|
Biography
Matt Stayton is an associate in the firm’s Appellate and Litigation sections, largely focusing his talents and experience on civil appeals. Mr. Stayton has successfully argued cases in the Texas appellate courts and represented clients at the Texas Supreme Court and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Stayton has extensive experience in appealing final judgments, interlocutory appeals, original proceedings, mandamus actions, and petitions for review, among others. As lead counsel, and as part of experienced appellate teams, Matt has worked on precedent setting appeals for both worldwide companies and individuals alike on a wide variety of matters.
Prior to joining Kelly, Hart & Hallman in 2006, Mr. Stayton practiced appellate law and civil litigation in Fort Worth. He also previously served as briefing attorney to Chief Justice Rex Davis of the Tenth Court of Appeals following graduation from Texas Tech School of Law in 2001. During law school, Mr. Stayton interned for a federal judge and an appellate court.
Past experiences handling significant appellate matters and working for judges have played an important role in Mr. Stayton’s practice in the trial court as well. This experience benefits clients during each step of litigation, and bridges the gap between success at trial and success on appeal. Mr. Stayton has represented plaintiffs and defendants at trial in a variety of matters, including breach of fiduciary duty and fraud claims, breach of contract, personal injury, and federal antitrust claims, among others.
Mr. Stayton is an active author and speaker on appellate and trial issues. In 2006, Mr. Stayton was recognized as an outstanding attorney in the appellate practice area by Fort Worth, Texas magazine.
Education & Honors
Baylor University (B.A., 1997)
Texas Tech University School of Law (J.D., 2001)
Briefing Attorney to Chief Justice Rex Davis, Tenth District Court of Appeals, Waco, Texas, 2001-2002
Named a "Top Attorney" in Appellate Law, Fort Worth, Texas magazine, 2006
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2006
Admission & Affiliations
Texas, 2001
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2006
Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court, 2005-present
Appellate and Litigation sections, State Bar of Texas
Tarrant County Bar Association and Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association
Significant Matters
Gibbins v. Berlin, 162 S.W.3d 335 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth 2005, no pet.) (as lead counsel on appeal, successfully argued to preserve a $400,000 judgment for the plaintiff stemming from an intentional tort)
In re Guardianship of Gibbs, ---S.W.3d---, 2006 WL 2830821 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth 2006) (as lead counsel on appeal, successfully argued for complete reversal of a $1,000,000 default judgment against the defendant on breach of fiduciary duty and conversion claims, rehearing filed)
Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts v. LaSalle Hotel Operating Partnership, 141 S.W.3d 870 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2004, no pet.) (part of an appellate team to obtain reversal of trial court’s denial of a special appearance on behalf of three foreign companies and one foreign national)
Banc of America Agency, Inc. v. Pickard, 2006 WL 20001 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth 2006, orig. proceeding) (obtained favorable result for plaintiff at the trial court, court of appeals and Texas Supreme Court, upholding trial court’s denial of defendant’s motion to compel arbitration in breach of fiduciary duty and fraud action)
Twenty Wings, Ltd. v. T.A.B.C., 2006 WL 1791707 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth, 2006, no pet.) (obtained reversal of a trial court ruling denying a nationwide restaurant franchise an alcohol license)
Hyundai Motor Co. v. Vasquez, 189 S.W.2d 743 (Tex. 2005) (part of appellate team to obtain reversal of the court of appeals’ opinion in a precedent setting voir dire/jury selection case for a worldwide automaker)
Publications & Speeches
Co-author, Error Preservation in Jury Selection, Advanced Civil Appellate Law Practice Course 2006, Austin, Texas, Sept. 7-8, 2006
Speaker, Preservation of Error, Advanced Personal Injury Law Course 2006, Dallas, Texas, July 12-14, 2006
Co-author, Preservation of Error, numerous MCLE papers/speeches, 2003-present |
