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Howard Bookstaff at Hoover Slovacek: The Houston Real Estate Attorney Who Has Been the Apartment Association’s General Counsel Since 1995

Origin and Background

Hoover Slovacek LLP is headquartered at Galleria Tower II, 5051 Westheimer, Suite 1200, Houston, TX 77056, confirmed through the firm’s own site and State Bar of Texas records. The firm states it has served real estate industry clients for more than 50 years and today counts more than 40 attorneys across Houston and Austin offices. Howard M. Bookstaff, head of the firm’s multi-family practice, earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, graduating in 1986. State Bar of Texas records show Bookstaff holds Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in three distinct areas — Commercial Real Estate Law, Residential Real Estate Law, and Property Owners’ Association Law — a triple certification Awesome Attorneys found matched by only one other attorney profiled in this Houston real estate category.

Practice Concentration

Bookstaff has focused for more than 35 years on commercial and residential real estate, landlord-tenant law, condominium law, and community association law, according to his firm biography. His most distinctive credential is institutional rather than purely legal: he has served as general counsel of the Houston Apartment Association since 1995, a role in which he has authored amicus curiae briefs and been actively involved in the apartment industry’s legislative efforts in both Houston and Austin. He has also assisted in drafting Houston city ordinances and Texas state landlord-tenant statutes, and authors a monthly column in Abode, the Houston Apartment Association’s magazine. See this Houston Real Estate & Property directory for how this multi-family-focused practice compares to other Harris County firms.

Notable Work / Track Record

Consistent with a real estate advisory and multi-family practice rather than a litigation docket, the firm does not publish a table of case verdicts or settlements for Bookstaff’s work, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify one. What is independently verifiable is his three-decade run as general counsel to the Houston Apartment Association and his direct role in shaping both municipal and state landlord-tenant law — a form of “notable work” that is legislative and institutional rather than case-specific.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a public consumer-review presence for Bookstaff, consistent with a practice built around institutional clients — apartment owners, property managers, and financial institutions — rather than individual consumers. Hoover Slovacek’s own site states that individuals, investors, businesses, community groups, management companies, and financial institutions have trusted the firm, a self-description of its client base rather than a quoted review.

Beyond the Courtroom

Bookstaff’s most substantial public-service credential is his three-decade appointment as general counsel of the Houston Apartment Association, a role that extends into direct legislative drafting work on landlord-tenant law rather than case litigation. Awesome Attorneys did not identify separate nonprofit board service outside the apartment-industry context documented for him.

Recognition for This Houston Real Estate Firm

Bookstaff has been named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2011 through 2012 and again from 2014 through 2025, a multi-year run longer than most other individually-recognized attorneys reviewed in this category. His triple Board Certification — Commercial Real Estate, Residential Real Estate, and Property Owners’ Association Law, all through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — is the credential Awesome Attorneys treats as decisive for “specialist”-level language in this profile.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Bookstaff’s core practice area — multi-family and apartment real estate — sits at the intersection of Texas Property Code Chapter 92, which governs residential landlord-tenant relationships including security deposits and habitability, and Chapter 24, which governs the eviction (forcible detainer) process. Condominium and community-association matters proceed under Property Code Chapter 82, the Texas Uniform Condominium Act, and Chapter 209, the Residential Property Owners Protection Act. Because Bookstaff has been directly involved in drafting portions of this statutory framework, according to his firm biography, clients working with him may be dealing with an attorney who helped write the rules governing the dispute, not merely one who applies them. None of this is legal advice; a specific landlord-tenant, condominium, or HOA matter should be evaluated by a licensed Texas attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Howard Bookstaff’s clearest differentiator is institutional depth that goes beyond individual case work: nearly 30 years as general counsel to the Houston Apartment Association, direct authorship input on Texas landlord-tenant statutes and Houston ordinances, and a rare triple TBLS board certification spanning commercial, residential, and HOA real estate law. The honest trade-off is that this is a practice built around apartment owners, property managers, and institutional real estate clients rather than a single homeowner’s transaction or dispute, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify individual consumer reviews that would help a smaller client gauge day-to-day responsiveness. For a multi-family property owner, management company, or apartment industry stakeholder evaluating Houston counsel, Bookstaff’s three-decade institutional track record is a reasonable basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Hoover Slovacek LLP’s official website (hooverslovacek.com), including Howard Bookstaff’s attorney biography page, State Bar of Texas member directory records, and Howard Bookstaff’s Super Lawyers profile.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Hoover Slovacek LLP prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.