Houston Business Law Attorneys

Business Law, Corporate Formations, Contracts, & Transactions for Texas Businesses

At Hendershot Cowart P.C., our goal is to protect your business from expensive lawsuits. We’ve seen what happens when a business relationship goes bad; we’ve been litigating such disputes for nearly 40 years. As a result, our team of Houston business attorneys can advise business owners and executives against risks and exposures they may not have considered. 

What Our Houston Business Lawyers Can Do for You:

• Business Formation: From entity formation and LLC setup to buy/sell, partnership, and shareholder agreements – we help lay the legal groundwork that every small business or startup needs from day one. 
• Business Contracts: Our business contract lawyers draft, review, and enforce operating agreements, NDAs, and non-compete agreements – the contracts that protect small businesses and startups from disputes down the road. 
• Business Transactions: Let our business transaction attorneys help structure your next deal, whether that's a restructuring, a merger or acquisition, or the purchase or sale of assets, equipment, or real estate. We protect closely held businesses through every transition.
• IP and Trade Secret Protection: We help protect what you've built through licensing agreements, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, NDAs, trademarks, and copyrights – safeguards every startup and established company needs. 
• Business Litigation: Breach of contract, partnership and shareholder disputes, fraud, and business torts – these are the disputes that hit closely held businesses hardest. We help you resolve them quickly, in or out of court.
• General Counsel Services: Having outside general counsel means your Texas business has ongoing counsel on contracts, transactions, and regulatory compliance. We can help your small business spot risk before it becomes a lawsuit. 
• Construction Law and Arbitration: Learn how our Houston construction lawyers can help keep your projects on track through contracts, subcontractor and supply agreements. We also handle OSHA claims from incident to citation defense, as well as dispute resolution for mechanics' lien or breach of contract claims for contractors and developers across Texas. 
• Oil and Gas Law: We draft, review, and enforce exploration, production, and participation agreements, farm-outs, and oilfield service contracts for operators across the Gulf Coast.
• Administrative Law: Our robust administrative law practice covers regulatory compliance, professional license defense, and protection against FTC, DOJ, or other federal or state agency enforcement actions.

Founded in 1987, Hendershot Cowart P.C. is a Houston-based, full-service business law firm that understands the complex needs of our commercial clients. We routinely partner with small and mid-size business owners, shareholders, and executives throughout Texas and across the nation to resolve their legal matters. For legal guidance, perspective, and resolution – in and out of the courtroom – contact our Houston business lawyers today at (713) 783-3110.

Business Lawyer, Corporate Attorney, or Commercial Lawyer? Here's the Difference

If you searched for a "corporate attorney" or "commercial lawyer" instead of a "business lawyer," you're not wrong – you're just using a more specific term. Here's how the three relate:

• Business law is the umbrella term. It covers everything a company deals with over its lifetime, from formation to financing to disputes.
• Corporate law sits inside that umbrella and covers how your company is structured and governed – forming the entity, adopting bylaws, and defining the duties officers and directors owe the business. In Texas, this runs primarily through the Texas Business Organizations Code.
• Commercial law is the other major piece, and it governs the deals themselves – contracts, sales of goods, and the transactions that keep your business running day to day. Texas codifies this through its version of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Most business owners need all three at different points, which is why our Houston business lawyers work across corporate structure, commercial transactions, and everything in between. Whether you searched for a corporate attorney, a commercial lawyer, or a business lawyer, you're in the right place.

Choosing a Houston Business (or Corporate or Commercial) Attorney

Selecting the right legal partner can be just as important as choosing the right business partner. When you look for a business attorney in Houston, you want someone who understands local courts such as Harris County civil courts, is familiar with Texas business statutes, and can navigate both transactional work and disputes. We work closely with owners, shareholders, and executives to understand their long-term goals so that our legal strategies support growth, succession planning, and day-to-day operations rather than standing in the way of opportunity.

For many closely held companies, it is helpful to think of your lawyer as part of your leadership team. A corporate attorney can assist with governance questions, board and member issues, and the legal implications of raising capital or bringing in new investors. By involving counsel early in major decisions – whether you are negotiating a new commercial lease, considering a business transaction, or responding to a regulatory inquiry – you can better evaluate risk, structure deals more efficiently, and avoid surprises that might otherwise lead to litigation or regulatory problems down the road.

Prevent Disputes with Enforceable Contracts and Agreements

Running a business is stressful enough without worrying over lawsuits. Our business contract lawyers draft, review, implement, and enforce a range of contracts and agreements designed to help prevent disputes or litigation from arising in the first place.

Contracts, agreements, and transactions our Houston business lawyers regularly handle include: