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

David E. Keltner