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Michael V. Killough, P.C.: Board Certified From 1983 Until 2023, Still Practicing

Mike Killough was certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Residential and Commercial Real Estate Law in 1983 — the very first year the certification existed in Texas — and held it continuously until 2023, when his certification lapsed. He remains an actively licensed, practicing Dallas attorney, and this profile treats that certification history honestly rather than implying it is current.

At a Glance: This Dallas Real Estate Attorney’s Credentials

I. From Vietnam-Era Army Captain to First-Class Board Certification

Michael Killough graduated from SMU Dedman School of Law in 1966 and was admitted to practice in 1967. Before his legal career, he was a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1964 and served on active duty from 1967 to 1969, attaining the rank of Captain and earning the Meritorious Service Medal for his service as a Company Commander, Battalion Personnel Officer, and Battalion Executive Officer with the 10th Engineer Battalion (Combat), 3rd Infantry Division. He was among the first cohort of Texas attorneys to earn board certification in real estate law when the specialization launched in 1983, and he maintained that certification for four decades before it lapsed in 2023.

II. Practice Concentration

Killough’s practice spans commercial real estate, condominiums, easements, eminent domain, homeowners association disputes, land use and zoning, mortgages, neighbor disputes, residential real estate, and water law, alongside probate matters. This breadth across both residential and commercial real estate law, plus the specific inclusion of neighbor disputes and water law, reflects the kind of generalist real estate practice built over decades of Dallas-area transactions and disputes.

III. Track Record

Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Real estate transactions and disputes are typically confidential and do not generate a public results table.

Killough’s practice does not publish an itemized results table. One documented case, Goswami v. Metropolitan Savings & Loan Association, settled after a Texas Supreme Court ruling, according to his Avvo profile; Awesome Attorneys did not independently verify the specific outcome or terms of that settlement and is disclosing that gap directly.

IV. Client Voice

A client review describes a 40-year relationship with Killough as personal probate and real estate lawyer, handling multiple family probates and numerous real estate transactions, and calls him “completely trustworthy and competent” and direct in his communication, adding that of roughly 20 attorneys worked with over a lifetime, Killough has been the best. This kind of sustained, decades-long client relationship is a meaningful signal, though Awesome Attorneys notes it reflects one client’s extended experience rather than a broad review base.

V. Beyond the Courtroom

Killough is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and was selected a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly in 2003. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Texas Supreme Court — a broader set of admissions than many solo real estate practitioners maintain.

VI. Recognition

Peer-reviewed and independently conferred credentials: Board Certified in Residential and Commercial Real Estate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1983–2023 (historical, not current); Super Lawyer selection, Texas Monthly (2003); membership, College of the State Bar of Texas. Awesome Attorneys is explicit that the board certification, while a genuinely rigorous credential held for four decades, is not currently active per the attorney’s own State Bar listing, and readers should ask directly about current certification status if that matters to their decision. Awesome Attorneys did not identify any marketing-program-only awards claimed by this attorney.

VII. The Texas Legal Backdrop

Killough’s HOA and neighbor-dispute work engages the Texas Property Code’s restrictive covenant enforcement provisions and Chapter 209’s homeowners association procedural requirements. His water law practice touches Texas’s dual system of riparian rights and the prior-appropriation permitting regime administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for surface water. Eminent domain matters proceed under Texas Property Code Chapter 21 and the Texas Landowners Bill of Rights.

VIII. Awesome Attorneys Assessment: This Dallas Real Estate Lawyer’s Strengths and Limits

Killough’s 59 years in practice, his standing as one of the very first Texas attorneys board certified in real estate law, and a documented 40-year client relationship reflect a genuinely deep well of institutional real estate knowledge specific to Dallas. His broad subject-matter range, from eminent domain to water law to neighbor disputes, suits clients with less common or more idiosyncratic real estate problems.

The honest limitation for readers of this directory is currency: his board certification, while historically significant, has not been active since 2023, and at 59 years into practice, prospective clients should have a direct conversation about current caseload capacity and succession planning before committing to a long-term matter. Readers weighing decades of experience against a lapsed formal credential should factor both into their decision.

IX. Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the State Bar of Texas directory listing, which confirms his current active license and specifies the 1983–2023 certification window; Justia’s attorney directory profile; Avvo’s attorney profile, client review, and case reference; and Super Lawyers’ attorney profile. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; where independent verification of case outcomes or current certification status was unavailable or has lapsed, that gap or change is disclosed rather than glossed over.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Michael V. Killough, P.C. prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placements clearly labeled as such, but no payment of any kind determines inclusion in, or the content of, this editorial profile. This article is for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Michael V. Killough, P.C. or Awesome Attorneys.