Four former professional football players joined the more than 1,000 who have filed NFL concussion lawsuits Monday, but these claims are a little different.
Learn More >>Matthew D. Shaffer, Partner
“We treat our clients with respect, and we take a lot of pride in the work that we do.”
Matt Shaffer is the managing partner of Schecter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. SMSH is the continuation of a firm that, since 1964, has been solely focused on representing working men and women. SMSH has collected hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of its clients. Matt has been at the firm since 1992, and has himself represented thousands of clients in courts all over the country. He recently concluded the largest single victim Jones Act case in recorded history on behalf of a brain injured client. Matt has been involved in litigation stemming from the most recent maritime disasters, including playing a significant role in the Deepwater Horizon Disaster.
Not only do serious accidents require serious experience, they require serious follow-through. Matt Shaffer demonstrates that every day. He is the type of lawyer who thoroughly prepares cases and follows up on details. His is also the type of man who strives to return phone calls to prospective clients as soon as possible and makes it a point to be there for his clients when it counts. Many of his clients express surprise when he returns phone calls and e-mails well past normal working hours.
Matt became a lawyer over 25 years ago, and first represented the other side of the docket for large corporate clients. When he came to Schecter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. in 1992, he transferred his passion for excellence to the representation of working men and women. Matt is one of a small percentage of Texas lawyers who is certified as a Personal Injury Trial Lawyer by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is past chairman of The Texas State Bar’s Grievance Committee for District 4C. He is also licensed to practice in Colorado. He has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine, an honor shared by only 5% of those practicing law in Texas each year since 2006.
He has repeatedly been recognized as one of Houston's Top Lawyers for the People by H Texas magazine.
Follow Matt on Twitter @ JonesAct
Particulars
Current Employment Position
- Partner
Areas of Practice
- Jones Act
- Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act
- Maintenance and Cure
- General Maritime Law
- DOHSA - Death on the High Seas Act
- Maritime Piracy
- Public Vessel Act
- Suits in Admiralty
- Merchant Mariners Act
- Admiralty Extension Act
- OSCLA - Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
- Military Sealift Command
- Motor Vehicle Accidents - Plaintiff
- Texas Trucking Accidents - Plaintiff
- Houston Motorcycle Accidents - Plaintiff
- Premises Liability - Plaintiff
- Railroad Accidents - Plaintiff
- FELA Claims - Plaintiff
- Products Liability Law
- Medical Malpractice
Certifications & Specialties
- Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1998
Litigation Percentages
- 100% of practice devoted to litigation
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 1987
- Colorado, 1989
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1994
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1998
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1993
- U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 2006
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2009
Education
- University of Houston Law Center, Houston, TX, 1987, J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
- South Texas College of Law, Houston TX
- Law Review South Texas Law Review, 1985-1986
- Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, 1984
- B.B.A., Bachelor of Business Administration
Representative Clients
- National Maritime Union
Classes/Seminars Taught/Papers Presented
- University of Texas Admiralty Seminar
- Occupational Illness in a Maritime Context—A Plaintiff’s Perspective, 1998
- Multiple Causes of Action Seminar—Jones Act and FELA, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 1994
- Railroads, Repetitive Stress and Restitution, Trial Magazine, September 2011
Honors and Awards
- Texas Super Lawyer - Selected to top 5% of Texas Lawyers in 2005-2010
- Texas Top Lawyer for the People - Multiple Consecutive Years Including 2010
- American Jurisprudence Award - Criminal Law
- Toxic Tort Seminar - Highest Score
- South Texas College of Law Law Review
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Houston Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas State Bar, Grievance Committee, District 4C, Chairman and Member 2000-2006
- City of Bellaire Board of Adjustment, 1996-1998
- Southwest Regional Board of Directors - Anti Defamation League, 1994-1996
- Colorado Bar Association
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America
- Maritime Law Association of the United States
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Houston Trial Lawyers Association - Board of Trustees Representative to Houston Lawyer Referral Service
- Board of Directors, Houston Lawyer Referral Service, 2010-Present
- Board of Directors, Congregation Beth Israel, 2010-Present
- Phi Delta Phi
Birth Information
- June 29, 1961, Houston, Texas, United States of America
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