Frederick Shelton
PRESIDENT
Bio
Background
Frederick Shelton is the CEO of Shelton & Steele and has over 25 years of experience coordinating the lateral moves of attorneys, groups and law firm M&A. Mr. Shelton started with a large firm wherein attorneys were advised to allow him to "shotgun" their resumes to every law firm in town and partners were advised to "be optimistic" (exaggerate) In Re the size of their portable books.
He started Shelton & Steele to create a firm that prioritized two things:
1. The best interest and protection of the attorney, group or acquired firm.
2. Integrity - no "selling" firms and no exaggerating books of business.
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.
Foresight
He 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.
He is a paid consultant on both virtual lawyering and Legal AI.
His insights have graced platforms like Success Magazine, Forbes, Bloomberg Law, and American Lawyer Magazine. Frederick writes the "Shelton Shares" column for Attorney at Law magazine.
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:
“All ships rise with the tide. We shall not endeavor to have the largest ship. We will be the tide.” A testament to his belief in collective growth and giving back.
Beyond the Boardroom
Frederick is committed to driving change, fostering growth within the legal industry and advocating for Diversity, Equity & Inclusions, as well as ESG (Environmental & Social Governance). His philanthropic spirit shines through both donations and his years as a serial volunteer. He currently volunteers with Haven for Hope - which provides housing, food and job assistance to the homeless population in San Antonio.
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.
Frederick's first paid performance at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas.
Publications & Media
Frederick Shelton Quoted on Virtual & Hybrid Law Firms
Mr Shelton shares his insights regarding the advent, growth and differentiation of Virtual, Hybrid and New Law Model firms.
Frederick Shelton Interviews the Head of AI of Cisco
Attorney At Law Magazine, September 20, 2023
Mr Shelton interview Barak Turovsky, the former head of AI for Google and Microsoft, who has since accepted a position as the head of AI for Cisco. The insights are profound.
​
Mr. Shelton gets insights from the head of Verizon, North America and the former President of Sony, North America, on everything from basic training to new, light-based internet transmission technology.
Over the last few months, several things have become clear about the use of AI in the legal profession. If law firm management does not adapt, they will fall behind. To read the article, click here.
Will A.I. and Tech Replace Attorneys? No. But it has begun doing a lot of low-level functions already. To read Mr. Shelton's article, click here.
Virtual Law Firms. Brick & Mortar Firms with Virtual Offices. They are real and they are capturing market share. To read Mr. Shelton's article, click here.
If you don’t believe that artificial intelligence is about to have a major impact on the practice of law, consider this: A General Counsel’s Perspective on AI (& ChatGPT). To read Mr. Shelton's article, click here.
In this month's Shelton Shares article, Mr. Shelton interviews Thomson Reuters Kriti Sharm on the future of of Legal AI. To read the article, click here.
Will legal-specific AI replace attorneys and paralegals? No. Attorneys and paralegals who use AI will replace those who don’t. To read the article, click here.
ChatGPT lies! There are serious risks to be aware of for attorneys using AI. To read the article, click here.
Everything from motions to evidence to witnesses to final summations could be guided by or even generated by AI and then QC’d by HEF. To read the article, click here.
Frederick Shelton has been writing about legal AI since 2019, predicting what's to come for the legal industry. To read Mr. Shelton's article, click here.
While there will always be firms that consider themselves elite because they only hire from Harvard or Yale, there is a growing number of students, clients and private practice attorneys who do not consider such firms elite but rather elitist. To read the article, click here.
Frederick Shelton is the recognized expert in Virtual Law. Bloomberg Law quoted him in their article regarding viable alternatives to BigLaw. To read the article, click here.
In the ‘70s, a 17-year-old Frederick Shelton found himself homeless at the start of winter. To read how Mr Shelton overcame homelessness due to a single act of kindness, click here.
Frederick Shelton was quoted in Forbes about whether the salaries listed for attorneys in Glassdoor are accurate. To read the article, click here.
Many legal recruiters engage in a lot of unethical practices. Mr. Shelton covers how to spot and stop them for Attorney at Law. To read the article, click here.