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Porter Law Firm is proud to announce that three of its attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyer: Ones to Watch in America, a reflection of the firm’s continued excellence across real estate and litigation practice areas. See below for full press release.

Dieing without a will in Texas means a person has died intestate. Since there is no will to specify the decedent’s wishes for their property, Texas law steps in and decides who inherits. With an intestate estate, a court appoints someone to administer your estate, and your assets pass to your closest relatives under a…

A no-contest clause is a provision in a will stating that any beneficiary who challenges the will’s validity forfeits any designated inheritance they would have otherwise received. Texas courts generally enforce these clauses. However, under Texas Estates Code § 254.005, a beneficiary who contests the will can still claim their inheritance if they can prove…

Probate with a valid will generally proceeds testate. It allows the decedent’s will to control the terms of administration, chiefly who inherits property and who is appointed to distribute that property to heirs/beneficiaries. A person that dies without a will dies intestate. This means that their estate will be subject to heightened court oversight and…

For a commercial Lender, a loan is only as strong as the due diligence and documentation behind it. When a Borrower performs, the paperwork rarely matters. When a Borrower defaults, it becomes the paper trail that shows whether the Lender’s position was ever as strong as it looked. Thorough pre-closing due diligence and a complete set of loan documents are what allow a Lender to recover…

Few sights alarm a property owner more than a crack in the foundation. In Texas, where expansive clay soils shift constantly with the weather, foundation cracks are common. Not every crack signals a deeper problem. The challenge is telling a harmless cosmetic crack from a warning sign of a construction defect in Houston that…

When an owner pays a contractor, that money is supposed to flow down the chain to the subcontractors and suppliers who contributed to the project. The Texas Construction Trust Fund Act (see Chapter 162 of the Texas Property Code) exists to make sure it does. Texas law treats certain construction payments as trust funds and…

In construction projects, it used to be common practice for contractors to push nearly all of the risk to the parties below them, so that subcontractors were responsible for even the upper-tier party’s mistakes. The Texas Construction Anti-Indemnity Act changed that. Found in Chapter 151 of the Texas Insurance Code, the law voids broad risk-shifting…

In Texas, construction defect disputes are ultimately contract disputes. The contract governing a project shapes the parties’ rights, obligations, and available remedies when defective work becomes an issue. Understanding a handful of key clauses is often the difference between a well-positioned claim and one that is undermined from the start. Notice and Opportunity to Cure Provisions Many construction contracts require the owner to provide written notice…

Payment disputes are common in Texas construction projects. When property owners, contractors, or subcontractors fail to pay for labor or materials, Texas law provides several tools that can help construction professionals secure payment. Constitutional liens and statutory mechanic’s liens are two common tools used in construction claims. What Is a Constitutional Lien?Texas is unique because…