McFarland PLLC

09/18/2026

All six partners at McFarland PLLC are included on the 2026 Texas Super Lawyers list in the firm’s sole area of practice, Eminent Domain. The firm also earned a place on the publisher’s newly-introduced Texas “Top Firms by Practice Areas” ranking, highlighting firms with five or more recognized lawyers in the same practice area, for its work in Eminent Domain. McFarland is one of only two firms in the state to achieve this recognition.

Billy Coe Dyer and Charles McFarland each marked their 15th year on the list. Marie Delahoussaye Harlan, Dan Tobin, Laura Manion, CRE, and Mark Merrell are also repeat honorees. Attorneys Thomas Cooke and Nick Victor appear on the 2026 Texas Rising Stars list. McFarland is also listed on the Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers and Top 100 Houston Super Lawyers.

Super Lawyers recognizes top attorneys in more than 70 practice areas that have “attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.” In Texas, the top five percent are showcased on the “Texas Super Lawyers” list and the top 2.5 percent of eligible attorneys in the state are included on the “Texas Rising Stars” list. Both features are compiled through Super Lawyers’ patented, multiphase process that incorporates a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation and peer reviews by practice area.

With offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston, McFarland PLLC focuses on eminent domain and condemnation litigation on behalf of landowners, guiding clients through the appraisal, special commissioners’ hearings, negotiation and, if necessary, litigation phases of a taking. The firm helps owners of retail, commercial, industrial, and special-use properties maximize their recoveries when the government takes private property for public use, including highway, roadway, and other public infrastructure projects.

06/15/2026

Charles McFarland writes in today's Houston Business Journal about the pervasiveness of the "no-risk try," a frequent gambit in business and legal interactions—and in our personal lives—in which the bad actor takes an unfair advantage knowing that the worst consequence is just a return to where they would have been without the attempt. The good-faith actor is forced to accept the bad conduct or police it and loses (time, money, effort) either way.

Attorney Charles McFarland describes a common tactic used by unscrupulous people in restaurants, business dealings and everyday transactions that takes advantage of good faith, and explains what we can do to stop it.

08/05/2025

A group of Texas landowners is taking legal action against the Trump administration to prevent their land from being taken for a border wall.

07/24/2025

Balancing property rights with public safety amid Texas' unpredictable weather can create legal challenges.

Tackling severe weather

03/21/2025

A unanimous Texas Supreme Court issued an important decision for real estate developers and landowner rights, confirming that a regulation can cause a compensable Texas taking even if it results from a valid exercise of the government’s police power and rejecting a municipality's contentions that a claim is not ripe in the absence of the final decision when it imposed repetitive and unfair land-use procedures in order to avoid a final decision. Finally, the Court recognized that a land developer has standing to challenge a regulation impacting what can be built on property even if it will not be the ultimate builder of the improvements.

The decision is a sweeping victory for McFarland PLLC's developer client, Danny Signorelli of Signorelli Company. Partner Charles McFarland argued the case before the Court; partner Marie Harlan was instrumental in briefing the issues presented.

The case is styled The Commons of Lake Houston v. City of Houston. The opinion was written by Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd.

01/03/2025

When a government agency or a utility occupies or damages your land without permission or fair compensation, we step in.

It’s called inverse condemnation.

11/07/2024

McFarland PLLC has been recognized in Houston in Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms 2025 edition as a Regional Tier 1 firm in Houston for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, one of only three Houston firms to achieve this recognition. This is the firm’s tenth consecutive year to be recognized by Best Law Firms.

“When a landowner client comes to our offices, Condemnation Attorneys is on the door,” noted Charles McFarland, the firm’s managing partner. “The exclusive focus on eminent domain and condemnation matters allows our lawyers to immerse themselves in this practice area. The result of this immersion is a deeply knowledgeable and efficient resource for landowners facing acquisitions by the government or public-use entities. It’s an honor that our clients and peers in the legal community have, yet again, recognized our team’s impact and consider us among the best law firms in our sole area of practice.”

The Best Law Firms ranking, independently produced by Best Lawyers, holds significant importance in the legal industry. It serves as a benchmark for excellence, providing a comprehensive and reliable guide of the top-performing law firms across 127 practice areas and 188 local jurisdictions. The rankings are meticulously compiled based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes client feedback, peer reviews, industry leader interviews, and detailed analysis of law firm data.

In addition to the Tier 1 ranking, several McFarland PLLC attorneys have been individually ranked on Best Lawyers lists, all in the Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law category. McFarland has been recognized every year since 2011 and Billy Coe Dyer, who is also routinely recognized, has twice received the “Lawyer of the Year” recognition. Mark Merrell joined the duo on the list this year, and Marie Harlan was again honored as “One to Watch,” making her fifth consecutive appearance on the list.

09/18/2024

We have 5 of the 35 lawyers recognized statewide by Texas Super Lawyers in the practice area of Eminent Domain. The most recognized lawyers of any firm in the state.

So we've got that going for us. . .

08/05/2024

We help Texas property owners maximize their compensation in condemnation cases.

Serving landowners in Houston & statewide.

07/30/2024

We help Texas property owners maximize their compensation in condemnation cases.

Serving landowners in Dallas and statewide.