Timothy C. "Tim" Shelby

Timothy C. "Tim" Shelby

Houston, TX recognized lawyers icon Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2015
Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing

13 Best Lawyers awards

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Awarded Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation

Biography

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 https://www.curejm.org/.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing

13 Best Lawyers awards

Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing logo

Overview

  • Harvard University, J.D., graduated 2002
  • Texas A&M University, M.P.S.A., Bush School of Government, graduated 1999
  • Baylor University, BA, graduated 1997

  • Texas, State Bar of Texas

  • Houston Young Lawyers Association - Member
  • Houston Bar Association - CLE Committee, 2008, 2010
  • Institute for Energy Law - Advisory Board, 2010-2011
  • Texas State Bar Oil & Gas Pattern Jury Charge Committee - Member, 2018-2021

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
  • Texas, State Bar of Texas
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association - Member
  • Houston Bar Association - CLE Committee, 2008, 2010
  • Institute for Energy Law - Advisory Board, 2010-2011
  • Texas State Bar Oil & Gas Pattern Jury Charge Committee - Member, 2018-2021
  • Harvard University, J.D., graduated 2002
  • Texas A&M University, M.P.S.A., Bush School of Government, graduated 1999
  • Baylor University, BA, graduated 1997
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Commercial Litigation
Awards:
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2015-2026

  • Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2024-2026

  • Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2014-2025
  • Ranked in Chambers USA, 2025

  • Texas Rising Stars, 2008-2010, 2012-2014, Thomson Reuters, honoring the best Texas lawyers under age 40 and those who have practiced less than 10 years.
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell

Additional Information

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Case History

Cases
  • Breach of contract claims
• 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.
  • Trade secret claims
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.
  • Business claims
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.

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