About FlatRate Panel Defense

FlatRate Panel Defense was developed to address a problem carriers have managed for years: the disconnect between how liability litigation is billed and how claims performance is actually measured. The model reflects a deliberate shift away from hourly billing volatility toward a structured, predictable defense framework aligned with claims economics, ALAE control, and portfolio management.

The platform is powered by Thomson Dunkel Law PLLC, a Texas-based litigation firm with extensive experience defending insured clients in liability matters across the state. The firm’s work in General Liability, premises liability, construction defect, and related defense litigation provided the operational foundation for building a flat-rate defense option that is both disciplined and trial-ready.

Thomson Dunkel Law’s attorneys are not administrative processors. They have defended insureds through dispositive motion practice and trial in Texas courts, achieving successful outcomes that inform how cases are evaluated and positioned from the outset. That trial experience matters—even in cases that ultimately resolve short of verdict—because it shapes leverage, risk assessment, and defense strategy throughout the life of a claim.

FlatRate Panel Defense is not a separate practice divorced from litigation reality. It is an extension of how Thomson Dunkel Law has long approached defense work: early case assessment, proportionate litigation, and escalation only when warranted. The flat-rate structure removes billing friction and misaligned incentives, but it does not remove rigor, advocacy, or preparedness.

The result is a defense model that carriers can rely on for predictable execution without sacrificing defense posture. FlatRate Panel Defense is intentionally focused on Texas-based liability claims where consistency, cost control, and trial credibility materially improve outcomes for both carriers and insureds.

Ashley Thomson

Ashley Nicole Thomson is a founding member of Thomson Dunkel Law PLLC and a Texas-licensed litigation attorney whose practice is devoted exclusively to insurance defense. Since 2015, she has defended insured companies and individuals in General Liability, premises liability, construction defect, and motor-vehicle injury matters throughout Texas state and federal courts, with a practice grounded in heavy civil motion practice and trial-driven case evaluation.

Ashley has successfully secured dispositive rulings and defense verdicts in high-exposure cases, including summary judgments based on duty and course-and-scope defenses, exclusion of plaintiff experts in fatal-accident litigation, and favorable jury verdicts that reduced seven-figure claimed damages to nominal awards. She has also served on trial teams in complex, multi-week litigation involving extensive federal and state regulatory issues and large-scale electronic discovery, contributing to witness examination, trial preparation, and defense strategy.

Her background includes significant experience managing large and complex discovery matters involving millions of documents, allowing her to structure defense strategy efficiently without sacrificing litigation posture. Ashley’s defense approach is informed by real trial experience, ensuring that cases are positioned from inception with an understanding of what survives motion practice and persuades Texas juries.

Through FlatRate Panel Defense, Ashley applies this trial-ready defense perspective to a disciplined, flat-rate model designed to give carriers predictable execution without reducing advocacy.

Charles P. Dunkel, Jr.

Charles P. Dunkel Jr. is a founding member of Thomson Dunkel Law PLLC and a Texas-based trial attorney with a practice devoted to insurance defense litigation. He has represented insured companies and individuals in General Liability, premises liability, construction-related claims, and motor-vehicle injury cases in Texas courts, with extensive experience handling matters through dispositive motion practice, trial, and appeal.

Charles has successfully defended high-exposure cases involving significant bodily injury claims, including jury trials in which plaintiff demands in excess of seven figures were reduced to nominal verdicts. His defense work has included development and execution of trial strategy, witness examination, expert challenges, and presentation of liability and damages defenses tailored to Texas juries.

His practice is grounded in practical trial judgment rather than administrative processing. That experience informs early case evaluation, realistic exposure assessment, and disciplined litigation strategy designed to preserve leverage and avoid unnecessary defense spend. Through FlatRate Panel Defense, Charles applies this trial-ready approach within a structured flat-rate model that maintains advocacy while aligning defense execution with carrier economics.