Sell My Business Lawyer • Houston, Texas

Sell My Business Lawyer in Houston

By · Managing Partner
Last updated

When you are ready to sell, you need a lawyer who understands what is at stake. Our Houston business sale lawyers represent owners selling companies across Energy, Healthcare, Manufacturing, providing sell-side legal counsel that protects your life's work, maximizes your value, and closes the deal on your terms.

Selective M&A Practice
Personal Attention
Senior Counsel on Every Deal

Talk to Alex About Your Houston Transaction

Share the basics. Alex reviews every inquiry personally.

Your information is kept strictly confidential and will never be shared. Privacy Policy

What We Do

Alex Lubyansky handles business sale law work for buyers and sellers in Houston and across the country. Here is what that looks like:

  • Sell-side legal representation from LOI through closing
  • Pre-sale corporate cleanup and readiness assessment
  • Purchase agreement review and negotiation on behalf of sellers
  • Representations and warranties limitation to minimize post-sale exposure
  • Escrow, indemnification cap, and holdback negotiation
  • Buyer vetting and offer comparison analysis
  • Non-compete, consulting, and transition agreement negotiation
  • Post-closing dispute resolution and earnout management

Who We Serve

We work best with people who know what they want and are ready to move:

  • Business owners who have decided to sell and need legal counsel
  • Owners who received an unsolicited offer to buy their business
  • Retiring business owners planning a clean exit
  • Partners selling a business as part of a dissolution
  • Owners selling to private equity, strategic buyers, or search funds
  • Family business owners managing succession through a sale

See If Your Deal Is a Fit

Tell us what you are working on. We respond within one business day.

Your information is kept strictly confidential and will never be shared. Privacy Policy

Our Process

A structured, methodical approach to business sale law

1

Exit Assessment

We review your corporate records, contracts, and legal standing to identify anything that could reduce your sale price or slow down the deal, and we help you address it before buyers see it.

2

Offer Evaluation

When offers come in, we analyze the terms beyond just the headline price, including structure, contingencies, financing risk, and post-closing obligations, so you can compare with clarity.

3

LOI Negotiation

We negotiate the letter of intent to establish terms that favor you heading into due diligence, including purchase price structure, exclusivity limits, and closing timeline.

4

Purchase Agreement Negotiation

Managing Partner Alex Lubyansky personally negotiates the purchase agreement, limiting your representations and warranties, capping indemnification, and structuring escrow terms that protect your proceeds.

5

Closing and Transition

We manage the closing process, coordinate with all parties, and negotiate transition and non-compete terms so you exit on your schedule with your interests intact.

What Happens After You Submit

We don't take every matter. Here is what happens when you reach out.

1

Personal Review (Within 24 Hours)

Alex reviews your transaction details personally. No intake coordinators, no junior associates screening your submission.

2

Fit Assessment

We evaluate whether your deal aligns with our practice. Not every matter is a fit, and we will tell you directly if it is not.

3

Initial Conversation

If there is alignment, Alex schedules a direct call to discuss your transaction, timeline, and objectives.

4

Clear Engagement Terms

Before any work begins, you receive a written engagement letter with defined scope, timeline, and fee structure. No surprises.

Request Your Houston Engagement Assessment

Alex Lubyansky handles every business sale law engagement personally.

15+ years of M&A experience. Nationwide. One attorney on every deal.

Request Engagement Assessment

We review every transaction inquiry within one business day.

Your information is kept strictly confidential and will never be shared. Privacy Policy

Questions to Ask Any M&A Attorney Before Hiring

Use these before you call any firm, including ours.

1. "Who will actually handle my transaction?"

At many firms, a partner sells the work and a junior associate does it. Ask for the name of the attorney who will draft and negotiate your documents.

2. "How many M&A transactions has the lead attorney closed in the past 12 months?"

Volume indicates current, active deal experience, not just credentials from years ago.

3. "What is your experience with my deal size and industry?"

A $500K SBA acquisition and a $50M PE deal require different skill sets. Make sure the attorney has handled transactions similar to yours.

4. "Will you coordinate with my CPA, financial advisor, and broker?"

M&A transactions require a team. Your attorney should work with your other advisors, not in a silo.

5. "How do you handle post-closing disputes?"

Reps, warranties, and indemnification claims surface months after closing. Ask whether the firm handles post-closing litigation or refers it out.

6. "What is your fee structure, and what drives cost?"

Hourly, flat fee, or hybrid. Ask what factors increase legal costs so there are no surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from Houston clients

When should I hire a lawyer to sell my business?
Engage a business sale lawyer as early as possible, ideally 6 to 12 months before going to market. This gives us time to clean up your corporate records, resolve potential issues, and position your business for the strongest possible sale. If you already have an offer on the table, contact us immediately.
What does a lawyer do when I sell my business?
Your attorney represents your interests through every stage of the sale. This includes reviewing and negotiating the LOI, managing the due diligence process from your side, negotiating the purchase agreement, limiting your post-closing liability, and coordinating the closing. At Acquisition Stars, Managing Partner Alex Lubyansky handles every sell-side engagement personally.
How do I protect myself from claims after the sale closes?
Post-closing liability is managed through careful negotiation of representations and warranties, indemnification caps, basket thresholds, survival periods, and escrow amounts. We negotiate each of these terms aggressively on your behalf to minimize your exposure after you hand over the keys.
How long does it take to sell a business?
From signed LOI to closing, most business sales take 60 to 120 days. The full process including preparation and marketing can take 6 to 12 months. Acquisition Stars keeps the legal workstream moving at the speed your deal requires so we are never the reason for delay.
Should I accept the first offer I receive?
Not necessarily. The first offer sets a baseline, but the terms beyond headline price, including structure, contingencies, and post-closing obligations, matter just as much. We help you evaluate every offer on its full merits so you can make an informed decision about whether to accept, counter, or wait.
What can I expect during an initial consultation in Houston?
During your confidential initial consultation in Houston, we'll discuss your business sale law needs, review your current situation, assess potential challenges specific to Texas, and outline a clear path forward. We'll explain our process, answer your questions, and determine if we're the right fit for your needs.
Do you work with companies outside of Houston?
Yes, we represent clients nationwide while maintaining a strong presence in Houston. Our managing partner handles business sale law matters across all 50 states, coordinating with local counsel where state-specific requirements apply.

Need Specific Guidance?

Submit your transaction details for a preliminary assessment by our managing partner

Submit Transaction Details

Ready to Discuss Your Houston Deal?

Submit transaction details and Alex will respond directly.

Your information is kept strictly confidential and will never be shared. Privacy Policy

The Houston M&A Market

Houston's M&A market is anchored by the energy sector but has diversified significantly into healthcare, technology, and industrial services. Energy transition is creating new deal flow as traditional oil & gas companies acquire renewable energy and carbon capture businesses. The Texas Medical Center - the world's largest - drives healthcare M&A from physician practice roll-ups to medical device acquisitions.

Top M&A Sectors in Houston

  • Energy & Oilfield Services
  • Healthcare
  • Industrial Services
  • Technology
  • Chemical & Petrochemical

Deal Environment

Houston deal flow is cyclical in energy but consistent in healthcare and industrial services. The region's business-friendly tax environment attracts out-of-state buyers, increasing competition for quality targets in non-energy sectors.

Why Acquire in Houston

Houston's pro-business environment, no state income tax, and population growth make it one of the fastest-growing M&A markets in the country. The city's massive port infrastructure and energy expertise create unique acquisition opportunities not found elsewhere.

Texas Legal Considerations

Texas has no state income tax but imposes a franchise (margin) tax on businesses with revenue exceeding $2.47 million - buyers must evaluate the target's franchise tax exposure and ensure proper filing history during due diligence.

Why Houston Clients Work With Us

Our deep expertise in energy sector securities transactions and public offerings makes us the go-to firm for Houston companies navigating complex regulatory requirements.

Local Market Context

Houston M&A Market

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX MSA · MSA population 7.8M

MSA Population (2024)

7.8M

U.S. Census Bureau

Top Industry Concentration

  1. 1 oil and gas and energy
  2. 2 petrochemicals and refining
  3. 3 healthcare

Houston is the energy capital of the United States. M&A activity is driven primarily by oil and gas exploration and production, refining, petrochemicals, and midstream infrastructure transactions. The energy transition is generating a new wave of deals as traditional energy firms acquire renewable energy, carbon capture, and hydrogen assets. Healthcare, particularly the Texas Medical Center complex, is the second major M&A sector for this metro.

Major Houston Employers and Deal Anchors

  • ExxonMobil
  • ConocoPhillips
  • Chevron Phillips Chemical
  • Houston Methodist
  • Halliburton
  • Schlumberger (SLB)

Transit and Logistics

Port of Houston is the largest US port by total cargo tonnage and the busiest for petrochemical exports. George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports serve the metro. The Houston Ship Channel is a critical national energy infrastructure asset.

Recent Houston Deal Signal (2024-2025)

ExxonMobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources closed in Q2 2024 in a deal valued at approximately $60 billion, the largest US energy deal in decades. Upstream consolidation across Permian Basin operators continued through 2024-2025.

Source (accessed 2026-04-27)

Local Regulatory Notes for Business Sale Law

FERC oversight applies to midstream and pipeline transactions. Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas operations and is relevant to E&P deal due diligence.

Texas Legal Considerations for Business Sale Law

Non-Compete Laws

Enforceable only if ancillary to an otherwise enforceable agreement. Mandatory reformation.

Filing Requirements

Entity mergers and conversions must be filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Franchise tax (margin tax) compliance is required. The Comptroller's office handles tax clearance certificates for asset purchases. Public Information Reports are required annually.

Key Texas Considerations

  • Texas has no corporate or personal income tax, making it one of the most favorable jurisdictions for structuring acquisitions, though the Franchise (Margin) Tax still applies as a gross-receipts-based tax
  • As a community property state, spousal consent is required for the sale of community property business interests, adding a required step in deal documentation
  • Texas's unique requirement that non-competes be "ancillary to an otherwise enforceable agreement" means buyers must carefully evaluate the enforceability of each non-compete in a target company's portfolio based on the underlying consideration

Texas Bar Authority

State Bar of Texas (mandatory unified bar). Unified/integrated bar. Membership required to practice law in Texas.

Bar association website

Texas Federal and Business Courts

Federal districts: N.D. Tex., S.D. Tex., E.D. Tex., W.D. Tex.

Business court: Texas Business Court (established 2024) Established by HB 19 signed in 2023; became operational September 1, 2024. Eleven divisions statewide, five divisions initially open. Concurrent jurisdiction with district courts in matters over $5 million including corporate governance, shareholder disputes, fiduciary claims, and state or federal securities law. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals serves as the dedicated appellate court, making Texas the first state with a dedicated business court appellate track.

Texas M&A Market Context

Texas is the second-largest U.S. M&A market, with Houston (energy), Dallas-Fort Worth (technology, financial services), and San Antonio as major deal-flow centers across all industry verticals.

Recent Texas Legislative Changes (2024-2025)

  • [object Object]

Watchpoints

Common Houston Business Sale Law Pitfalls

These are the items we see derail business sale law transactions in the Houston market. Each one is rooted in current statutory law, recent legislative changes, or recurring patterns from the deals Alex has handled.

1

Recent Texas statutory change buyers and sellers miss

State statute

[object Object]

2

Texas non-compete enforcement and earn-out exposure

State legal framework

Enforceable only if ancillary to an otherwise enforceable agreement. Mandatory reformation.

"When the other side returns a redlined definitive, you don't need to be an attorney to scan the document and see whether it's signal or noise. If the entire document is now red, you can see it visually. The quick scan is whether these are actually important points or whether this is grammatical nitpicking for the sake of grammatical nitpicking. The latter is a pretty big red flag pretty quickly. In a good transaction, the redlining focuses on risk allocation, earnouts, exclusivity. The structural points that matter to the client on either side. That's fair. That's fine. When you see the same point reraised three rounds later, you have to ask whether that's a memory problem or just another way to keep the meter running. Sometimes I wonder if the firms are working together to make sure it goes back and forth. I'm not part of that."
Alex Lubyansky · Leo Landaverde M&A Podcast
3

Houston local regulatory exposure

Local regulatory

FERC oversight applies to midstream and pipeline transactions. Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas operations and is relevant to E&P deal due diligence.

4

Texas regulatory framework attorneys flag at LOI

State statute

Securities regulated by Texas State Securities Board (ssb.texas.gov). Texas follows the Texas Securities Act (Tex. Gov't Code Title 12); Blue Sky notice filings required for Reg D. Texas enforces non-competes only if part of an otherwise enforceable agreement and supported by adequate consideration (Tex. Bus. Com. Code sec. 15.50).

Attorney perspective on sell my business lawyer matters in Houston

Alex Lubyansky, Managing Partner at Acquisition Stars
"Terms that would've been unthinkable in week one get signed in week sixteen, because the founder just wants to be done."
Alex Lubyansky, Senior Counsel On valuation (principle) (Alex LinkedIn Drafts (AJ-Work))

15+ years of M&A and securities transaction experience Senior counsel on every engagement Admitted in Michigan, practicing nationwide

Reviewed by Alex Lubyansky on . Read full bio

Ready to Talk About Your Houston Deal?

Alex Lubyansky handles every engagement personally. Tell us about your transaction and we will let you know if there is a fit.

Request Engagement Assessment

Tell us about your deal. We review every submission and respond within one business day.

Your information is kept strictly confidential and will never be shared. Privacy Policy

One attorney on every deal. Nationwide. 15+ years of M&A experience.