services Legal representation for shareholders harmed by corporate mismanagement and breaches of fiduciary duties (director/officer liability, trustee/beneficiary relationships, joint ventures, partnership disputes, minority shareholder oppression), and consumer class action cases involving false and misleading product claims.
• Personal Injury Legal Services Legal representation for individuals who suffered serious or catastrophic injuries due to negligence, including wrongful death, construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, spinal cord injury, brain injury, burn injury, and workplace accidents.
• Medical Malpractice Legal Services Legal representation for patients who suffered injuries or death due to medical mistakes including anesthesia errors, surgical accidents, failure to diagnose cancer, birth injuries, medication errors, pulmonary embolism, and misdiagnosis.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.5 billion+ in verdicts secured in 2025 alone including record Johnson & Johnson judgments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Law Offices of Devin Robinson, P.C.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 13 July 2023Co-counsel relationship for Portland, Oregon mesothelioma case against Johnson & Johnson. Devin Robinson represented plaintiff Kyung Lee alongside DOBS attorneys Ben Adams in $260 million verdict case.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Napoli Shkolnik: National plaintiffs firm with mass tort, product liability, and personal injury practice. Comparable to DOBS in plaintiff mass tort representation and contingency fee model.
• Motley Rice: South Carolina-based plaintiffs firm with major asbestos, opioid, and mass tort practices. Comparable to DOBS in plaintiff-side complex litigation, national footprint, and contingency fee model against Fortune 500 defendants.
• Weitz & Luxenberg: Long-standing New York-based plaintiffs firm with a leading asbestos and mass tort practice. Comparable to DOBS in plaintiff representation, mesothelioma focus, and history of record verdicts against manufacturers.
• Bernstein Liebhard: New York-based plaintiffs firm with securities, consumer, and mass tort practices. Comparable to DOBS in plaintiff-side complex litigation and contingency fee model.
• The Lanier Law Firm: National plaintiffs firm with mass tort, product liability, and personal injury practice. Comparable to DOBS in plaintiff representation, multi-state trial capability, and bellwether mass tort leadership.
• Simmons Hanly Conroy: National plaintiff law firm with one of the largest asbestos/mesothelioma practices in the U.S., headquartered in Illinois with offices nationwide. Closely comparable to DOBS in practice mix, contingency fee model, and bellwether verdict strategy against major corporate defendants.
• Kazan Law: California-based plaintiffs firm dedicated primarily to asbestos and mesothelioma cases. Comparable to DOBS in specialized mesothelioma plaintiff practice and contingency fee structure.
• Baron & Budd: Texas-based plaintiffs firm historically focused on asbestos and environmental torts with national reach. Directly comparable to DOBS in plaintiff asbestos practice, Texas headquarters, and contingency fee model.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: National plaintiffs firm with leading class action and mass tort practice. Comparable to DOBS in consumer class action work, contingency model, and complex plaintiff-side litigation against major corporations.

Broad incumbents

• Morgan & Morgan: Largest U.S. plaintiff personal injury firm with broad practice areas and massive advertising-driven origination. Comparable to DOBS in plaintiff personal injury work, though significantly larger and broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dean Omar Branham Shirley