Lauren Black

Lauren’s practice is “industry agnostic,” and she has over a decade of experience handling matters for a diverse array of clients, including in the energy, construction, manufacturing, health care, shipping, technology, and logistics industries.

Lauren has achieved favorable results for clients facing all aspects of civil litigation, whether the strategic goal be early dispute resolution, favorable settlement, or impactful presentation at trial. She also counsels clients confronted with complex legal issues, resolving them well before a dispute emerges.

Lauren’s approach to dispute resolution and litigation is pragmatic. She has a reputation for being tough and smart, and is thus well respected by judges and opposing counsel alike. The teams she runs are lean, efficient, and creative. Never out-prepared, she often prevails against much larger firms, and against attorneys many years her senior.

Lauren earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University in 2007, and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2011. She joined the BoyarMiller Litigation Group in 2015. Prior to joining the firm, she spent several years litigating commercial business disputes for large, international law firms in Downtown Houston.

Lauren is an avid Houston sports fan. She has a young son, and enjoys taking long walks with her family in the Museum District, where they live. Formerly a waitress for many years, Lauren loves cooking and all things relating to the restaurant industry.

Examples of Lauren's representative matters:

• Represented a real estate trust that owns, develops, and operates shopping malls in various capacities. Representation includes addressing, bonding around, and invalidating materialmen and mechanics’ liens and resolving disputes with tenants over fees, leasing payments, nuisance allegations, evictions, and more.
• Represented manufacturer of oilfield machinery in lawsuit against major software company, where the manufacturer asserted claims for breach of contract and fraud. The dispute arose out of an unsuccessful SAP implementation and the software company’s breach of the parties’ Statement of Work. Lauren’s involvement began with pleadings and discovery, implicated intensive preparation with both fact and expert witnesses for depositions and trial testimony, continued through an aggressive dispositive motions phase, and culminated in a three-week jury trial. Achieved $29.8 million jury verdict.
• Represented manufacturer of building and roofing systems in dispute brought by former employee, in which the employee alleges employment discrimination and retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), and common law. Strategy for disposition of the lawsuit was a quick and effective deposition of the plaintiff to disprove key elements of his claims, followed with a request that the court dismiss the claims based on the evidence.
• After a client, a technology developer and implementer, terminated one of its regional managers for performance issues, the employee sent a demand letter for bonus and other severance payments allegedly owed under his employment agreement. Although the employee was initially poised to sue the client, quick action, strong legal strategy, and adept negotiations completely disposed of the demands without the need for settlement or litigation.
• Counseled a former director of a valve manufacturer through his resignation and hiring at a different valve manufacturer. Representation included managing the identification, quarantining, return, and remediation of allegedly confidential information in the director’s possession, and advocating against the enforceability of his non-competition agreement.
• Developed and presented a legal training curriculum for the purchasing group of a carbon black manufacturer, focusing on “best practices” in procurement and the “must have” provisions for clients’ services agreements, sales agreements, and terms and conditions.
• Represented commercial lender in lawsuit brought by a borrower relating to an allegedly defective mobile home. The lender was dismissed from the lawsuit after BoyarMiller identified and successfully moved to enforce an indemnity agreement between the lender and the mobile home manufacturer.
• Developed, on behalf of financial institution, a strategic roadmap for handling borrowers’ requests for information in compliance with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”) and other applicable law.
• Represented manufacturer of personal protective equipment in a breach of contract dispute with its client, an oilfield services company, over a large amount owed under the parties’ Supplier Agreement. BoyarMiller developed and substantiated an aggressive damages model, managed a successful mediation, and obtained a favorable settlement payment for its client.
• Represented real estate developer in dispute arising from the seller’s breach of a contract for the sale of real estate. The seller executed the contract for sale to the developer, but refused to close the sale, claiming the agent that brokered the deal did not have authority to negotiate on its behalf.
• After negotiations for a purchase of a client by a potential buyer fell apart, the buyer threatened to use the confidential and proprietary information it obtained during the due diligence phase against that client. Within two weeks of receiving that threat, Lauren negotiated the destruction and/or return of all such information to my client and obtained assurances that it would not be used in the future.
• Represented major LED designer and manufacturer in dispute with competitor involving claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, patent infringement, and conspiracy.
• Registered trademarks on behalf of a successful barbeque restaurant, providing advice on how to best and most economically protect the restaurant’s dining, catering, and product brands.
• Represented a manufacturer of carbon products in a lawsuit relating to injuries that a contract worker sustained while performing electrical work at a Beaumont, Texas, facility. Lauren efficiently and leanly developed the case and secured a favorable settlement with the plaintiff.
• On behalf of oilfield services client, drafted compelling motions for summary judgment in two catastrophic personal injury cases, putting pressure on the opposite side and resulting in a highly favorable settlement with plaintiffs.
• Represented a chemical refinery in a dispute with its general contractor over a failed project to expand and renovate the refinery’s facility. Obtained favorable settlement relating to same.
• Represented oil and gas clients in connection with various actions to quiet title and/or address notices of lis pendens, including suits against groups of mineral royalty owners.
• Advised global manufacturer of steel products on innovative uses of constitutional and statutory mechanic’s and materialman’s liens, to enable my client to strategically secure payment of outstanding accounts from owners and subcontractors.
• Resisted invasive discovery sought from client, now general counsel of a leading waste and recycling company, by his prior employer. The prior employer threatened to sue the client for violation of a non-compete agreement, among other things. Through avid advocacy, both before the court and to opposing counsel, BoyarMiller was able to resolve the discovery dispute—and extricate the client from the proceeding—by producing a reasonable and manageable nucleus of discovery.
• On behalf of top banks and mortgage companies, researched and drafted numerous, successful motions for summary judgment disposing of wrongful foreclosure, breach of contract, unfair lending, and deceptive trade practices claims brought by defaulting tenants.
• Represented private equity fund in dispute with majority shareholder over direction and ownership of subject company, a pipe manufacturer. At outset of representation, potential courses of action included litigation and/or a risky buy-out of the majority shareholder’s stakes. Through active negotiations and constant pressure, Lauren enabled her client to avoid litigation entirely, instead negotiating a purchase and sale agreement resulting in a profitable, $1.2 million payment to her client.
• Advised oil and gas producer client in connection with dispute about joint operating agreement, resulting in successful appeal before the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals. Critical to the success of the case was a well-reasoned interpretation of the AMI (“Area of Mutual Interest”) provision of the parties’ Joint Operating Agreement.
• When a crude oil production company was threatened with an increased rate in violation of its transportation agreement with a pipeline company, Lauren intervened on its behalf. The pressure she put on the pipeline company, efforts which included seeking injunctive relief restraining the rate hike, triggered a favorable resolution of the dispute. The dispute implicated both Texas contract law and FERC energy regulations.