About Chris Stoy
I have devoted my life to the practice of law. And more specifically, a practice of law that allows me to help people in need. I’m confident that if you ask my prior clients, they will tell you about all the care and dedication I tirelessly provided day in, and day out until the case was resolved. Ask opposing counsel and I guarantee you’ll hear a sigh followed by acknowledgment that I was relentless.
Chris’s Background
I was born in Fort Worth, Texas and later graduated from Aledo High School. I spent my childhood riding horses and playing sports. I was raised by a single mother and like most, I have my “story” – the hard times that made me. But I’m grateful for those struggles. It’s the hard times I faced growing up that allow me to identify with my clients and it is the hard times that sprouted a work ethic that cannot be matched.
I went to college at Texas A&M University (the only college I thought existed at the time) followed by law school at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. After graduating law school, I returned to Fort Worth, Texas and began my legal career at an insurance defense firm.
Though I constantly resented the fact that my work kept money from people who deserved it, my experience at the insurance defense firm was priceless. I learned how the insurance industry works; how they cheat people out of money. And I use that experience in my practice today.
Why I Wanted to Be a Plaintiff’s Lawyer
People always seem to ask what made me want to become a lawyer. It’s a specific memory in my mind. I was around 7 or 8 years old. I had saved up my allowance for weeks so I could buy a survival knife from the back of a Boy Scouts magazine.
On the day the knife finally arrived, my mom and I were set to visit my grandma in Norman, Oklahoma. My mom knew there was no hope of me leaving the knife behind, but she insisted that I not open it until we got to Norman.
After getting to my grandma’s (I called her Bookie), we decided to go to the movies. Thus, no time to open up and play with the knife. After the movie was over I returned to the car, excited that I could even just look at the knife and tantalized by the idea of “surviving” the streets of urban Oklahoma with it.
I’ll never forget the way I felt when we reached the old GMC Suburban and realized someone had jimmied the lock. And I’ll certainly always remember the disbelief I had that someone would steal a Boy Scout’s knife.
As the cops inventoried the vehicle and took finger prints, I decided, right then and there, that I wanted to be a lawyer. Something about the law intrigued me. Maybe it was the idea of holding people responsible for their actions. Maybe it was the idea of having the power to do something. Either way, my path was set.
Bookie, a third-grade teacher, was an avid book worm and always encouraged me to read. I remember that trip she gave me a copy of “The Firm” – my first “big boy” novel. I was hooked. And I think I’ve read every John Grisham novel since.
When I started law school, I was certain I would be a prosecutor so I could try cases. However, as I gained more knowledge about our criminal justice system, I started recognizing the inadequacies and shortcomings it contained. Justice, I learned, was not always blind or fair. Thus, I altered my trajectory to become a Plaintiff’s attorney.
Through mentors, I learned that the best route to the Plaintiff’s side is by starting out on the defense. I secured a top-notch internship in a good defense firm in Fort Worth and basically drilled and learned for three years. My mom made me promise her I would stay in my first job for three years no matter what. That was tough.
On just about the day of my three-year anniversary, I let one of my mentors (who was a Plaintiff’s lawyer) know that I wanted to move over to the good side. It wasn’t long until I found a job at a high volume, Dallas-based personal injury law firm.
That job, while not exactly what I was looking for, allowed me to try numerous cases and it’s where I met my law partner, Susan Hutchison. Susan and I formed Hutchison & Stoy, PLLC in 2014. It’s been a wild ride ever since.
Susan and I have tried a diverse slew of cases over the years. We’ve tried catastrophic personal injury wrecks against some of the nation’s largest trucking companies, traditional car wrecks (though I believe every wreck is different because it is unique to the individual), civil rights cases against the government, employment cases against oppressive employers, and one time we even tried a case against the owners of a dangerous mule who kicked our client square in the back with both hooves. We won that one, by the way, and the Judge said, “in all my years, I never thought I’d see someone prevail on a case where they got kicked by a mule…everyone knows you don’t get behind a mule.”
Why Should You Hire Me?
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who will be as devoted to your case as I will. And I’ve yet to find someone who will work as hard as I do. While I like to think I live a pretty balanced life, I’ve committed myself to my career. I don’t just mean committed in the sense that “I’m a lawyer and that’s what I do.” I mean committed to the point that I’ve honestly sacrificed other things in life so I can devote myself to the practice of law.
