Roberts Markland, LLP is a Houston based personal injury law firm that specializes in helping those who have been hurt or suffered a catastrophic injury. Law partners Sean Roberts and Clive Markland joined forces and began working together after realizing a shared passion for getting their clients the results they deserve as well as bettering the community around them.
Located in the Third Ward of Houston, Roberts Markland, LLP has made it an important part of their mission to give back to the Third Ward community any way they can. They are aware of the on-going process of gentrification occurring in their community, but instead of fighting against it, they are empowering the businesses around them to invest in the community by staying and taking neighborhood improvement matters into their own hands.
Roberts and Markland shared insight with d-mars.com on the mission of their law firm and its commitment to bring their neighborhood to its highest potential.
Q: Let’s start with some background information on Roberts Markland LLC…how did you become law partners?
Markland: Sean and I had been great friends for many years. We had both done legal work for one another and eventually decided that we could be an incredible force working together. We both have a passion for helping people who need help. We are pleased with the results.
Q: What are your main areas of practice? Any significant wins you would like to share?
Roberts: Our main areas of practice are catastrophic injury and wrongful death lawsuits and trials against corporations and insurance companies. We do not collect fees until we recover for our clients. We have handled trials and appeals across Texas and the United States, collecting over $500 million in judgments and settlements… the verdicts are public information that we proudly publish on our firm website.
Q: Why is being located in Third Ward significant for your practice?
Roberts: It is a great location! We are also very proud of the preservation we were able to accomplish in the neighborhood. Hopefully more professional service businesses will dump paying high rents in the business districts and invest in neighborhoods like Third Ward.
Q: You’ve mentioned how important it is to be involved with the community…what are some of the ways you have given back and gotten involved in the community?
Markland: We want to be a resource for everyone but especially those who are underrepresented. We offer various resources to the community, including free law library access, pro bono representation, free legal training, free notary services, academic scholarships, internships and more.
Q: What kind of programs does Roberts Markland offer? Particularly for those that are disadvantaged?
Roberts: In addition to providing pro bono legal services and free access to legal resources, our firm invests heavily in advocating for public policies and legislation to promote fairness and to ending entitlements — particularly entitlements to the rich. We try to even the playing field by making companies and industries that take advantage of people pay a fair price for their wrongful conduct.
Q: It’s Black History Month…being located in a predominately black neighborhood, how is this important to Roberts Markland?
Markland: Houston has an incredible African-American culture and contribution to the nation as a whole. Houston has always been an economic engine for this country historically. One of the great things about Houston is not only its African American culture, but also all the other cultures. Houston truly is a melting pot.
Roberts: I also think it is important to point out that while we celebrate Black History Month, we are also suing major corporations for reckless contamination of an entire traditionally black neighborhood — acts that would never occur elsewhere. We understand that over 40% of the residents of Fifth Ward have cancer that may have been caused by exposure to toxic chemicals. We have a long way to go even in 2020. We intend to do our part.
Since its beginnings, Roberts Markland, LLC has gone above and beyond being just a law firm. They have made themselves a part of the community, and in turn, influenced those around them to follow suit and invest in their own neighborhoods. They have taken on the perspective that change is inevitable, but instead of fighting it, they have taken matters into their own hands and made it their mission to make the Third Ward community a thriving and successful neighborhood for its residents.
