Houston Business Journal
Houston Business Journal: A Neighborhood Reborn
A Neighborhood Reborn — Sean Roberts' $20M plan to transform Riverside Terrace
At Roberts Markland, advocacy has never stopped at the courtroom doors.
We believe the communities we serve deserve more than representation when something goes wrong. They deserve investment, opportunity, preservation, education, resources, and people willing to stand beside them.
From restoring historic Houston neighborhoods and investing in education to empowering women entrepreneurs, mentoring future generations, supporting families, and bringing resources to communities recovering from disaster, Roberts Markland is committed to making an impact that lasts.
We fight for our communities. We invest in their future.
Roberts Markland was built on the belief that everyone deserves a voice.
In our legal practice, that means standing up to powerful insurance companies and corporations on behalf of people who have been injured or wronged.
In our communities, it means something bigger.
It means using our resources, relationships, platform, and influence to help create opportunities for others.
Our community work is centered around four principles: Preserve. Empower. Invest. Serve.
Preserve the history and culture that shaped our communities.
Empower people to build their own futures.
Invest in education, entrepreneurship, and opportunity.
Serve families and neighborhoods when they need us.
This is what being a Community Champion means to us.
Houston’s historic Riverside Terrace is more than the location of Roberts Markland’s offices. It’s part of Houston’s story.
Once home to some of Houston’s most influential families and later a center of Black achievement, culture, entrepreneurship, and professional success, Riverside Terrace holds an important place in the history of the Greater Third Ward.
Roberts Markland founding partners Sean Roberts and Clive Markland believe that history deserves to be protected.
Through the acquisition, restoration, and adaptive reuse of historic properties along Riverside Drive, Roberts Markland and its affiliated development efforts are helping preserve the architectural character of the neighborhood while creating new economic and cultural opportunities.
Rather than tearing down the past to build something new, the vision is to give these historic properties a new chapter.
The vision for Riverside Terrace goes beyond restoring buildings. It’s about creating an economic and cultural corridor that brings new businesses, hospitality, art, dining, jobs, and investment into the neighborhood while respecting the community that made Riverside Terrace what it is today.
Projects and concepts associated with the broader vision include hospitality, restaurants, an urban farm, an art gallery, and the emerging Black Art Museum of Houston.
The goal is not simply development. It’s preservation with purpose.
Creating economic opportunity while protecting history. Encouraging investment while respecting culture. Building for tomorrow without erasing yesterday.
For Sean Roberts, the conversation is also about ownership. Communities should have opportunities to participate economically in the neighborhoods they helped create.
That means having important conversations about property ownership, development, entrepreneurship, historic preservation, and generational wealth.
Roberts Markland believes revitalization can create opportunity without abandoning the identity of a community.
Preserve what matters. Create opportunity. Build something worthy of the community’s history.
That philosophy guides the firm’s work in Riverside Terrace. One building. One business. One block at a time.
Some of Houston’s most powerful stories belong to women who are building businesses, leading organizations, mentoring others, breaking barriers, and quietly transforming their communities.
Roberts Markland created Women Who Win to make sure those women are seen, celebrated, and supported.
Launched in recognition of Women’s History Month, Women Who Win invited Houstonians to nominate extraordinary women demonstrating leadership, resilience, entrepreneurship, and meaningful community impact.
The initiative culminated in a $5,000 business grant designed to help one exceptional Houston woman continue building her vision.
The inaugural Women Who Win grant was awarded to Houston realtor and humanitarian Mayda Salgado, whose impact extends beyond her professional success to mentorship and service supporting survivors of human trafficking and women rebuilding their lives.
When you invest in a woman, the impact rarely stops with her. It reaches families, businesses, organizations, and entire communities.
And we’re just getting started.
Education has the power to change not only individual lives but entire communities.
Roberts Markland believes meaningful investment in education creates opportunities today while helping address the challenges of tomorrow.
In 2025, Roberts Markland contributed $100,000 to Texas Southern University in support of the Juneteenth Remuneration Study conducted through the university’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law and Jesse H. Jones School of Business.
The groundbreaking research examines the legal and economic consequences surrounding the delayed emancipation of enslaved Texans following the Emancipation Proclamation.
Supporting this work reflects our commitment to education, historical understanding, meaningful research, and the pursuit of justice.
Because understanding where we’ve been helps determine where we go next.
When Roberts Markland expanded its presence into Los Angeles, our first priority wasn’t simply introducing our firm. It was giving back.
Following the devastating fires affecting communities in Altadena and Pasadena, Roberts Markland hosted the free community seminar Healing & History: Protecting Our People and Our Places.
The event brought together community members and experts to address two critical parts of recovery following disaster: healing people and preserving place.
Clinical psychotherapist Dr. Janice Beal led a conversation about mental wellness in the aftermath of natural disasters and trauma, helping residents understand how individuals and communities can prepare, respond, and emotionally heal.
Architectural preservationist Ron Woodson discussed the importance of protecting the architectural, historical, and cultural identity of Altadena and Pasadena as the communities rebuild.
The event was offered through both in-person and virtual sessions to make these resources accessible to as many people as possible.
Because rebuilding a community means more than replacing what was lost. It means caring for the people who experienced it, protecting the stories that came before it, and ensuring that rebuilding doesn’t erase what made a neighborhood home.
Heal the people. Preserve the history. Build forward together.
For Roberts Markland, Thanksgiving is about more than giving thanks. It’s about giving back.
Through our annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive, Roberts Markland brings together our team and community to help Houston families put Thanksgiving dinner on the table.
Families receive turkeys and support at no cost, helping make the holiday a little easier and a lot more joyful.
It’s a simple act with an important purpose: Neighbors helping neighbors.
Because no family should feel forgotten during a season centered around gratitude and togetherness.
Every child deserves to walk into the first day of school feeling prepared, confident, and excited about what’s ahead.
Roberts Markland’s Back-to-School Bash helps local students and families start the school year with the tools they need to succeed.
The annual community event brings families together for free school supplies, bookbags, games, prizes, activities, and a little something for parents, too.
But the backpacks and school supplies represent something bigger. They represent possibility.
We believe in you. We’re rooting for you. And your future matters.
Investing in children is one of the most powerful investments a community can make.
Strong communities need strong cultural institutions.
Art, architecture, music, theater, and storytelling preserve where we’ve been while helping future generations imagine where they can go.
Roberts Markland and its leadership have supported organizations dedicated to protecting and celebrating Houston’s cultural legacy.
Founding partner Sean Roberts serves on the Board of Directors of the Houston Museum of African American Culture and has supported organizations including The Ensemble Theatre.
The Riverside Terrace vision further reflects that commitment through the preservation of historic architecture and the development of spaces dedicated to art and culture.
Because when we preserve culture, we preserve the stories of the people who built our communities.
Success means more when it creates opportunities for someone else.
That’s why mentorship and youth development remain important parts of Roberts Markland’s broader community commitment.
Sean Roberts has served as chairman of the Tairon Gray Foundation and has participated in Kappa Alpha Psi’s Guide Right youth mentorship efforts.
Through mentorship, education, entrepreneurship, and community involvement, Roberts Markland believes today’s leaders have a responsibility to help prepare tomorrow’s.
Open doors. Create opportunity. Leave something stronger behind.
$100,000
Invested in groundbreaking research at Texas Southern University
$5,000
Awarded through the inaugural Women Who Win business grant
Historic Riverside Terrace Properties
Preserved and reimagined for the next generation
Houston + Los Angeles
Community initiatives reaching beyond the courtroom
Annual Turkey Drive
Supporting Houston families during the holidays
Back-to-School Bash
Helping local children begin the school year prepared for success
Community Education
Providing free access to experts, information, and resources
A backpack in the hands of a child starting school.
A Thanksgiving meal for a family.
Seed money that helps a woman grow her business.
A historic home saved from demolition.
Mental health resources for people recovering from disaster.
Research that helps us better understand our history.
A mentor telling a young person what’s possible.
These moments may look different. But they’re connected by one belief:
Stronger people build stronger communities.
And stronger communities create a better future for all of us.
Community isn’t something we talk about once a year. It’s something we show up for all year long.
Follow Roberts Markland to see our latest community initiatives, partnerships, events, neighborhood investments, and opportunities to get involved.
We’re trial lawyers. We’re advocates. We’re neighbors.
And we’re committed to leaving the communities we serve stronger than we found them.
Justice in the courtroom. Impact in the community.
LET US SPEAK FOR YOU
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