David E. Keltner
Top rated Appellate attorney in Fort Worth, Texas
Practice Areas:
Appellate
Education Qualification:
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Practice Areas:
Appellate
201 Main Street, Suite 2500Fort Worth, Texas, 76102
First Admitted: 1975, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://www.kellyhart.com/attorney/David-Keltner
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Supreme Court Advisory Committee, Member, 2024-Present
- State Bar of Texas Board of Directors Board of Directors, 1997-2001; Chair, 1999-2000 Presidential Citation, 1984, 2000, 2008, 2010
- Tarrant County Bar Association Director, 1990-1995, 1997-2000, 2009-2012 President, 2015-2016 Blackstone Award, 2017
- American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Fellow
- American Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow
- Tarrant County Bar Foundation, Sustaining Charter Fellow
- American Inns of Court—Eldon Mahon Inn, Master, 1994-1996; 2007-Present
- Fellows of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Founding Fellow
- SMU Dedman School of Law, Executive Board, 1998-Present
- Texas A&M University School of Law, Dean’s Advisory Council, Chair, 2013-Present
- State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Committee, Member, 2016-Present
- The University of Texas McDonald Observatory, Board of Visitors, 1997-Present
- Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, Member, 2012-Present
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Trinity Valley School; Board of Trustees, 2001-2013President, 2009-2012
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
- Citizens for Clean Air & Clean Water in Brazoria Cnty. v. United States Dep’t of Transp., 98 F.4th 178 (5th Cir. 2024)
- IAS Servs. Grp., L.L.C. v. Jim Buckley & Assocs.,No. 20-50750, 2023 WL 4235553 (5th Cir. June 28, 2023)
- In re Breviloba, LLC, No. 21-0541, 2022 WL 2282598 (Tex. June 24, 2022) (orig. proceeding) (per curiam
- RKI Expl. & Prod., LLC v. Ameriflow Energy Servs., LLC, No. 02-20-00384-CV, 2022 WL 2252895 (Tex. App.—Fort WorthJune 23, 2022, no pet.) (mem. op.)
- Hlavinka v. HSC Pipeline Partnership, LLC, No. 20-0567, 2022 WL 1696443 (Tex. May 27, 2022)
- Henry v. Smith, 637 S.W.3d 226 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2021, pet. denied)
- Tema Oil & Gas Co. v. ETC Field Servs., LLC, No. 07-20-00029-CV, 2021 WL 2944598 (Tex. App.—Amarillo July 13,2021, pet. denied)
- In re American Airlines, Inc., 634 S.W.3d 38 (Tex. 2021)
- Ortiz v. American Airlines, Inc., 5 F.4th 622 (5th Cir. 2021)
- City of San Antonio, Texas v. Hotels.com, L.P., 141 S. Ct. 1628 (2021)
- HouseCanary, Inc. v. Title Source, Inc., 622 S.W.3d 254 (Tex. 2021)
- Concho Res., Inc. v. Ellison, 627 S.W.3d 226 (Tex. 2021)
- Sundown Energy LP v. HJSA No. 3, Ltd. P’ship, 622 S.W.3d 884 (Tex. 2021)
- Richter v. Carnival Corp., 837 Fed. Appx. 260 (5th Cir. 2020)
- Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. v. Enter. Prods. Partners, L.P., 593 S.W.3d 732 (Tex. 2020)
- Pathfinder Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Great W. Drilling, Ltd., 574 S.W.3d 882 (Tex. 2019)
- Friedman & Feiger, LLP v. Massey, Nos. 02-18-00401-CV, 02-18-00402-CV, 2019 WL 3269325 (Tex. App.—Fort WorthJuly 18, 2019, pet. denied) (mem. op.)
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Board Certified in Civil Appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, Member, 2012-Present
Honors/Awards:
- Chambers USA: Texas, Litigation: Appellate, 2005-2022Star Individual, 2021-2022Band 1, 2005-2022, Chambers USA, Chambers USA
- Top 10 Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2007-2025 Ranked No. 1, in 2009-2011 and 2021-2024 , Top 10 Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters
- Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2025, Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters
- Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News & World Report, 2006-2025 Appellate Practice Arbitration Bet-the-Company Litigation, Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyer in America
- Top 100 Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2025, Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters
- Named to The 400 Most Influential by Fort Worth, Inc. magazine, 2018-2025, Top 400, Fort Worth, Inc. magazine
- Top Attorney in Appellate Law, 360 West magazine, 2017-2024, Top Attorney in Appellate Law, 360 West magazine
- Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine, 2008-2024, Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine
- Best Lawyers®, Arbitration Lawyer of the Year, Dallas/Fort Worth, 2020, Best Lawyers®, Arbitration Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers®
- Named Dallas/Fort Worth Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers®, 2016, 2018, Dallas/Fort Worth Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers®
- Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award, Texas Center for Legal Ethics, 2018, Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award, Texas Center for Legal Ethics
- Designated as “Power Lawyer” by Fort Worth Business Press (2009), Power Lawyer, Fort Worth Business Press
Educational Background:
- Southern Methodist University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1975
- Trinity University, Bachelor of Arts, 1972
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Speaker, “Contract Construction,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, July 2024, Speaker, Contract Construction, State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2024
- Speaker, “Writing the Brief,” State Bar of Texas Handling Your First (or Next) Civil Appeal, April 2024, Speaker, Writing the Brief, State Bar of Texas Handling Your First (or Next) Civil Appeal, 2024
- Speaker, “The Court’s Charge,” Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, April 2024, Speaker, The Court’s Charge, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, 2024
- Author and Co-Presenter with Judge Carl Stewart, “Jim Crow, the Fifth Circuit, and President Eisenhower,” AAAL Spring Meeting New Orleans (2024), Author and Co-Presenter with Judge Carl Stewart, Jim Crow, the Fifth Circuit, and President Eisenhower, AAAL Spring Meeting New Orleans, 2024
- Speaker, "Texas Supreme Court Lessons in Contract Construction," State Bar of Texas Adanced Civil Appellate Practice, September 2023, Speaker, Texas Supreme Court Lessons in Contract Construction, State Bar of Texas Adanced Civil Appellate Practice, 2023
- Speaker, “The Court’s Charge,” Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, April 2023, Speaker, The Court’s Charge, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, 2023
- Speaker, “Persuasive Oral Argument Techniques,” UT Law CLE Conference on State and Federal Appeals, 2023, Speaker, Persuasive Oral Argument Techniques, UT Law CLE Conference on State and Federal Appeals, 2023
- Speaker, “The Jury Charge,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2023, Speaker, The Jury Charge, State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2023
- Podcast, "The Evolution of Texas Appellate Practice | David Keltner, "Texas Appellate Law Podcast, January 2023, The Evolution of Texas Appellate Practice | David Keltner, Texas Appellate Law Podcast, 2023
- Author, "Fiduciary Duties: Navigating Contract and Common-Law Limits,” Corporate Counsel Review, Volume XL,2021, Author, Fiduciary Duties: Navigating Contract and Common-Law Limits, Corporate Counsel Review, Volume XL, 2021, 2021
- Speaker, “Tell the Story: Persuasive Writing and Speaking,” UT Law CLE Conference on Criminal Appeals, 2021, Speaker, Tell the Story: Persuasive Writing and Speaking, UT Law CLE Conference on Criminal Appeals, 2021
- Speaker, “Account-Ability in Court: From Slavery to Scandal,” Texas State Historical Association Annual Meeting,2021, Speaker, Account-Ability in Court: From Slavery to Scandal, Texas State Historical Association Annual Meeting, 2021
- Speaker, “Appellate Advocacy,” Texas Bar CLE Advanced Criminal Law Course, 2021 , Speaker, Appellate Advocacy, Texas Bar CLE Advanced Criminal Law Course, 2021
- Speaker, “Practical Application of the PJC,” Texas Bar CLE Fiduciary Litigation, 2021, Speaker, Practical Application of the PJC, Texas Bar CLE Fiduciary Litigation, 2021
- Speaker, “The Court’s Charge,” Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, 2021, Speaker, The Court’s Charge, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, 2021
- Speaker, "The Presumed Grant Theory and its Application to Texas Title Disputes," Texas Bar CLE Oil and GasDisputes 2020 Houston, Texas, 2020, Speaker, The Presumed Grant Theory and its Application to Texas Title Disputes, Texas Bar CLE Oil and Gas Disputes 2020 Houston, Texas, 2020, 2020
- Speaker, "The Court's Charge," UT Law CLE 29th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals Austin, 2019, Speaker, The Court's Charge, UT Law CLE 29th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals Austin, 2019, 2019
- Speaker, "The Court's Charge," Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar Corpus Christi, 2019 , Speaker, The Court's Charge, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar Corpus Christi, 2019, 2019
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Board Certified, Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization Certification
- Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization Certification
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