When Your Client Faces a Texas Alcohol Law Issue, You Need Specialized Counsel.
Texas alcohol law isn't something you can learn in a weekend. The three-tier system, tied-house rules, TABC enforcement patterns, and legislative nuances require deep regulatory expertise—the kind that comes from working inside the agency. I can bring that institutional knowledge to your clients.
WHY ATTORNEYS CHOOSE ME
The Inside Advantage
From 2017 to 2022, I served as General Counsel at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — five years of immersive regulatory work that gave me insights no outside practitioner can match. I drafted the rules and policies still governing enforcement today. I coordinated with the Office of Attorney General on every major case. I led the attorneys and investigators who conduct enforcement actions.
When your client receives a TABC investigation notice or faces a license suspension, you're not hiring someone who will learn the agency on your client's dime. You're hiring the person who built the playbook.
What That Means for Your Client
I'm not guessing about how TABC will respond. I know which considerations staff will apply to licensing applications, what documentation will satisfy compliance concerns, how to frame arguments that align with agency priorities, and when to negotiate versus when to fight. That institutional memory directly benefits your client.
Chambers-Recognized Expertise
Independent Validation of Technical Ability
Chambers USA 2026 independently ranked me as the only solo practitioner in Texas recognized in alcohol beverage law. Their methodology involves in-depth interviews with clients and peers — it's not a pay-to-play directory. You can tell your client with confidence they're getting elite-level representation.
This matters because: You can confidently tell your client they're getting elite-level representation. The Chambers methodology independently validates what you already suspected: this is specialized work that requires specialized counsel.
Collaborative Practice Model
How I Work With You
My practice is built on repeat referrals and long-term relationships with attorneys across Texas. That means:
- Your reputation is my priority. I won't take on matters I can't handle at the highest level. If your client's situation isn't workable, I'll tell you before we engage.
- Clear communication, always. Scope memos before engagement. Immediate notification of unexpected developments. Post-matter debrief so you know how it resolved. I am the only person handling your client's matters — no handoffs.
- Budget certainty. Fixed fees whenever possible. Estimates and checkpoints on hourly matters. No surprise billing or scope expansion without discussion.
- I don't compete with you. I handle Texas alcohol regulatory matters only. Your client relationship stays yours.
This matters because: You've spent years building client relationships. I respect that. My goal is to make you look good by solving your client's Texas alcohol law problem efficiently and effectively.
Statewide Relationships
Access That Matters
My five years at TABC weren't just about legal work—they were about building relationships across the agency and with key stakeholders:
- Current TABC Leadership: I maintain professional relationships with commissioners and senior staff
- Office of the Governor: I have built lasting relationships with key staff at multiple levels of Governor Abbott's administration
- Office of Attorney General: I worked closely with OAG attorneys who still defend TABC in litigation
- Industry Associations: Active member of groups representing all three tiers
- Texas Lottery Commission: Just kidding.
COMMON REFERRAL SCENARIOS
When to Bring Me In
For Corporate and M&A Attorneys:
Scenario: Your client is acquiring a Texas brewery, distillery, winery, or retail chain. The deal is worth millions, but the target has TABC licenses you've never encountered.
How I Help:
- Regulatory due diligence on all TABC permits and compliance history
- Identify license transferability issues before they kill the deal
- Review tied-house compliance in distribution agreements
- Structure transaction to preserve license eligibility
- Handle TABC approval process post-closing
- Coordinate with TTB on federal requirements
Recent Example (Anonymized): Private equity firm acquiring multi-location restaurant group. I identified tied-house violations in existing supplier relationships that would have triggered TABC enforcement post-acquisition. Restructured arrangements pre-close, avoided $500K+ in potential penalties.
For General Business Litigators:
Scenario: Your client is in a dispute — a failed acquisition, a terminated distribution agreement, a landlord-tenant fight over a licensed premises, or a commercial contract gone sideways — where Texas alcohol law is a threshold issue. You need an expert who can tell the judge and jury what the law actually requires, and whether it changes the outcome.
How I Help:
- Serve as testifying expert on Texas alcohol regulatory standards, agency enforcement practices, and industry custom and usage
- Provide consulting expert analysis your litigation team can use to develop theory, identify issues, and anticipate opposing arguments
- Analyze how tied-house rules, license conditions, or statutory restrictions affect contract enforceability, property rights, or damages
- Assess the regulatory significance of TABC compliance history, agency communications, or enforcement records produced in discovery Prepare expert reports and declarations meeting applicable evidentiary standards
Recent Example (Anonymized): A REIT pursued nuisance and negligence claims against an adjacent nightclub while simultaneously challenging its TABC permits through the agency's investigative process. I served as consulting expert on both fronts — the civil claims and the administrative strategy — and was prepared to testify had the matter proceeded. The nightclub closed and surrendered its permits before reaching a hearing.
For Venture Capital and Finance Attorneys:
Scenario: Your client is raising capital for an alcohol business. Investors want assurance on regulatory compliance and license integrity.
How I Help:
- Review cap table for tied-house compliance
- Structure ownership to maintain license eligibility
- Draft investor disclosures on regulatory risk
- Provide clean compliance opinion for investor due diligence
- Handle any TABC inquiries about ownership changes
- Advise on multi-state expansion regulatory strategy
Recent Example (Anonymized): A Texas-based sports eatertainment concept raising a Series A had a minor investor who also held an ownership interest in a TABC-licensed brewery — a tied-house conflict that blocked the client's retail permit eligibility. I resolved the conflict to close the round by working with the investor to placing his brewery interest into a family trust. The round closed clean.
For Real Estate and Development Attorneys:
Scenario: Your client is developing a mixed-use project with restaurants, bars, or retail alcohol sales. Zoning is clear, but TABC permitting requirements are not.
How I Help:
- Assess license availability for proposed uses
- Navigate local option election restrictions
- Coordinate with TABC on site-specific requirements
- Handle all permit applications for tenants
- Advise on lease provisions affecting license transferability
- Resolve conflicts between local ordinances and state law
Recent Example (Anonymized): Luxury retail chain faced a tied-house hurdle blocking its planned in-store wine bar. I structured a licensing arrangement with an independent on-premise outlet and obtained premises approval from TABC.
ENGAGEMENT MODELS
How We Work Together
Co-Counsel Arrangements
Best For: Complex matters where you maintain primary client relationship but need specialized regulatory counsel.
How It Works:
- You send engagement letter covering full scope
- I send separate engagement letter for Texas alcohol regulatory work
- We establish communication protocol (weekly calls, shared files, etc.)
- I invoice through your firm or directly to client (your choice)
- You maintain strategic control; I handle regulatory execution
Pricing:
- Fixed fee for defined scope engagements
- Hourly for litigation, enforement, or transactional matters
- Hybrid models available
Direct Referrals
Best For: Matters that are purely Texas alcohol regulatory where you prefer not to stay involved.
How It Works:
- You introduce me to client with your endorsement
- I send direct engagement letter
- I keep you updated on major developments
- Referral fee arrangements available (subject to Texas ethics rules - we can discuss)
- No client retainer required for attorney-referred matters
When This Makes Sense:
- Client needs ongoing alcohol regulatory counsel you don't want to manage
- Matter is outside your core practice area
- Geographic convenience (client needs help in Texas, you're out of state)
Conflict-Free Consultations
Best For: You want to keep the client but need technical expertise on a narrow issue.
How It Works:
- You retain me as consultant to your firm
- I provide technical analysis, sample documents, strategy memos
- You use insights to advise your client
- Short-term, project-based engagement
- Flat fee or hourly depending on complexity
Example Projects:
- Review and comment on draft distribution agreement
- Provide guidance on TABC policy interpretation
- Analyze compliance exposure in specific fact pattern
LET'S TALK
Initial Consultation Process
For Referring Attorneys:
- Initial Call
- Brief overview of client situation
- My initial assessment of complexity and approach
- Discussion of engagement model (co-counsel vs. referral)
- Estimated scope and fee range
- Conflict Check and Scope Memo
- I run conflicts and confirm availability
- I send detailed scope memo outlining work plan
- We agree on engagement structure and pricing
- Engagement
- You introduce me to client
- We execute engagement letters
- No retainers required for most referred clients
- Work begins immediately
Timeline: I make every effort to respond to initial inquiries within 8 business hours. Most matters can be scoped and engaged within 3 days.