Real Estate Blog

Texas has some of the strongest homestead protections in the country. But can a judgement still create a problem when a Texas homeowner tries to sell or refinance a homestead?

Yes. An ordinary judgment lien generally does not attach to property that qualifies as a Texas homestead, but an abstract of judgement can still appear in the real-property records and create a title problem. Texas Property Code § 52.0012 provides a statutory procedure for addressing this exact problem.

For lawyers representing judgment debtors, creditors, purchasers, or lenders, understanding the ...

When a commercial tenant stops paying rent, the conventional response is often predictable: send a default notice, terminate the lease, file an eviction proceeding and wait. But Texas law offers another option—one that can be faster and, in the right circumstances, considerably more effective.

A Texas commercial lockout may allow a landlord to change the locks and exclude a delinquent commercial tenant from the premises without first obtaining a court order, posting a bond, or securing a writ. Properly used, a commercial lockout is among the most powerful remedies available to a ...

“You ordered the Code Red.”

Few courtroom scenes are as instantly recognizable as the climactic cross-examination in A Few Good Men. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee confronts Colonel Nathan Jessup about the death of a young Marine in Cuba. What begins as a controlled examination steadily tightens until Jessup, indignant at having his judgment questioned by a junior officer, finally admits the fact the entire case turns upon.

The scene is Hollywood. The lesson is not.

What makes an effective cross examination? Effective cross-examination is built on preparation, control, and a ...