J.D. Silva & Associates, a personal injury law firm based in suburban Houston, plans to construct a new $14 million headquarters in Pearland. The firm intends to break ground on the three-story, 42,400-square-foot building this summer at the intersection of Beltway 8 and U.S. Highway 288, pending city permits.
The office building, called “Lawplex,” will be built on a 1.9-acre site purchased by the firm in February 2024. It is located between a Holiday Inn Express & Suites and Bombshells Restaurant & Bar.
J.D. Silva & Associates was founded five years ago with two lawyers and two other employees. It has since grown to employ about 60 people, including 11 attorneys, according to Ernest Rojas, director of corporate services for the firm.
Initially, the firm planned to develop the building with Z-Co, a Houston-based company. However, that partnership ended and J.D. Silva is now working with Powers Brown Architecture while seeking bids for a general contractor.
The Lawplex design features glass walls, staggered floor plates with the largest floor on top, a rooftop patio and a centrally located staircase that lights up at night. Rojas said these modern elements required discussions with city officials because they differ from typical suburban architecture in Pearland.
Construction is expected to take between 12 and 14 months once it begins. J.D. Silva & Associates plans to occupy about 30,000 square feet of the new building and lease out the first floor for office or retail use.
Currently, the firm leases approximately 10,000 square feet at its location on Broadway Street in Pearland and has expanded with additional offices in Angleton and McAllen as its workload increases.
The new headquarters will be across Highway 288 from land that has been considered for large-scale development projects but where previous efforts have not moved forward. In 2023, NewQuest canceled plans for a $350 million mixed-use development on that site after also abandoning an earlier project there.
Pearland Economic Development Corporation President Matt Buchanan commented last year: “The 288 corridor is getting denser, better demographics and more rooftops.”
