Texas Business Dispute Attorneys

At DearLegal, we connect you with experienced Texas business litigation attorneys who can navigate the new Texas Business Court, contract disputes, fiduciary breaches, and complex commercial cases in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and across the state.

Free to use — fees quoted upfront, before you commit
Matched with a Texas attorney in 24 hours
30,000+ plaintiffs served nationwide

Free Texas business dispute case review

A Texas attorney will take a look. Or call 1-833-WELEGAL.

How we match your Texas business dispute case

When you submit a Texas business dispute matter, we route it through a national network of independent partner firms and put it in front of the one that fits best — based on the kind of case it is, what it is likely to involve, where it has to be handled, and who has capacity to take it on now.

Case type

A business dispute matter needs someone who handles business dispute work day to day, not a generalist. Practice area is the first filter.

Size and complexity

Some firms are built for catastrophic injury and multi-party litigation; others resolve straightforward claims quickly. We weigh what your matter is likely to involve against how each firm actually works.

Jurisdiction and licensing

Your matter is decided under Texas law, so it goes to an attorney licensed in Texas who regularly appears where your case would be heard.

Capacity and fit

Availability, conflicts of interest and language all matter. If the best-fit firm cannot take your case, we route it to the next one that can — or tell you plainly when no one in the network is the right answer.

Every partner reviews your case for free. Injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on contingency — no fee unless you win. Other matters are quoted upfront, before you commit to anything.

Get started How DearLegal works

DearLegal provides marketing and matching services and is not a law firm. Submitting a case does not create an attorney-client relationship. Matches depend on case type, jurisdiction and firm availability.

Exhibit A

What happens with a business dispute claim in Texas

Day 0
A deal goes wrong.
Non-payment, breach, a partner dispute, unfair competition. Gather the contract, correspondence and the numbers.
Within 24 hours
Tell us what happened.
Two minutes on this page. A Texas business dispute attorney reviews it for free and, if it’s a fit, you’re matched within 24 hours.
Weeks 1–4
Position and leverage.
Your attorney reads the contract the way a judge would, sizes the damages, and finds where the other side is exposed.
Months 1–3
Demand, negotiation, mediation.
Most commercial disputes resolve here — often on terms that preserve the relationship, if that is what you want.
Before the deadline
Litigation or arbitration if needed.
Deadlines are strict and vary by claim. Your attorney tracks every one of them.
Resolution
Judgment, award or settlement.
Fees are quoted before you commit — hourly or a retainer, spelled out in writing at the free consultation.

SOL — Written Contract: 4 years
4 years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.051)
SOL — Oral Contract: 4 years
4 years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.051)
UCC Article 2 (Goods) SOL: 4 years
4 years from tender of delivery (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.725); UCC adopted in full
Business Court / Texas Business Court: Business Court
Texas Business Court — operative Sept. 1, 2024 (SB 27, 2023); statewide jurisdiction over qualifying cases (> $5M and specific subject-matter categories)
Long-Arm / Personal Jurisdiction: §§ 17.041-17.045
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 17.041-17.045 — extends to the full limits of federal due process
Typical attorney fee: Contingency
Hourly / Retainer (Contingency Available for Plaintiff Cases)

Texas has adopted the UCC in full (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Ch. 2 et seq.) and just launched the Texas Business Court — a new specialized statewide trial court created by SB 27 (2023) and operative September 1, 2024. The Texas Business Court has jurisdiction over qualifying complex business cases (typically over $5M in controversy, with broader subject-matter jurisdiction over derivative actions, internal-affairs disputes, and certain securities claims) and is structured to hear them with appointed judges and dedicated rules. Texas’s Business Organizations Code (TBOC, Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code) is one of the most comprehensive entity statutes in the country, governing corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and limited partnerships. Texas’s DTPA (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Ch. 17) can apply in some commercial contexts.

Exhibit B

When to call a business dispute attorney in Texas

Does any of this sound like you? Tap what applies.

0of 6 apply

Tick anything that applies. Even one is reason enough to talk to a Texas business dispute attorney before you talk to an insurer.

Talk to an attorney anyway

Meanwhile, don’t

Missing Texas’s 4-year SOL under § 16.051 — and the 4-year UCC § 2.725 deadline
Failing to preserve emails, Slack, texts, and contract files immediately
Talking directly to opposing counsel without your own attorney and giving away admissions
Accepting partial payment with language that operates as accord and satisfaction under Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 3.311 and waiving the rest of the claim
Failing to timely file a UCC-1 financing statement or perfect a mechanic’s/materialman’s lien under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 53
Drafting non-competes that don’t comply with the Covenants Not to Compete Act (§ 15.50) — requires an otherwise enforceable agreement and supporting consideration

Exhibit C

Business Dispute cases we take in Texas

Which one is closest to yours?

Breach of contract

The core of Texas commercial litigation. Four-year SOL under § 16.051. Damages are the benefit of the bargain. § 38.001 fee-shifting available for prevailing plaintiffs on contract claims.

Sound like yours? A Texas attorney reviews it free — fees are quoted upfront, before you commit.

Start my free review

Exhibit D

How much do Texas business dispute attorneys cost?

Typical fee schedule

Texas · Business Dispute

Fee modelHourly / Retainer

Contingency available for plaintiff cases

Rate & retainerset in your engagement letter

Estimategiven before you commit

Case reviewFree

Illustrative only. Your fee terms are set in a written agreement with your attorney and may include costs and expenses regardless of outcome.

Business Dispute matters in Texas are usually billed hourly against a retainer, with the estimate spelled out before you commit.

Texas business litigation is typically billed hourly against a retainer at major-market rates (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio). Plaintiff-side commercial collections, certain fraud and DTPA cases, and contract cases with strong § 38.001 or contractual fee-shifting can be handled on 33%–40% contingency or a hybrid fee. Texas Business Court cases typically run hourly. A good Texas business litigator will walk you through fee structures and budgets upfront.

A good attorney walks through every number at your free consultation — before you sign anything.

Get startedTakes about two minutes. No obligation.

Exhibit E

What your Texas business dispute compensation can include

A Texas business dispute recovery is built from several parts. Tap one to see what it covers.

Compensatory / Actual Damages

Direct losses caused by the breach — the benefit of the bargain.

DearLegal is a legal referral service, not a law firm. We connect individuals with licensed attorneys who can evaluate their case. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice. Results vary based on individual circumstances.

Exhibit F

Texas business dispute questions, answered

Still unsure? Tell us what happened and a Texas attorney will review it for free.

Start free review

Settle when the relationship matters and litigation costs would eat your recovery. Litigate when the other side won’t engage, you need an injunction, your case qualifies for the new Texas Business Court (over $5M or specific subject-matter categories), or you have a fee-shifting clause. Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 38.001 also fee-shifts for prevailing plaintiffs on contracts — a key Texas advantage.

Move quickly. Texas Business Organizations Code (TBOC) gives you books-and-records rights, fiduciary-duty claims, and dissolution remedies. The Texas Business Court has subject-matter jurisdiction over many entity disputes regardless of amount. Demand records in writing, preserve everything, and get counsel before you’re locked out.

Four elements: a valid contract, your performance, the other side’s breach, and damages. Documents win. Texas recognizes the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in narrow contexts (insurance, special-relationship cases); it is generally not a default in commercial contracts.

Usually yes. The Federal Arbitration Act preempts most state-law challenges and Texas courts routinely enforce commercial arbitration clauses. Texas has also adopted the Texas Arbitration Act (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 171).

Texas has adopted the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Ch. 24). When a debtor moves assets to dodge creditors, TUFTA lets you claw assets back or get a judgment against the transferee.

Texas Business Court — operative Sept. 1, 2024 — has appointed judges with commercial experience, specialized procedural rules, dedicated dockets, and written opinions. For qualifying cases (over $5M or specific subject-matter categories like derivative actions and internal affairs), this is now the most sophisticated state forum in Texas for complex commercial litigation.

Often. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 38.001 awards fees to prevailing plaintiffs on contracts and certain other claims (recently expanded to apply to organizations, not just individuals). DTPA, contractual prevailing-party clauses, and specific statutes also shift fees. Texas is unusually plaintiff-friendly on contract fees compared to many states.