Houston Principal David Tolin and Attorney Ray Dennison wrote the following article for the November edition of Construction News magazine. David and Ray explore how, in the construction industry, knowing which tools to use is essential—and one of the most powerful legal tools for Texas contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers is the Mechanic's and Materialmen's Lien, a mechanism that secures payment by placing a lien on a property until all debts are resolved.