Tahira Khan Merritt

Tahira Khan Merritt has practiced law for thirty-eight years. In 1985, she graduated with Honors from the Plan II program of University of Texas at Austin. In 1988, she earned her law degree from Baylor University School of Law, which is nationally recognized for its trial advocacy program and was licensed to practice law in May of 1989.

After law school, Ms. Merritt worked as an associate for a prominent defense firm in Dallas, Texas their Asbestos and General Litigation Departments. She then served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas in Austin in the Tort Litigation Division. She then worked as a Trial Lawyer at the Turley Firm, a nationally recognized Dallas personal injury firm before opening her own law practice in 1997.

As a solo practitioner, for over twenty-five years, Ms. Merritt exclusively represented children and adult victims of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation in civil courts. These complex cases involve religious organizations, college and universities, civil corporations, group home operators, day care centers, schools, counselors, and other youth-serving organizations whose members have preyed on children and vulnerable persons. She was appointed in 2006 and 2009 as special prosecutor for Eastland County, Texas in criminal cases that resulted in the 50-year incarceration of a pedophile Catholic priest that she had successfully sued previously on behalf of eight victims. She has represented over 150 child and adult victims of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Tahira Khan Merritt was a speaker and presenter for the National Center for the Victims of Crime and co-authored Civil Actions for Victims of Crime in Texas in Dallas, Texas in 2014, seminars for professionals and advocates who work with rape victims including CPS workers, Law enforcement, Rape Crisis Centers advocates and the like. She has served pro-bono as a consultant for Dallas Police Sex Crimes Unit and F.B.I. for clergy sexual abuse investigations.

In 2022, Ms. Merritt was appointed to serve as an Associate Judge for Dallas County appointed to serve the thirteen elected Texas District Court Judges in Civil litigation matters. Judge Merritt performed judicial duties, under the guidance and authority of each elected Judge, such as conduct hearings including, Temporary Restraining Orders, Temporary Injunctions, Pre-trial discovery hearings and dispositive Motions including Motions for Summary Judgements. Ruling on matters for litigants who were represented by attorneys as well as matters where parties were self-represented litigants. Judge Merritt also presided over Bench Trials with agreement of the sitting District Court Judge and the parties.

Former Judge Merritt currently works as a  Senior Trial Lawyer with The Fortenberry Firm in Dallas, Texas  where she provides Trauma Informed Legal representation for catastrophically injured individuals in personal injury cases including crime victims of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

In 2015, She was named by Texas Lawyer as an Extraordinary Minority Attorney. She was named, Best Lawyer-Personal Injury by D Magazine, (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022), Texas Super Lawyers (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025), Top 100 Civil Trial Lawyers in Texas 2022 and is AV rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.

She is a member in good standing of Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Women Lawyers Association, Texas Women Lawyers Association, Dallas Asian-American Bar, the National Crime Victims Bar Association, The South Asian Bar Association, Dallas/Fort Worth Muslim Bar Association, the National Association of Muslim Lawyers, and a member of the Mac Taylor Inn of Court.

Former Judge Merritt is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in Texas. She is a member of the Texas Bar College.