Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP - Accident & Injury Attorneys

What Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP - Accident & Injury Attorneys does

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP (d/b/a SMS Legal) is a Houston-based, Texas-domiciled personal injury and maritime law firm founded in 1964 by Arthur Schechter. The firm represents individuals — primarily auto and motor vehicle accident victims, seamen and offshore workers under the Jones Act and general maritime law, Texas non-subscriber workplace injury claimants, Defense Base Act contractors, premises liability victims, and wrongful death claimants — seeking compensation from negligent parties and insurance carriers. Its practice spans roughly 17 distinct personal injury verticals plus four maritime sub-practice areas, with case results cited in the multi-million-dollar range including a $17.5M+ recovery for a deckhand brain injury, $2.9M for a railroad worker, and a $2.5M Jones Act settlement.

The firm's business model is a pure contingency-fee representation model: clients pay no attorney fees unless a settlement or verdict is recovered, and free initial case evaluations are offered across all practice lines. Revenue is therefore outcome-based and concentrated on case settlement economics rather than recurring billing. Go-to-market is sales-led with both in-person and remote intake: the firm maintains 12 physical offices across the Houston metropolitan area and Southeast Texas (including Baytown, Beaumont, Cypress, Galveston, Humble, Katy, League City, Midland, Missouri City, Pasadena, and Spring), a centralized (713) 524-3500 phone line, and lead-capture forms on its website. Marketing investment is centered on organic search, content/blog publishing, social media (YouTube, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), and earned media, with bottom-of-funnel conversion driven by free case evaluation CTAs.

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris is a privately held limited liability partnership with no parent company, no outside investors, and no institutional ownership. Managing partners are Arthur Schechter (founder since 1964), Matthew D. Shaffer (board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and a Proctor in Admiralty), and Jonathan Harris (board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and a former insurance defense lawyer). The firm handles Texas personal injury matters through its Texas-only office footprint and accepts maritime/Jones Act cases on a nationwide basis via remote consultation. There are no disclosed technology products, proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, subsidiaries, or external capital relationships; operations are executed by a small partner-led team supported by a multi-office intake and case-management infrastructure.

Name

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP - Accident & Injury Attorneys

Legal name

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP – Accident & Injury Attorneys

Website

https://smslegal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP (SMS Legal) is a Houston-based plaintiff personal injury and maritime law firm founded in 1964. Operating on contingency fees across 12 Texas offices, it represents accident victims, seamen, Jones Act claimants, and wrongful death plaintiffs in Texas PI cases and nationwide maritime matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Injury & Maritime Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Personal injury law
• Maritime law
• Jones Act claims
• Accident injury attorneys
• Wrongful death litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Contingency Fee Legal Representation: The firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay no upfront costs and the firm receives a percentage of the settlement or verdict only if the case is won. This aligns firm incentives with client outcomes and is standard for personal injury law practices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP is a Texas-based plaintiff law firm that provides legal representation to individuals injured by the negligence of others. Its core services are personal injury (motor vehicle, premises liability, medical malpractice, product liability, wrongful death, catastrophic injury) and maritime/admiralty law (Jones Act, seamen injuries, offshore, dock worker, oil rig, cruise ship). The firm works on a contingency fee basis and offers free initial case evaluations through 12 Texas offices and nationwide remote intake for maritime matters.

Product overview

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP (operating as SMS Legal) is a Texas-based personal injury and maritime law firm offering comprehensive legal services for accident victims. The firm provides a unified suite of legal services organized by accident type and legal specialty, including personal injury representation (car, truck, motorcycle, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents; slip and fall; premises liability; medical malpractice; product liability; catastrophic injuries; wrongful death), maritime law services (Jones Act claims, offshore injuries, cruise ship accidents, dock worker injuries, oil rig accidents), and specialized coverage for workplace injuries including Defense Base Act claims for overseas contractors. The firm operates from multiple Texas office locations and handles cases throughout the state and nationally for maritime matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maritime & Jones Act Legal Services

Quantifiable outcome

• $17.5M+ recovered for deckhand with brain injury
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arnold & Itkin LLP: Houston-based plaintiff firm with a marquee maritime/Jones Act and catastrophic injury practice. Directly comparable on geography, plaintiff-side specialty, and the same Houston maritime/Jones Act niche that anchors SMS Legal.
• Abraham Watkins Nichols Sorrels Agosti & Falletti: Houston plaintiff personal injury firm with significant maritime and catastrophic injury work. Closely comparable in geography, contingency-fee model, and trial-focused plaintiff practice.
• The Lanier Law Firm: Houston-headquartered plaintiff firm with a national personal injury practice and a heavy catastrophic-injury caseload. Comparable in plaintiff-side model, contingency fees, and Houston headquarters.
• Zehl & Associates: Houston personal injury and trucking-accident firm operating on contingency with multi-office Texas presence. Comparable on contingency model, Texas geographic footprint, and motor-vehicle plaintiff practice.
• Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. Houston plaintiff personal injury firm with a multi-office Houston-area footprint. Directly comparable on local office density and personal injury plaintiff services.
• Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs: Houston-based personal injury law firm with a contingency-fee model. Comparable plaintiff-side services and Houston market positioning.
• Reich & Binstock: Houston personal injury firm handling catastrophic injury, maritime, and trucking cases. Comparable on contingency fees, Houston HQ, and overlap with maritime/Jones Act work.
• Burns Charest LLP: Texas-based plaintiff firm with personal injury and commercial litigation practices. Comparable in plaintiff-side, contingency-driven model and Texas plaintiff footprint.
• Gershwin Buffone PLLC: Maritime-focused plaintiff firm with Jones Act and offshore injury practice. Comparable on maritime specialty and contingency plaintiff model, with overlap in Jones Act seaman cases.

Regional players

• Lewis, Kohn, Gruber, LeDuc & Cranfill: Houston-based plaintiff firm with a personal injury practice. Comparable on plaintiff contingency model and Houston geography, though broader portfolio and not maritime-specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smshlegal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Smslegal
• Facebookfacebook.com/maritimelawyers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schechter-mcelwee-shaffer-&-harris-llp
• Instagraminstagram.com/schechtershafferharrisllp?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP - Accident & Injury Attorneys