T. Rick Frazier is an attorney in Texas who specializes in collecting unpaid invoices for contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and other laborers through enforcing mechanics' liens. He opened his own law office in 1978 and has over 30 years of experience practicing law in Texas. His practice focuses primarily on real estate, construction law, and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on getting local contractors paid for their work through mechanics' lien enforcement.

1. ABOUT US
T. Rick Frazier- TexasAttorneyat Law
T. Rick Frazierisa Texas-born, -raised,and -educatedattorneywhospecializesingetting
contractors,subcontractors,suppliersandotherlaborerspaidforthe worktheydoin Texas.
A graduate of TexasA & M UniversityandTexasTechUniversitySchool of Law,Rickhas been
practicinglawinTexassince 1974.
Openinghisownoffice in1978, Mr. Frazierhascontinuallyservedthe legal needsof the North
Texascommunityforover30 years.Thoughprimarilyfocusedonreal estate andconstructionlaw,and
commercial litigation,withahighlysuccessfulemphasisonenforcingmechanics’andmaterialmen’s
lienstogetlocal contractors paidfor theirlabors,Mr. Frazierhasparticipatedina wide varietyof areas
of law,including:
• businessentityformation
• commercial leasesandliens
• contracts and contract disputes
• dispute avoidancecounseling
• a broad spectrumof civil litigation
• wills,trustsandprobate
• divorce,childsupportandfamilylaw
• personal injuryandwrongful death
• claimsunderthe Deceptive Trade PracticesAct
“TexasContractors,subcontractorsand suppliers!Getyourunpaid invoicespaidinfull,with
interest,atlittle ornocost to you.I collectforyou whatyouare owed,efficientlyandeffectivelysoyou
are paidfast,infull,andwitha minimumof inconvenience toyou.Youwill alwaysfindme available and
responsive toyourneedsandconcerns.Icollectdifficultclaimsforyouthatotherlawyerscan’t.Do not
waste yourtime or money – I give youa truthful andhonestassessmentof yourclaimupfront.”
http://www.trflienlawyer.com/

2. WE GET YOU PAID
At the LAW OFFICES of T. RICK FRAZIER,
we do one thing better than anyone else...
WE GET YOU PAID!
Are you a contractor, subcontractor, supplier, fabricator, mechanic, materialman, artisan or
laborerwhoworkson construction,renovation, remodeling or repair projects?
Havingtrouble getting all your claims and invoices paid in full?
Need help getting paid the money you worked so hard for?
If you work in Texas, you’ve come to the right place!
We get you paid fast... in full... with interest...
... and we make the other side pay our attorney's fees! That’s right... with the LAW OFFICES of T. RICK
FRAZIER, getting paid in full will typically cost you NOTHING! That’s because inalmosteverycase,we
recover from the debtor sufficient attorney’s fees to refund to you every penny you've paid to us.
( Good luck trying to get another law firm to do that! ) Many law firms want to charge you a
percentage of the amount they recover –that is, a percentage of your claim – and usually they want
33%, 40% or more.Otherlawyerswill handle yourcase,chargingyou on an hourly basis at rates of $300,
$400, $500 per hour! This means you have to trade off several (or many) hours of your hard work for
each hourthe lawyer spends trying to collect your claim.In either case, you aren’t getting paid in full –
the lawyersare!Atthe Law Offices of T. Rick Frazier, we don’t charge a percentage and when we make
the debtorpay yourclaim(and we almost always do), we collect and refund to you in full any fees you
have paid.Do we ever fail to get a claim paid? Not often, but it does occasionally happen for the
following reasons:
1.The claimwe were askedtocollectwasnot valid.Perhapsaninvoice wasaccidentally double-
billed, or the work was not properly performed, or it might be that you are making a claim against the
wrongpersonor entity.We can helpcorrectthese situations,butsometimesitmeansyouwon’tbe paid
in full.
2.The mechanics’andmaterialmen’slienmaynothave been properly perfected as required by
Texas law. We use your mechanics’ and materialmen’s lien against the owner’s property as our legal
hammer to force the debtor to pay your claims. Without a valid lien, any judgment against the debtor
may have little effectandwill notgetyoufullypaid.Ourability to confidently get you paid in full every
time dependsheavilyuponyourhavingavalid,properly perfected lien.

3. 3. The debtoror propertyownermayfile forbankruptcyprotection. This doesn’t happen often,
but when it does… collection of any claims against that debtor in bankruptcy will be delayed and may
become largely unrecoverable.
But note – unlike most other law firms,
T. RICK FRAZIER OFTEN CAN COLLECT YOUR CLAIMS FOR YOU...
... EVEN AFTER BANKRUPTCY OR A LENDER FORECLOSURE!
So whouses our legal services?
Contractors andsubcontractors,suppliersandlaborers,painters,carpetinstallers,builders,electricians,
cleaners and demolishers who perform work and/or supply materials in Texas for construction,
renovation,remodelingandrepairing buildings, apartments, condos, houses and other structures, and
who didn’t get paid in full......but want to.
WE GET THEM PAID!
Here are some of the things our clients say about us:
“Mr. Frazieralwaysgetsme paid infull with no deduction for attorney’s fees. He’s automatic. I bring
him the claim – he gets me my money. Why would I ever go to anyone else?” – MIKE FIUT - PAINT
MATCH, contractor
“Mr. Rick has helped me many times to get the money I was owed. Before, lawyers always took a big
part of my claim as attorney fees, so I had to find someone else to help me. With Mr. Rick, when he
settlesmycase,he alwaysrefundsany fees I have paid him so now I always get paid in full.” – ARACELI
GONZALEZ - ON THE SPOT CLEANING, contractor/supplier
“The propertymylienwasongot foreclosedbythe lender,leavingme owedthousandsof dollars.Other
lawyerstoldme mylienwascut off and there wasno real chance of evergettingpaid.Butevenafterthe
foreclosure,Mr.Fraziergotme everypennyI was owed, plus interest, and made the other side pay hi s
attorney’s fees!” – MICHAL SOLECKI - PLATINUMPAINTING, subcontractor
“Thorough,alwaysavailable, Mr. Frazier and his staff make the entire process easy to understand and
painless.Iprefertobe paidinthe ordinarycourse of business,but when that doesn’t happen, it’s great
to know Mr. Frazier will be there to ‘persuade’ them to honor my invoices.” – AGNIESZKA MALECKA -
EURO DISCOUNT PAINTING, contractor
http://www.trflienlawyer.com/

4. TEXAS CONSTRUCTION LIEN LAWS
( What you need to know to get your invoices paid )
The Texas construction lien laws, commonly referred to as “mechanics’ lien laws”, are not
simple oreasyforeventhe average lawyer to understand and follow, much less the typical contractor,
subcontractoror supplier.Butthere are a numberof issuesand deadlines that must be followed to the
letterinorderto have a validandenforceable constructionlien.
Why do you need a valid and enforceable construction lien? Because this is quite simply the
ultimate hammer that will force the property owner to pay you (or to see that you are paid). All too
often,we see caseswhere acontractor or subcontractorhas performedthe workas requested, on time
and in a workmanlike manner, yet the invoices for the work go unpaid, or only partially paid. The
propertyownerrepeatedlymakesexcusesorpromisestopay,butthe moneyisn’tforthcoming.
That's where the constructionliencomesin.Withavalidandproperlyperfectedlien, the threat
of a foreclosure sale of the owner’s property very often brings the results the contractor or
subcontractor wants:
YOU GET PAID!
The problemisthatthe Texasconstructionlienlawsare spreadoutoverseveral lengthy documents
(includingthe TexasConstitutionandthe TexasPropertyCode),aswell as the numerous court opinions
whichinterpretthese writtenlaws.The lawsandinterpretationscananddo sometimesconflict,andthe
whole processcanbe extremelycomplex(especiallyforsomeonewhodoesnotdeal with these laws on
a dailybasis).Andif youfail totake all the requiredstepsatthe times prescribed by the laws, there is a
good chance you won’t have a valid, enforceable lien.
NO VALID LIEN = NO FORECLOSURE SALE = NO MONEY FOR YOU!
Sure, you may be able to take the non-paying property owner or contractor to court, and even get a
judgmentagainsthimforthe moneyhe owesyou,butwithoutthe lien,thatjudgmentmay very well be
just a piece of paper.
Withthisinmind, we have prepared a basic outline of the most critical information you should know
and requiredstepsyoumusttake inorderto obtaina properlyperfectedlien.Hopefullythisinformation
will preventyoufromsteppingintoatrap, andfurtherassistyouin identifyingat what point you should
seek the assistance of a Texas attorney who is well-versed in our construction laws.
FIRST QUESTION
What is your relationship to the Project? Your requirements, protections, and remedies differ
depending on whether you are a prime or original contractor, a subcontractor, a supplier, a maker of
specially fabricated materials or further down the list. So the threshold question for any construction
project is what is your connection with the project.

5. Filing Deadlines
Notice andFilingDeadlinesforSubcontractorsonTexasPrivate andPublicConstructionProjects
column1 column2 column3 column 4
month work performed
or materials delivered 15th day of 2nd month 15th day of 3rd month15th dayof 4th month
January March 15 April 15 May 15
Febrary April 15 May 15 June 15
March May 15 June 15 July15
April June 15 July 15 August15
May July15 August15 September15
June August15 September15 October15
July September15 October15 November15
August October15 November15 December15
September November15 December15 January15
October December15 January15 Febrary15
November January15 Febrary15 March 15
December Febrary15 March 15 April 15
For ORIGINALCONTRACTORS(those whocontracteddirectlywiththe propertyowner),toperfecta
statutorylien,usingthe rowincolumn1 containingthe monthinwhichyoucompletedthe contracted
workand/or suppliedthe contractedmaterials,findincolumn4the date bywhichyoumust file your
lienaffidavit.
ARCHITECTS,ENGINEERS,SURVEYORS,LANDSCAPERSandDEMOLITION CONTRACTORSwhohave a
writtencontractwiththe propertyownerare consideredtobe original contractorsforstatutorylien
perfectionpurposes,andtherefore mustfilealienaffidavitbythe date specifiedincolumn4.
For FIRSTTIER subcontractorsandsuppliers(those whocontracteddirectlywiththe original
contractor),for eachmonthin whichyourclaimsare notpaid,usingthe row incolumn1 containingthe
monthin whichyouperformedservicesand/orsuppliedmaterialsforwhichyouwere notpaid,findin

6. column3 the date by whichyoumustdelivernotice of yourunpaidclaimtothe propertyowner(witha
copy to the original contractor).Usingthe row in column1 containingthe lastmonthinwhichyou
completedworkordeliveredmaterials,findincolumn4the date by whichyoumust file yourlien
affidavit.
For SECONDTIER (or lower) subcontractorsandsuppliers(thosewhocontractedwithanother
subcontractor),foreachmonth inwhichyourclaimsare not paid,usingthe row incolumn1 containing
the monthin whichyouperformedservicesand/orsuppliedmaterialsforwhichyouwere notpaid,find
incolumn2 the date by whichyoumust delivernotice of yourunpaidclaimtothe original contractor,
and findincolumn3 the date bywhichyou mustnotifythe propertyowner(withacopyto the original
contractor).Using the row incolumn1 containingthe lastmonthin whichyoucompletedworkor
deliveredmaterials,findincolumn4the date bywhichyou mustfile yourlienaffidavit.
Note:The requirednoticesto the propertyownerandthe original contractormaybe combinedif sent
by the date foundincolumn2.
For subcontractorswhoprovide SPECIALLYFABRICATEDMATERIALStothe project,inadditiontothe
notice requirementsgivenabove forfirstandsecondtiersubcontractors,youmustgive anadditional
notice to the propertyownersettingoutthe detailsof yourcontract.Usingthe row in column1
containingthe monthinwhichyouacceptedthe contract to supplythe contractedmaterials,findin
column2 the date by whichyoumustdelivernotice of yourcontract(includingthe scheduleddate of
delivery) tothe propertyowner(withacopyto the original contractor).Usingthe row incolumn1
containingthe monthof scheduleddelivery,findincolumn4the date by whichyoumust file yourlien
affidavit.
For subcontractorsworkingona RESIDENTIALPROJECT,for eachmonthin whichyourclaimsare not
paid,usingthe rowin column1 containingthe monthinwhichyouperformedservicesand/orsupplied
materialsforwhichyouwere notpaid,findincolumn2 the date bywhichyou mustdelivernotice of
your unpaidclaimtothe propertyownerandto the original contractor.Usingthe row in column1
containingthe lastmonthinwhichyoucompletedworkordeliveredmaterials,findincolumn3the date
by whichyoumustfile yourlienaffidavit.Notice thatthese time limitsare one-monthshorterthanwith
non-residential projects.
For subcontractorsworkingona PRIVATECOMMERCIAL BONDED PROJECT,there isnorequirementto
file alienaffidavit.All noticesmustbe deliveredwithinthe same time framesaswithnon-bonded
projectsabove,exceptthatall noticeswhichwouldnormallybe giventothe propertyownermaybe
deliveredtothe bondsuretyinstead.
http://www.trflienlawyer.com/

7. FAQ
TexasConstructionLawsFAQ -- We Get You Paid!
Q: What is a lienanyway?
A:A lienisrightimposedbylawallowingapersontosell propertybelongingtoanotherif a debt
relatedtothe propertyisnot paid.The propertybasicallyservesascollateral forthe debt.There are
contractual lienssuchas the mortgage on yourhome or the loanagainstyourvehicle.There are liens
imposedbylawwithmechanic’sliensbeingone of the mostcommon.A mechanic’slienisapowerful
tool protectingthose whoprovide and/orsupplymaterialstoa constructionprojectevenif youhadno
directrelationshipwiththe ownerof the property. Failuretotake advantage of yourmechanic’slien
rightsisusuallya regrettable mistake.
Q: Who can geta mechanic’slien?
A:Generally,anycontractor,subcontractor,laborer,mechanic,specialtyfabricator,material supplier,
architect,engineer,surveyor,demolisherorlandscaperwhohasprovidedlabor,materials,plans,plats,
surveys,orlandscapingtoa constructionproject.
Q: What lawcontrolsmechanic’sliens?
A:Every state is different,butinTexasthere are twobasictypesof mechanic’sliens,aconstitutional
lienanda statutorylien.The constitutional lienhasbeenaroundformore thana hundredyearsand
cannot easilybe changed.The statutorymechanic’slienlawsare writtenbythe Texaslegislature inthe
TexasPropertyCode,andthese lawsare constantlyevolving.
Q: What do I have to doto take advantage of the mechanic’slienlaws?
A:Providingpropernotice of yourclaimiscritical to obtainingavalidlien.The sooneryouprovidethe
notice,the more likelyitisthatyouwill getpaid.Althoughaconstitutional mechanic’slienclaimhasno
specifieddeadlinesandisgenerallycreatedwhenyouperformthe workorsupplythe materials,itis
essential tofile alienaffidavitquicklytopreventasubsequentbuyerorlenderfromcuttingoff your
lien.
Q: Do I needa writtencontractto get a mechanic’slien?
A:It dependsonthe nature of the projectandwhat kindof contractor/subcontractoryouare.All
residentialprojectsrequire writtencontractsnomatterwhat.Andaccording tothe TexasProperty
Code,architects,engineers,surveyors,demolishersandlandscapersalsorequire writtencontracts.All
othersgenerallydonothave tohave a writtencontract.

8. Q: Aftersendingademandletter,canI accept an offerfromthe propertyownertopay myclaimin full?
A: Once you’ve hiredanattorney,Iwouldnotrecommendacceptinganoffertopay onlythe
amountof yourclaim,since yourattorneycan alsorecovercosts,interest,andattorney’sfees.If you
Q: How do I enforce mymechanic’slien?
A:If sendingnotices,filingaffidavitsandsendingdemandlettersdoesnotgetyoupaid,yourattorney
mustfile a lawsuittoforeclose the lien.Butbeware!Mostattorneyswillcharge youa significanthourly
fee,ora significantpercentageof yourclaimto representyou.That’show theymake aliving.If we
representyou,we make the otherside payall of our attorney’sfees.That’show we make aliving.
Q: Can a contractor have a mechanic’slienwithoutfilinganaffidavit?
A:Article 16 of the TexasConstitutionprovidesthatif youare an original contractor – that is,youhave
a contract directlywiththe propertyowner –the workthat youcomplete ina workmanlike mannerwill
automaticallybe securedbyaconstitutional mechanics’andmaterialmen’slien,withoutany
requirementof filinganaffidavitornotice.
However,itishighlyrecommendedthatevenanoriginal contractorfile alienaffidavitassoonas
possible afterthe workiscompletedtoprotecthisor herlienfrombeingcutoff by a bona fide
purchasoror lender.If someonewithoutknowledge of yourlienbuysthe property,forexample,your
lienagainstthe propertywill be lost.
Q: Howlongcan I waitbefore alawsuitisfiled?
A:I recommendfilingyourlawsuitassoonas possible aftersendingademand.Butcertainlynotlonger
than twoyearsfrom the lastday youcouldhave filedyourlienaffidavit.
Q: For a claimlessthan$10,000, can I justfile injustice courtandsave the attorney’sfees?
A:You couldfile suitagainstthe partywithwhomyoucontracted,but note that a justice courtdoes
not have the powerto issue anorderof foreclosure.Youcan onlyobtaina moneyjudgmentwhichmay
prove difficulttocollect.Inaddition,since inalmosteverycase,we are able torecoverthe full extentof
our attorney’sfeesfromthe partywe are suing,andwe use those feestorefundtoyouany attorney’s
feesyoumayhave paidto us, youwouldn’tactuallybe savinganythingbytryingtohandle the case on
your own.
Q: How longwill ittake to collectmymechanic’slienclaim?
A:It varies,butgenerallyrangesfromlessthanthirtydaysupto as longas a year, butremember,your
claimmay earninterestata rate of 18% per year.
Q: Can I recoverinterestonmyclaim?
A:If youcontractedwiththe owneror the owner’sagent,normallyyoucanrecoverinterestatthe rate
of one andone-half percentpermonth(18% annually) startingthe thirty-sixthdayafteryourclaimwas

9. submittedforpayment.If youdidnotcontract withthe owner,unfortunatelyyoucanonlyrecover
interestfromthe partywithwhomyoucontracted.
Q: What is retainage?
A:There can be twoformsof retainage,statutoryretainage andcontractual retainage.
The TexasPropertyCode requiresall propertyownerstoretaintenpercentof the contract price for
thirtydaysafter the projectends.Thisisstatutoryretainage anditis mandatory.Itis designedto
provide afundfor all lienclaimants.There are differentnotice andaffidavitfilingrequirementstoallow
youparticipate inthe statutoryretainage.
Q: Do I have to signan unconditional releaseof myclaimbefore Ican receive payment?
A: No,in fact the TexasPropertyCode wasrecentlychangedtodeal withthisissue.Nowaiveror
release isvalidunlessitisconditionalandcomplieswiththe formprovidedinthe TexasPropertyCode.
We can assistyouin gettingthe properformsignedinexchange forpayment.
Q: I have a claimfor materialsspecificallydesignedforaparticularproject.CanI recoverforwork I
performedeventhoughthe materialswereneverdelivered?
A:Yes, youhave specially fabricatedmaterials.Providedyougive propertimelynoticesandtimelyfile
your lienaffidavit,youwill have avalidmechanic’slien,butnote thatthe notice requirementsare
differentforthese type materials.
Q: Where can I getthe information Ineedtosendnoticestothe properparties?
A:The TexasPropertyCode providesmethodstorequestthe necessaryinformation,butyoushould
feel free tocontactour office andwe'll be happytoassistyou ingettingyournoticesouton time.
Q: Whynot use an online notice-filingsite –they’re cheapandfairlyeasytouse?
A:You mightsave a little moneyupfront,butbe sure toread the fine print.Thisisa typical disclaimer
foundoneverysingle notice-filingsite we checked:
“DISCLAIMER:[ online service ] makesnowarranty,expressorimpliedforthe use of thiswebsite.Inno
eventshall [online service] be liable toanyone foranyproblem, claimorlossarisingoutof the use of
[online service].[onlineservice] isnotengagedinpracticinglaw nordoes[online service] providelegal
advice.”
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10. CONTACT US
2591 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300 Frisco, TX 75034
phone: 9726613288
fax: 4692693989
http://www.trflienlawyer.com/
Construction law Dallas TX, Construction law Fort Worth
TX, Construction liens Dallas TX, Construction liens Fort
Worth TX, Construction attorney Dallas TX, Construction
attorney Fort Worth TX