Lone Star Counsel \u2014 Attorneys & Advisors
The Journal

Notes from
the firm.

Quarterly essays on Texas business law, family wealth, and the patient practice of legal craft. Plain-spoken. No filler.

The Case for Registering Your Trademark Before Your Next Brand Deal
Creators & Athletes · FeaturedFebruary 2026 · 10 min read

The Case for Registering Your Trademark Before Your Next Brand Deal

By the time a copycat channel appears — same name, similar logo, slightly different spelling — a creator has usually already signed six brand deals and a talent agency contract, none of which contemplate that another person is now competing for the same brand. A field guide for creators, athletes, and founder-creators who have not yet filed.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read the essay →
Creators & AthletesFebruary 2026 · 12 min

The Creator's LLC: Why Your Brand Isn't Actually Yours Yet

A candid field guide for the six-figure creator, athlete, or founder-creator who is still operating out of a personal checking account — and the four legal structures that separate a genuine enterprise from an expensive hobby.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
Bankruptcy & RestructuringFebruary 2026 · 11 min

Chapter 7 and Chapter 11: The Two Reliefs

A field guide for the Texas business owner on choosing between liquidation and reorganization — and the third option most lawyers do not mention.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
SuccessionDecember 2025 · 9 min

The Quiet Discipline of Buy-Sell Agreements

One page resolves a thousand future arguments. Most business owners sign it too late — here's how to get it right the first time.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
Wealth StructureNovember 2025 · 10 min

Dynasty Trusts After the 2026 Sunset

The federal exemption contracts in 2026. What structures retain their elegance when the rules harden — and which collapse.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
TransactionsOctober 2025 · 7 min

The Patient Acquisition

The best Texas roll-ups are negotiated over coffee and closed before lunch. A field guide to acquisitive growth without theater.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
Asset ProtectionSeptember 2025 · 9 min

Domestic Asset Protection Trusts, Reconsidered

Where the law has caught up to the marketing — and where it has not. A candid review of which structures still hold.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
Family OfficeAugust 2025 · 7 min

When the Family Office Outgrows the Family

Governance choices when capital matures faster than the institutions built to steward it.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
RestructuringJuly 2025 · 6 min

Texas Recapitalizations Without the Theatrics

How to recalibrate a closely held capital stack without burning down the partnership.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
CharitableJune 2025 · 8 min

Conservation Easements, Done Quietly

What survives audit, what doesn't — a decade of lessons from West Texas ranchland.

Darryl V. Pratt
Darryl V. Pratt
Managing Partner
Read →
Subscribe

The Journal, by post or by inbox.
Quarterly. Never sold.

Each volume contains three to four plain-spoken essays from the firm. No promotional copy, no upselling. Just the work.

We mail twice a year. You may unsubscribe by reply.
A Quarterly Dispatch

The State of the Firm, by post.

A signed letter, four times a year, from the Managing Partner. Firm developments, industry notes, and the counsel we are preparing to keep. Sent by post and adapted for LinkedIn.

Four issues a year. Never sold. Unsubscribe by reply.