Title Services
Resolving the title issues that cloud Texas land so your family can sell, finance, develop, or pass it down with confidence.
Make Sure Your Title Tells the Right Story
Make sure your title tells the right story. Not every transaction or inheritance makes it into the public record, and that’s where problems begin. Over time, missing or unclear records can accumulate into a tangled chain of title, preventing families from selling property, securing financing, or entering into mineral, solar, or wind leases.
At Barnard Law, we resolve the title issues that surface when Texas families try to sell, finance, develop, or transfer land they have owned for years. Whether your family ranch has passed through three generations without formal probate, you have discovered an old gap in your chain of title, or you are working to clean up a title issue before a sale or transfer, we have the experience to work through it.
Our title services are delivered as a team. Managing Attorney Micky Barnard leads each matter, working alongside Donna S. Collins, who has more than two decades of experience examining Texas title across more than thirty counties.
Comprehensive Title Services
We address the full range of title issues affecting Texas landowners through coordinated legal work:
Heir Property and Multigenerational Title
Tracing chains of title that span generations, identifying missing heirs, and preparing the curative work needed to consolidate and clear ownership.
Chain of Title Curative Work
Identifying gaps, defects, missing deeds, unreleased liens, and improperly executed conveyances, then preparing the affidavits, corrections, and instruments needed to fix them.
Affidavits of Heirship
Drafting and recording affidavits of heirship to establish ownership when family land has passed without formal probate.
Boundary and Description Issues
Resolving discrepancies in legal descriptions, conflicting surveys, and boundary disputes that create uncertainty about what is actually owned.
Curative Document Preparation
Drafting corrective deeds, releases, ratifications, and other curative instruments needed to clear title for sale, financing, development, or transfer.
Title Coordination with Estate Planning
Working alongside our estate planning practice to make sure the property in your plan is titled the way it needs to be so your wishes can actually be carried out.
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Decades of Title Experience: ur title work is delivered by a team that brings more than twenty years of focused practice in Texas land and title law, including stand-up title examinations across more than thirty Texas counties.
Plain-Language Explanations: We translate complex chains of title and curative requirements into clear language so you understand exactly what we have found and what it means for your land.
Coordinated with Your Estate Plan: Title issues and estate planning go hand in hand. We coordinate title work with our estate planning practice to make sure the property in your plan is actually titled the way it needs to be.
Why Choose Barnard Law for Your Title Work
Deep Texas Title Experience
More than twenty years of title examination across South Texas and beyond, with stand-up courthouse work in more than thirty Texas counties.
Ranch and Rural Land Focus
Specialized experience with the title issues that affect ranches and rural land, including heir property, agricultural exemptions, and generational transfers.
Curative Expertise
We do not just identify title problems, we resolve them. Our practice is built around preparing the curative documents and instruments needed to actually clear the title.
Coordinated Legal Care
Title work that connects seamlessly with our estate planning, probate, and business formation practices, so nothing falls through the cracks across your legal matters.
Plain-Language Communication
Generations of records and hand-drafted deeds can look intimidating. We explain what we find in straightforward language so you can make informed decisions.
Common Estate Planning Questions
What does it mean to have a "cloud on title"?
A cloud on title is any unresolved claim, defect, or ambiguity in the public record that calls into question who actually owns the property or what they own. Common clouds include unprobated estates, missing heirs, improperly recorded deeds, and unreleased liens. These issues often go unnoticed until you try to sell, finance, or transfer the property.
My family has owned this land for generations. Why would I need title work?
Long ownership often creates more title issues, not fewer. Each generation that passes without formal probate, and each old deed that was hand-drafted or improperly recorded, can leave gaps in the chain of title. These issues compound over time and typically surface when the family tries to sell, develop, or transfer the property.
What is an affidavit of heirship?
An affidavit of heirship is a legal document filed in the public record that identifies the heirs of a deceased property owner when no formal probate has been completed. It is often used to clear title to family land that has passed informally from one generation to the next. When properly prepared and recorded, it can establish a clear chain of ownership without the cost and time of full probate.
How is title work different from estate planning?
Estate planning sets out who receives your property and how it will be transferred. Title work makes sure the property is actually owned and titled the way the plan assumes it is. When the chain of title has gaps from prior generations, the best estate plan in the world cannot transfer something that was never properly conveyed in the first place. The two practices work together.
How long does title curative work take?
It depends on the issues involved. Simple matters like preparing an affidavit of heirship can move quickly. Complex issues involving multiple generations of unprobated estates, missing heirs, or disputed conveyances can take significantly longer. We provide a clear timeline after our initial review of the chain of title.
Clear the Path Forward
Title problems usually surface at the worst possible time, often when a sale, loan, or transfer is already in motion. Addressing them proactively saves time, money, and stress. Schedule a consultation to discuss your situation and learn how we can help you clear the path forward.