Tim Shelby
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Houston, Texas
Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, PLLC
Practice areas: Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation
Licensed in Texas since: 2002
Education: Harvard Law School
Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, PLLC
1221 McKinney StSuite 2500
Houston, TX 77010 Phone: 713-655-1101 Email: Tim Shelby Visit website
Tim Shelby focuses on complex commercial litigation and oil and gas-related litigation. When interviewed by Chambers USA, clients offered the following assessments: “Tim is an excellent trial lawyer;” “Tim has good common sense and comes up with great strategy, which always leads to good results;” and “Tim is excellent at what he does.”
Tim is recognized by Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation in Texas from 2015 – 2025. Tim is recognized for his work in General Commercial Litigation by the highly respected Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, published by London-based Chambers and Partners. Tim has been named to the Texas Super Lawyers list from 2014 – 2023 for business litigation. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and he is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Since 2018, Tim has served on the State Bar of Texas Oil and Gas Pattern Jury Charge Committee, which updates and revises the way the law is typically presented to juries in Texas trials.
Tim received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2002. While at Harvard, he served as a Teaching Fellow in Harvard’s Department of Economics. Tim received a Master of Public Service and Administration from the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University in 1999, where he was recognized as a Bush Fellow. Tim received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in economics and political science from Baylor University in 1997. Prior to joining AZA, Tim practiced in the litigation department of Baker Botts in Houston.
Tim serves on the Board of Directors of Cure JM Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Juvenile Myositis (JM), an autoimmune disease in which a child’s immune system attacks its own cells and tissues. In 2019 and 2020, he served as a Co-Chair of the Walk Strong for Cure JM – Houston. If you are interested in learning more about Cure JM, please go to http://www.curejm.org/.
First Admitted: 2002, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://azalaw.com/our-attorneys/tim-shelby/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Institute for Energy Law, Advisory Board, 2010-2011; Houston Bar Association, CLE Committee, 2008 & 2010; Houston Young Lawyers Association; Admitted: State Bar of Texas, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Texas
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- • Energy- Breach of contract claims – Mr. Shelby recently took on an oilfield tool manufacturing client that had $35 million in breach of contract claims against it. Within six months of representing the client, he completely changed the dynamic of the case and his client received a multimillion dollar settlement.
- • Energy - Trade secret claims – Representing plaintiffs, Mr. Shelby has secured multiple temporary restraining orders, temporary injunctions, and permanent injunctions for oilfield tool and service companies. He recently served as the lead trial lawyer for an oilfield tools company in a high-profile bench trial against a competitor who bribed an employee to get manufacturing drawings and then provided them to Chinese manufacturers. Although his client is still awaiting a final decision from the court, the competitor was forced to take the unusual step of agreeing to the entry of a permanent injunction at the end of the trial. See this Houston Chronicle story about the case. Representing defendants, Mr. Shelby recently forced one of the largest oilfield services companies in the world to abandon its trade secret claims and dismiss the lawsuit within two weeks of filing suit.
- • Energy - Business claims – Mr. Shelby recently defended a crude purchasing and marketing company against over $150 million in claims brought by multiple producers under various lien statutes. After over 200 depositions and a three-day summary judgment hearing, the plaintiffs abandoned their claims against his client. Mr. Shelby also defended a crude purchasing company against over $100 million in trespass claims brought against the company by a large landowner in West Texas. After securing a summary judgment ruling that significantly reduced the liability in the case, the landowner gave up and dismissed the remaining claims against his client on the eve of trial.
- • Energy companies – Mr. Shelby routinely represents exploration and production companies, refining and petrochemical companies, pipeline companies, oilfield tool manufacturers, and oilfield services companies in a wide variety of energy litigation matters, including breach of contract claims, tortious interference claims, and trade secret misappropriation matters. Recent victories include:
- Aluminum extrusion facility – Successfully brought claims against previous owners of facility under CERCLA and the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act for costs associated with remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater.
- Commercial real estate developers – Defended developers against breach of contract, negligence and fraud claims.
- Insurance brokers – Defense against professional-liability and business-tort claims asserted against one of the largest insurance brokers in the world.
- Accountants – Represented accounting firms in professional liability and securities matters brought under federal securities laws and the Texas Securities Act.
- Electric and gas utilities – Represented a large electric and gas utility in commercial, environmental, property-damage, and personal-injury disputes. Defended a large retail electric utility against breach of contract and deceptive trade practice claims.
Representative Clients
- Energy companies, electric and gas utilities, accountants, insurance brokers, commercial real estate developers among others.
Educational Background
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2002; Teaching Fellow, Harvard Department of Economics, 2000-2002; M.P.S.A., public service and administration, Texas A&M University, 1999; Bush Fellow, 1997-1999; B.A. (summa cum laude), economics and political science, Baylor University, 1997; Phi Beta Kappa
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Strategies for Corporate Representative Depositions, 33rd Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, Houston, Texas, April 2011
Honors
- Recognized by attorneys across the United States as one of the Best Lawyers in America for 2015. Rated AV Preeminent, the highest possible peer rating, by Martindale Hubbell. Named to Law & Politics’ Texas Rising Stars listing, 2008 – 2010, 2012. Recognized by H Texas Magazine as a “Professional on the Fast Track — Law,” 2009
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2026
- Rising Stars: 2008 - 2010, 2012 - 2014