Rachelle “Shelley” Glazer
Partner
Rachelle "Shelley" Glazer focuses her federal and state trial practice and consultation work on complex multimillion-dollar commercial disputes in two main areas: 1) energy business disputes and 2) insurance contract and coverage disputes. In conjunction with her insurance trial practice, Shelley provides her clients with coverage advice and opinions in first-party and third-party insurance claims.
Shelley applies her analytical and organizational knowledge and experience to each matter and is adept at utilizing summary judgment, mediation, arbitration and trial skills to achieve the greatest results for her clients. In addition, Shelley has served as National Coordinating Counsel for royalty cases for one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S.
Energy Matters
- Served as national coordinating counsel for one of the largest natural gas producers in two multi-district litigations, one with 20,000 plaintiffs and one with more than 50 cases; organized and managed legal teams, comprised of multiple lawyers, legal assistants and technology assistants, to successfully support the volume of litigation.
- Represented energy companies in litigation involving royalty disputes and obtained summary judgments concerning plaintiffs’ damage claims for attorneys’ fees, check stub fraud, punitive damages, alleged violations of the Texas Natural Resources Code, torts under the economic loss rule and alleged hedging transactions; District Court of Tarrant County, Texas, 48th Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in New Mexico concerning whether a gas purchase agreement allowed capital investment recovery by a midstream company and whether settlement statement charges were excessive; District Court of Eddy County, New Mexico, Fifth Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in defense of a multimillion-dollar claim by a royalty owner alleging breach of the express obligation to pay highest market price under a lease and breach of the covenant to reasonably develop the lease; District Court of Tarrant County, Texas, 67th Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in defense of multiple claims by plaintiffs in the Winter Storm Uri MDL, where the plaintiffs allege they suffered property damage and personal injury because they lost electric power during Winter Storm Uri; District Court of Harris County, Texas 164th Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in defense of a multimillion-dollar claim by an exploration and production company alleging that the defendants’ saltwater disposal wells washed out the oil and gas reserves from which the plaintiffs’ wells produce; District Court of Loving County, Texas, 143rd Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in an arbitration trial concerning whether gas upstream of delivery points was properly released and whether the counterparty properly exercised an option to obtain natural gas liquids; Arbitration Panel, Dallas, Texas.
- Obtained a unanimous multimillion-dollar arbitration trial award from a three-member arbitration panel for a royalty trust, concerning whether an underlying settlement was a production cost and could be charged to the trust under the governing contracts.
- Represented an energy company in an arbitration trial to defend a claim concerning the meaning and calculation of “completion” costs to be carried by the company.
- Represented individual oil and gas investors against an oil and gas company in a jury trial to obtain a declaration of millions of dollars of ownership rights in property in Colorado; District Court of Dallas County, Texas, 101st Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in defense of a multimillion-dollar trespass claim arising out of a lease termination dispute; District Court of McMullen County, Texas, 343rd Judicial District.
- Represented an energy company in defense of a multimillion-dollar trespass and negligence claim arising out of saltwater injection; U.S. District Court of Texas, Amarillo Division.
- Represented an energy company in several lawsuits and an arbitration concerning disputes arising under the implementation of a gas processing agreement and joint operating agreement.
- Represented several energy companies and their principals in defense of claims for breach of fiduciary duties and usurping corporate opportunities.
- Represented an agricultural equipment manufacturer in an arbitration arising out of a commercial energy contract dispute.
Insurance Matters
- Obtained a successful settlement after five days of jury trial testimony in a case to recover multimillion-dollar business interruption losses; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division.
- Represented the excess insurance company defendant in a declaratory judgment action involving the enforceability of a substantial “sweetheart settlement” between the insured and the plaintiff arising out of an aviation accident; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
- Obtained summary judgment for an insurer in a coverage dispute involving the priority and application of “other insurance” clauses in competing policies for a third-party liability suit; Court of Appeals for the Fifth Supreme Judicial District of Texas, Dallas.
- Obtained summary judgment for an insurance agent in a case involving claims of negligence and misrepresentation in procuring insurance coverage when plaintiff’s medical claim was denied; U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division.
- Represented an excess insurer for coverage analysis and in coverage litigation after a large verdict in underlying litigation.
- Represented an excess insurer in an insurance contract dispute with its insured and primary carrier in federal court concerning an indemnity claim for the settlement of a nursing home case.
- Negotiated a settlement concerning supplemental premium after termination of a worker compensation policy.
- Negotiated a settlement after managing pretrial work of a federal court case involving business interruption from contamination of food products.
- Represented multiple parties in federal and state court indemnity claims.
- Negotiated a settlement in indemnity claim involving bodily injury and property damage in seven lawsuits arising out of a pipeline leak.
Admissions
- Texas
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Education
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (J.D., 1983)
- Managing editor of the Southwestern Law Journal
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A, 1980)
Memberships
- Dallas Bar Association, Business Litigation Practice Section; Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Chair, 2012
- State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section, 1983; Insurance Law Section, 1988; Editor, Journal of Texas Insurance Law, 2011-2020
- “New Fort Worth Trial Firm Adds Offices in Dallas, West Texas” Texas Lawyer, February 8, 2024.
- Texas Supreme Court Adopts Collusive-Fraud Exception to Eight Corners Rule, Insurance Law Section, State Bar of Texas, June 3, 2020.
- Texas Supreme Court Rejects Language-Based Exception to Eight Corners Rule, Insurance Law Section, State Bar of Texas, June 23, 2020.
- Cybersecurity Roundtable and 2021 Litigation Update, Speaking Engagement, Holland & Knight Program, August 26, 2021.
- Cybersecurity Insurance: Trends and Traps, Speaking Engagement, February 4, 2021.
- These North Texas Businesses Bought Insurance, Only To Learn Coronavirus-Related Losses Aren’t Covered, Dallas Morning News. May 10, 2020.
- BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America Guide, “Insurance Coverage,” 2012-2016; “Insurance Law, Litigation – Insurance,” 2017-2024.
- DMagazine, “Best Lawyer, Insurance Law,” 2024
- BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America Guide, “Dallas Litigation – Insurance Lawyer of the Year,” 2022.
- The American Lawyer, “Top Rated Litigators,” 2021.
- Thompson Reuters, Texas Super Lawyers Magazine, “Insurance Coverage,” 2012-2016; “Business Litigation,” 2017-2020