David Arthur Skeels

David’s second career, as a trial lawyer and intellectual property lawyer, follows a career in professional baseball that spanned five seasons. His journey as a minor-league catcher and coach in the Seattle Mariners, Oakland A’s, and Texas Rangers organizations has been chronicled by multiple publications, including Texas Lawyer and Baylor Law School’s Rocket Docket, which described his adventure as a member of New Zealand’s 2012 World Baseball Classic team.

David’s passion to compete and win has translated well into his legal pursuits. Since 2003, David has enjoyed litigating complex cases across multiple fields, including intellectual property, business, oil and gas, sports and entertainment, and consumer-related matters. More recently, he has advised clients and been a featured speaker on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) issues.

David’s courtroom experience, which includes numerous first-chair engagements, includes successful trials in both federal and state court, in Texas and outside of Texas. Since 2008, he has focused the vast majority of his time and efforts representing plaintiffs in high-stakes intellectual property litigation and complex commercial litigation. He was elected by his fellow IP lawyers to serve as Chair of the Tarrant County Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section from 2009 to 2010.

David also handles appeals and has argued successfully before the Texas Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

David has been accorded the highest Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell: AV Preeminent.

Awards & Recognitions

Named a “Texas Super Lawyer” for the years 2011 to present.“Super Lawyers” is a Thomson-Reuters service printed in Texas Monthly.

Named a “Super Lawyer-Rising Star” for the years 2006-2009, 2011-2013. “Super Lawyer-Rising Stars” is a Thomson-Reuters service selected by peer review ratings.

Recognized as a Top Attorney by 360 West Magazine 2018 to present

Included on a list of “Top Attorneys” in 2013-2024, Fort Worth, Texas Magazine.

AV-Rated Martindale-Hubbell: Preeminent

Publications & Presentations

A House Divided? The House v. NCAA Settlement and the State of NIL (Fort Worth City Club Speaker Series - Oct. 10, 2024)

WILD, WILD WE$T: Name, Image, and Likeness Issues and the Changing Landscape of “Amateur” Athletics (Fort Worth City Club Speaker Series - Mar. 9, 2023)

Guest Speaker: UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law -- Patent Litigation Seminar (Oct. 15, 2022)

How to Secure Injunctive Relief in Patent Cases. Advanced Patent Litigation Jul 19, 2019

Baseball & the Supreme Court: Indispensable & Inseparable Institutions (Fort Worth City Club Speaker Series -- Jan 11, 2018)

Status of Cybor Corp. v. FAS Technologies after Federal Circuit's en banc ruling in Lighting Ballast Control v. Universal Lighting (Texas Lawyer video series: Reversed and Remanded)

The DTPA's Professional Services Exemption: Let 'em be Doctors and Lawyers and Such (55 Baylor L. Rev. 783)