Attorneys Paul Andrews and Keith Gould may be the first in Bexar County to face charges of barratry, an illegal practice known more commonly as "ambulance chasing."
Both attorneys, who practice law together out of offices on San Antonio's Southeast side and in Corpus Christi, were named in an indictment last Thursday.
Jail records show Andrews, 57, turned himself in on Monday. He was booked and released later that afternoon.
As of noon Tuesday, Gould, 52, had not yet been arrested.
The indictment states that they are accused of paying two people -- and trying to pay a third -- to solicit clients for their practice in 2011.
Demetrio Duarte, the attorney for both Andrews and Gould, said the allegations "unfortunately stem from a labor dispute between a disgruntled employee and (Andrews and Gould)."
Duarte said the allegations were first made in a civil suit filed in 2011. That matter has not been resolved.
"(Andrews and Gould) never paid anyone to illegally solicit any case, never paid anyone to do anything illegal," Duarte said.
Section 38:12 of the Texas Penal Code outlaws that type of behavior, among other things.
Barratry also is forbidden under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.
"It's despicable, it's unethical and it is certainly not the type of behavior we as trial lawyers want to condone," said Wyatt Wright, an attorney with the Wayne Wright law firm.
Wyatt Wright also is past president of the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association, a group that he says has worked to stop the illegal practice.
"Anytime something like this happens, it makes all of us look bad," he said. "There are ... dozens of lawyers in this city who do it the right way. Those are the attorneys you need to hire, not the ones who come banging on your door."
The case may be the first of its kind in Bexar County, according to the district attorney's office.
Duarte said Andrews and Gould have been practicing law for 20 years. He said he's "sure the district attorney will find the allegations not well-founded and based on half-truths."
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