David E. Keltner

Top rated Appellate attorney in Fort Worth, Texas

Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
David E. Keltner
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP

Practice Areas: Appellate

Licensed in Texas since: 1975

Education: Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2003 - 2024

Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP

201 Main Street
Suite 2500
Fort Worth, TX 76102 Phone: 817-878-3560 Email: David E. Keltner Visit website

Formerly a Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals, David Keltner is lead counsel in well over 100 appellate decisions. His legal writings are cited, with approval, by Texas courts. Mr. Keltner is recognized for his appellate accomplishments. He was honored by Texas Lawyer as the "Go To" appellate lawyer in Texas. Texas Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters service published by Texas Monthly, selected him as one of the Top 10 Lawyers in Texas for the last seven years in a row. He was the "Top Point Getter" in Texas 2009-2011. The Texas Bar Foundation honored him with the inaugural Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award. Mr. Keltner is also recognized on the national stage as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, one of only 300 in the country.

First Admitted: 1975, Texas

Professional Webpage: https://www.kellyhart.com/attorney/David-Keltner

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, 2007-2022Ranked No. 1, 2009-2011, 2021, 2022Appellate, Top 10 Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters
  • Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2022Appellate, Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters
  • Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News & World Report, 2006-2023Appellate PracticeArbitrationBet-the-Company Litigation, Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyer in America
  • Top 100 Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2022Appellate, Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters
  • Named to The 400 Most Influential by Fort Worth, Inc. magazine, 2018-2023, Top 400, Fort Worth, Inc. magazine
  • Top Attorney in Appellate Law, 360 West magazine, 2017-2023, Top Attorney in Appellate Law, 360 West magazine
  • Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine, 2008-2023, 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
Pro bono/Community Service:
  • Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, Member, 2012-Present
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
  • 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.)
Bar/Professional Activity:
  • State Bar of TexasBoard of Directors, 1997-2001; Chair, 1999-2000Presidential Citation, 1984, 2000, 2008, 2010 
  • Tarrant County Bar AssociationDirector, 1990-1995, 1997-2000, 2009-2012President, 2015-2016Blackstone 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
Educational Background:
  • Southern Methodist University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1975
  • Trinity University, Bachelor of Arts, 1972
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
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
  • 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

Office location for David E. Keltner

201 Main Street
Suite 2500
Fort Worth, TX 76102

Selections

22 Years Super Lawyers
  • Super Lawyers: 2003 - 2024

Top Lists

Top 100: Texas Super Lawyers: 2004 - 2024
Top 100: Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers: 2003 - 2024
Top 10: Texas Super Lawyers: 2007 - 2024

Articles about David E. Keltner by Super Lawyers

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