Overview

John D. Sloan, Jr. is the founder of Sloan Attorneys, a boutique law firm serving the construction industry and commercial businesses. For more than 30 years, Mr. Sloan has represented homebuilders, developers, manufacturers, suppliers, property owners' associations, management companies, and businesses in litigation, arbitration, contract negotiation, and risk management.

Although widely recognized as an accomplished trial lawyer, Mr. Sloan's practice extends well beyond the courtroom. His clients rely on him as a strategic advisor throughout the life of a project or business relationship—from negotiating contracts and evaluating risk before disputes arise to defending high-exposure litigation and handling appeals when necessary.

Mr. Sloan has extensive experience representing national and regional homebuilders, building product manufacturers, window and door manufacturers, commercial property owners, developers, and businesses throughout Texas and jurisdictions throughout the country. His practice includes commercial litigation, construction litigation, product liability, warranty disputes, commercial leasing, real estate disputes, insurance issues, arbitration, appellate advocacy, and strategic business counseling.

Throughout his career, Mr. Sloan has successfully represented clients in matters involving multi-million-dollar construction projects, complex commercial disputes, product liability claims, large-scale homeowner litigation, and significant arbitration proceedings. He has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Texas, obtaining published decisions that continue to shape construction and arbitration law.

Clients value Mr. Sloan's practical approach to solving business problems. He understands that litigation is only one part of protecting a client's business. Whether negotiating a commercial lease, responding to a warranty claim, managing litigation across multiple jurisdictions, or trying a case before a jury or arbitration panel, Mr. Sloan focuses on delivering efficient, strategic, and practical business-oriented legal solutions.

Mr. Sloan founded Sloan Attorneys to provide the sophisticated legal representation traditionally associated with large law firms while maintaining the responsiveness, efficiency, and personal attention of a boutique practice. Today, Sloan Attorneys serves clients throughout Texas and is expanding its capabilities to better serve clients across Florida and other jurisdictions where its clients conduct business.

 

Representative Matters

Successfully represented the design-build joint venture responsible for one of the nation's largest ethanol production facilities in a four-week arbitration involving alleged design and construction defects with more than $14 million in controversy. The arbitration concluded with a favorable award for the client.

Successfully represented the owner of a major hotel development in claims against the project's general contractor and architect, obtaining multi-million-dollar recoveries arising from construction and design defects.

Has defended manufacturers in numerous product liability and construction defect claims involving windows and building envelope systems in commercial buildings, condominiums, multifamily developments, and single-family residential projects throughout the United States.

Represented a general contractor in a construction contract dispute against a prominent state hospital before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings, resulting in a multi-million-dollar negotiated settlement.

Successfully represented the owner of a major warehouse facility in the DFW International Commerce Park in an arbitration arising from construction defects, obtaining a multi-million-dollar arbitration award.

Successfully defended a consulting engineer in a commercial litigation matter involving claims of breach of contract, negligence, and fraud arising from a property condition assessment for a commercial acquisition. Following trial, the jury returned a complete defense verdict on all claims.

Successfully defended a national homebuilder against claims brought by more than ninety homeowners alleging exposure to sewer gas and seeking approximately $60 million in damages. Following a summary jury trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the builder.

Successfully argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, obtaining a published decision requiring an insurance carrier to provide a defense to a national homebuilder under a commercial general liability policy.

Successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Texas, obtaining a published opinion enforcing a homebuilder's arbitration agreement and reaffirming the strong public policy favoring arbitration of construction disputes.

Additional representative matters are available upon request.

 

Education

J.D., California Western School of Law (1994)
B.A., University of Texas at Austin (1991)
Professional Affiliations
Member, State Bar of Texas
Construction Law Section
Honors and Awards
Founded Sloan Attorneys in 2011.
Recognized, Texas Rising Star (2004 - 2005), Super Lawyers®, a Thomson Reuters business
Construction/Surety
Selected Publications and Speaking Engagements

 

Publications

Author, But I Thought My Insurance Covered That: The Erosion of Coverage for Property Damage Claims Under Commercial General Liability Policies, Tex. Builder (Mar./Apr. 2002).

Author, The Texas Residential Construction Liability Act: Framework for Change, 27 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 1-31 (1996).

 

Speeches

Frequent Speaker, Construction Industry Trade Groups on Relevant Legal Topics, including:
Contractual Risk Transfer
Defending Claims Under the Residential Construction Liability Act
Defending Labor Claims
Insurance Issues
Arbitration agreements