Frederick Shelton is the CEO of Shelton & Steele. He has over 25 years of experience coordinating the lateral moves of attorneys, groups and law firm M&A. Prior to starting Shelton & Steele, Frederick served as the CMO of a multifaceted law firm, Executive Director of a Patent Boutique and Director of Legal at a 2,000 FTE corporation.

He is also a consultant to law firms and lawyers. He assists them in the following areas: 
 

• Branding, Rainmaking & Client Retention

• Law Firm Mergers & Acquisitions

• Creating & Improving New Law (Virtual & Hybrid) Law Firm Models

• Artificial Intelligence & How Lawyers Can Use It with Complete Accuracy & Security

• Legal-Specific MSO's (Management Services Organizations)

• Law Firm ABS (Alternative Business Structure) Models & Management

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Foresight
Frederick predicted that virtual lawyering and remote platforms would become normalized in 2019 – a year before COVID proved him correct. That year, he also predicted that Artificial Intelligence would be the single most impactful and game-changing technology to hit the profession of law.
His predictive analysis has repeatedly proven correct and he is now paid for his foresight and ability to effectively help his clients with the most modern and effective branding, marketing, virtual lawyering and use of Legal AI to capture market share and talent.
His latest predictions? Two, three-letter organizations will spread across the legal profession: The ABS legal structure (wherein non-attorneys can own equity in law firms) and Legal-Specific MSO's that allow attorneys to free up their time from administrative tasks, cut overhead, improve their techstack and focus on lawyering and rainmaking.

Frederick's insights have graced platforms like Success Magazine, Forbes, Bloomberg Law, American Lawyer Magazine, Authority Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Reader's Digest, the Baltimore Sun, Extraordinary Small Business and national and international tv and radio stations.
Frederick has his own column in Attorney at Law Magazine, called "Shelton Shares".

A Journey from Adversity to Inspiration

Frederick's personal journey is as inspiring as his professional one. Once a homeless teen, he was uplifted by a stranger's act of kindness, when a minister took him off the streets until he was old enough to join the U.S. Navy. This experience birthed Shelton & Steele's corporate motto:

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“All ships rise with the tide. We shall not endeavor to have the largest ship. We will be the tide.”

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The meaning is simple. Shelton & Steele is committed to giving back.
 

Beyond the Boardroom

Frederick is committed to driving change, fostering growth within the legal

industry and advocating for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, as well as ESG

(Environmental & Social Governance). His philanthropic spirit shines through

both donations and his years as a serial volunteer. His efforts have ranged from

the boardroom to rolling up his sleeves and working at St. Vinny's Bistro, a

soup kitchen which feeds over 400 homeless people per hour in San Antonio.

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Frederick is an avid league tennis player, who has competed

multiple times in the USTA State, Sectional and National

Championships.
Frederick is an artist a writer and has also been a paid, stand-up

comedian at iconic venues like The Comedy Store and the

Mandalay Bay Casino on the famous Las Vegas Strip.