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A career prosecutor and a Navy SEAL intelligence officer known for his experience in fighting corporate crime, Shelby will join Fulbright; brings experience in securities, money laundering, tax fraud, accounting fraud and other financial crimes.

HOUSTON/WASHINGTON, D.C. – Michael T. Shelby, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, whose resignation from his federal office is effective June 11, 2005, will become a partner of the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., resident in the firm’s Houston office. Shelby will lead Fulbright’s nation-wide white-collar criminal defense practice.

Michael Shelby
U.S. Attorney
Houston, Texas

Shelby, a career prosecutor, has served for three years as U.S. Attorney for one of the largest federal judicial districts in the nation. In 2002, Shelby was one of only seven U.S. Attorneys appointed to the President’s Corporate Fraud Task Force, which helped direct the nation-wide investigation and prosecution of securities fraud, accounting fraud, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, tax fraud, and other financial crimes. Shelby has tried over 250 state and federal jury trials and has argued numerous cases before the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He has the unusual distinction of being the only federal prosecutor to be named as a "Texas Super Lawyer" for 2003, 2004.

"Michael Shelby has a national profile," said Stephen C. Dillard, head of Fulbright’s litigation department. "There are few lawyers in the country who have his combination of experience, trial skills, and respect in the field. Adding Michael to our team allows us to offer clients guidance from an experienced prosecutor’s viewpoint."

Shelby is the recipient of numerous awards for his work as a prosecutor, including the Department of Justice's Directors' Award, as well as awards from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and numerous state and local law enforcement agencies. He has also received personal letters of commendation from Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Directors Louis Freeh and William Sessions. He also was an instructor at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center, where he taught trial skills to fellow prosecutors.

Reflecting on his experience over the past four years in overseeing some of the country’s most complicated and far-reaching corporate fraud prosecutions, Shelby said, "As federal law has become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operations of corporate America, the consequences of noncompliance have become increasingly severe. Few firms in the country share Fulbright’s reputation for effectively handling the myriad complex issues involved in representing the interests of corporations, their officers, board members, employees and shareholders. I’m proud to join a team with such a remarkable legacy of success."

From Central Texas to Bosnia

Appointed by President George W. Bush, Michael T. Shelby began his service as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas in December 2001. Shelby was born in Central Texas and reared in Houston. He attended Texas A&M University on a debate scholarship and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He received his law degree in 1984 from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was the recipient of the Albert Pierson Jones Advocacy Scholarship and served as Chairman of the Board of Advocates. He was active in the Law School’s competitive moot court program, and he remains the only student to win the prestigious Hildebrand Moot Court Competition twice.

Shelby worked for five years as an Assistant District Attorney at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, serving primarily in the Special Prosecutions Division. In 1989 he joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, specializing in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving public corruption, organized crime, and environmental law. In 1997 he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued his work as an Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting corrupt public officials. In December, 2001, Shelby was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

Shelby is a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, where he currently holds the rank of Commander. He formerly served as the Intelligence Officer for the Reserve SEAL Team FIVE. His active military duty includes service in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm and most recently in Bosnia.

Under the direction of the Attorney General, he served as chief federal law enforcement officer in the district. As U.S. Attorney, he was responsible for prosecuting individuals who violate federal law, coordinating multiple-agency investigations, and prosecuting or defending all civil lawsuits or proceedings in which the United States is concerned. In this district, the U.S. Attorney oversees a staff of 293 and a budget of over $25 million. The Southern District of Texas consists of 43 counties from Huntsville to Laredo and includes the metropolitan region centered by Houston, the Texas Gulf Coast region, and the United States-Mexico border along the 450-mile stretch of the Rio Grande River from Brownsville to Laredo.

About Fulbright’s White Collar Criminal Defense Practice

From multi-million dollar whistleblower investigations to high-profile public corruption cases, Fulbright has experience representing corporations, their officers and directors, and international business and government entities in grand jury investigations, criminal cases, related civil lawsuits and Congressional investigations. The firm’s white collar criminal defense team  has developed special skills in handling such matters as government contracting fraud, criminal antitrust matters, RICO, money laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, securities fraud, health care fraud, banking fraud, environmental crime, tax fraud, and false statements to government agencies. In particular, Fulbright’s team assists in corporate governance matters by conducting internal corporate and audit committee investigations and by developing effective corporate compliance programs to help avoid criminal liability.