Practice · Contracts
A contract claim is won on the documents
Emails, invoices, change orders and the sequence in which they were sent usually decide a breach of contract case long before anyone reaches a courtroom.
What I handle
Contract disputes
Non-payment and collection
Work performed, invoice unpaid, and a counterparty who has stopped responding. Often the most straightforward claim to prove and the most frustrating to collect.
Construction and improvement
Defective work, abandoned projects, change order disputes and mechanic's lien issues, which carry their own strict statutory deadlines in Texas.
Services and supply agreements
Scope disagreements, delivery failures, and disputes about whether a party's performance actually satisfied the contract.
Guaranty and indemnity
Personal guarantees on business obligations, and indemnity provisions that shift risk in ways the signing party did not appreciate.
Texas specifics
Three things that decide these cases
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Attorney's fees are recoverable
Texas permits recovery of reasonable attorney's fees on a valid breach of contract claim, subject to presentment and other statutory requirements. That changes the settlement calculus substantially, and it is why proper written demand matters.
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The written agreement usually controls
When a contract is complete on its face, evidence of prior side conversations is generally inadmissible to contradict it. What the parties meant matters less than what they wrote.
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Limitations is shorter than people assume
Most Texas breach of contract claims carry a four-year limitations period, but the clock starts at breach rather than at discovery. Contracts also frequently shorten it by agreement.
This is general information about Texas law and not advice about your agreement. If a deadline may be close, call rather than read.
Next step
Send me the contract and the paper trail
The agreement, the invoices and the email chain are usually enough to tell you where you stand.