If you got a Notice to Vacate taped to your door in Oak Cliff or Pleasant Grove, or you are a small landlord in Far North Dallas trying to evict a non-paying tenant before another month of lost rent stacks up, the Texas Justice Court system moves fast. Texas eviction law gives a tenant as few as three days from the Notice to Vacate before the landlord can file in Dallas County Justice Court, and trial happens within 10 to 21 days of service. Dallas firms below handle both landlord eviction work and tenant defense. The Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center represents low-income tenants at no charge. Real names, real Texas firms, no fabrication.
Most Dallas landlord-tenant disputes do not require a lawyer for the small stuff. If your landlord is dragging out a security-deposit return by a week, write a strong demand letter and cite Texas Property Code section 92.103 first. The moment to bring in a Dallas attorney is one of these:
Justice Court in Dallas County is set up to be navigable without a lawyer (the courts even have plain-language case-information sheets), but the deadlines are unforgiving and the rules of evidence still apply. If you are not sure whether your facts trigger one of the tenant-protective statutes above, get a free consult before the trial date.
Dallas landlord-tenant work is usually quoted as a $400 to $900 flat fee for an uncontested JP-court eviction, $250 to $500/hour once a case is contested, and $151 in Justice Court filing costs. Tenant-side security-deposit and habitability claims under Texas Property Code Sec. 92.109 are sometimes taken on contingency, and contested appeals to Dallas County Court at Law generally add another $2,000 to $5,000 in legal fees on top of the JP-level work.
Landlord-side firms in Dallas frequently quote flat fees for uncontested evictions: filing the forcible detainer, attending the JP trial, and securing a writ of possession. Tenant defense is usually billed hourly because how long it takes depends on what defenses you have. Texas Property Code section 92.109 (security deposit) and section 92.0081 (lockouts) include fee-shifting provisions that allow a successful tenant to recover attorneys' fees from the landlord, which is why some Dallas tenant lawyers will take strong security-deposit and lockout cases on a partial-contingency basis.
Total time from a Dallas landlord serving a Notice to Vacate to a constable lockout is usually 3 to 5 weeks if the tenant does not contest. A contested case with a County Court at Law appeal stretches to 3 to 6 months. Tenants who appeal also have to post a bond or, in limited cases, file a Statement of Inability to Pay (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 510.9).
Dallas firm with decades of landlord-side eviction practice in Dallas County Justice Courts. Useful for property managers, single-family rental owners, and HOAs that need volume work done quickly and correctly. Flat-fee eviction packages for uncontested cases.
Dallas real estate practice that handles eviction, lease enforcement, and broader landlord-tenant disputes including commercial lease litigation. Good fit when the dispute is bigger than a one-shot residential eviction (mixed-use leases, commercial holdovers, security-deposit disputes over five figures).
Dallas-area landlord-tenant practice for residential and commercial matters, including lease drafting and review, eviction defense and prosecution, security-deposit disputes, and rent recovery. Smaller-firm attention on individual cases versus high-volume eviction shops.
Nonprofit legal-aid project providing free representation to income-qualified Dallas County tenants facing eviction. Attorneys appear in Dallas County Justice Courts, handle answers and counterclaims, and negotiate with landlord counsel. The right first call if you cannot afford a private attorney and your monthly income falls under the eligibility limits.
Tell us briefly which side you are on and what is happening. We route a confidential request to a Dallas-area firm whose practice matches your situation.