Eminent Domain Attorney in Austin, Texas

We’ve turned a $131,932 TxDOT offer into $1.6 million for a landowner at a future commercial corner. Increased a $5 million combined offer to $12.5 million for a group of determined landowners fighting a reservoir project. Won a jury verdict 40 times higher than the government’s initial offer—securing over $3.1 million for an Irving office building owner.

When TxDOT offered $82,935 based on tax values, we fought back and recovered $367,800. When the state lowballed a Terrell industrial property at $102,730, we secured $1.7 million. In our largest project to date, we took four related cases worth $21.4 million in initial offers and increased the recovery to $30.8 million net to the landowners.

Across Texas—from Amarillo to Dallas, Prosper to Ennis—we’ve gone head-to-head with TxDOT, pipeline companies like Atmos Energy and Explorer Pipeline, water districts, electric cooperatives, and municipalities. We’ve proven in courtrooms and at negotiating tables that first offers are rarely fair offers.

The Pattern Is Clear: Condemning authorities count on landowners accepting their initial appraisals. We make sure they pay what your property is actually worth—even if it means taking them to trial.

We’ve handled eminent domain cases in Austin and surrounding counties. We know the local appraisers, engineers, and special commissioners involved in condemnation cases in your area. We understand your local real estate market—how properties like yours are valued and what impacts a taking will have on your specific location.

In North Texas alone, we’ve fought TxDOT on major projects like Loop 335 in Amarillo, LBJ East in Dallas, FM 1461 in Prosper and Celina, and US 287 in Ennis. We’ve challenged pipeline companies across Collin, Hunt, and Fannin Counties. We’ve taken on water districts, municipalities, and utility companies throughout the region.

This matters because: A commercial corner in a fast-growing suburb appraises differently than agricultural land. Access issues on a six-lane highway expansion require different arguments than a rural FM road widening. Proving damages to your specific property type, in your specific market, requires local experience.

We’re not learning your area on your dime—we’ve already won here.

Eminent domain law is complicated, technical, and constantly evolving. Most attorneys handle one or two condemnation cases a year between their “real” practice areas. We handle dozens. While they’re Googling “special commissioners hearing procedure,” we’re cross-examining TxDOT’s engineers about unsafe access design.

The difference shows in results. We’ve won a jury verdict 40 times the initial offer. We’ve caught government appraisers using tax values instead of market values. We’ve proven in depositions that condemning authorities didn’t have legal approval for their takings. We’ve identified engineering defects that other attorneys missed entirely.

This specialization means we know things general practice lawyers don’t:

• How to challenge TxDOT’s denial of access determinations
• When inverse condemnation applies to construction damage from reservoir projects
• How to value partial takings that destroy commercial site functionality
• Which engineering standards apply to access and circulation after a taking
• How to negotiate complex lease buyouts during condemnation settlements
• When to reject special commissioners awards and start over in district court

We’ve handled every condemnation scenario: Highway expansions. Pipeline easements. Reservoir takings. Utility corridors. Whole takings of commercial buildings. Partial takings that eliminate parking and access. We’ve fought at every level—special commissioners hearings, district court trials, appeals courts, and the Texas Supreme Court.

When your property and livelihood are on the line, you don’t want someone learning eminent domain law on your case. You want attorneys who do nothing else.

Eminent domain cases are expensive to fight. Expert appraisers cost $15,000-$50,000 or more. Engineering consultants, market analysts, environmental specialists—all necessary, all expensive. The government and condemning authorities know most landowners can’t afford these costs, so they make lowball offers expecting you to accept.

We change that equation. We work on contingency, advancing all case costs and expert fees. You pay nothing upfront. Nothing during the case. Nothing unless we recover more compensation than the government’s offer. Our fee comes only from the additional amount we win for you.

This means:

• No hourly bills while your case is pending
• No out-of-pocket costs for appraisers or experts
• No financial risk if the case doesn’t result in increased compensation
• We’re motivated to maximize your recovery—our fee depends on it

We’ve invested six figures in individual cases because we knew the government’s offer was wrong. When we turned $82,935 into $367,800, our client risked nothing to get there. When we increased $5 million to $12.5 million, those landowners paid no upfront costs. When we won a jury verdict 40 times higher than the initial offer, our client didn’t pay a dollar unless we won.

The result: Even after legal fees, our clients consistently net far more than they would have by accepting the government’s first offer. In most cases, the additional compensation we recover is several times our fee.