Skelton & Woody PLLC

Firm Profile

Practice Areas

• Business Litigation (primary focus)
• Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith
• Insurance Regulatory Litigation
• Appeals / Appellate Practice
• Banking Litigation
• Class Actions
• Construction Litigation
• Employment Law (defense)
• Expert Testimony / Expert Services
• Local Counsel Services
• Securities Fraud / Securities Litigation
• Intellectual Property
• Regulatory & Antitrust

Notable Results

• 1,000+ bad faith lawsuits defended
• Multiple Texas Supreme Court victories
• $106M take-nothing verdict
• Cy Pres Impact Award (2010) — steered $9M+ in cy pres funds to organizations supporting disabled Texans
• Serves as local counsel for national firms in major commercial and IP cases

Source: skeltonwoody.com

Office Location Analysis

Sources: LoopNet, Austainable Properties

J. Hampton "Hamp" Skelton — Managing Partner

Sources: Skelton & Woody, Super Lawyers, State Bar of TX

Robert J. Woody — Co-Founder (1953–2023)

• Baylor University undergraduate; Baylor School of Law J.D. (won national mock trial championship)
• Practiced at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York before returning to Texas
• Co-founded Skelton & Woody in September 1991
• Later retired from law to enter seminary; earned Masters of Divinity
• Ordained Episcopal minister; served 16 years as Rector of Episcopal Church of Reconciliation, San Antonio
• Passed away November 2023

Sources: Skelton & Woody, Legacy.com Obituary

Peer Endorsement

"I have collaborated with Hamp Skelton many times on a variety of matters over a period of at least 20 years. Whether the matter was transactional (more my area) or litigation (more his area), Hamp is always sharp, focused, and competent in representing his clients' (and my clients') interests."
— Peer endorsement via Avvo

Client Testimonial

"Hamp, I want to thank you and your amazing staff for doing such an excellent job on ALL of our files. Once more THANK YOU."
— Anonymous client, via firm website

As a privately held PLLC, Skelton & Woody does not publicly disclose financial statements. The following industry context provides benchmarks for a firm of this size and practice area in the Austin, Texas market.

Austin Litigation Market — Key Competitors

Competitive Positioning

Closest Direct Competitors

1. Burns Anderson Jury & Brenner (18 attorneys) — Nearly identical size and the most significant practice-area overlap (insurance defense, construction, employment, appellate). The single closest competitor.
2. Hanna & Plaut (10–13 attorneys) — Smaller but directly competitive on insurance defense/coverage and appellate work.
3. Thompson Coe Austin (40 attorneys) — Larger but competes on the same insurance defense and construction defect docket; backed by a 260+ attorney national platform.

Strengths

• 35-year track record with 1,000+ bad faith cases and TX Supreme Court victories
• Breadth of practice: insurance + construction + employment + securities + appellate under one roof is rare among Austin boutiques
• AV Preeminent rating and 17-year Super Lawyer streak for managing partner
• Local counsel capability for national firms — a recurring revenue stream
• Expert witness services add an additional differentiator
• Prestigious Westlake Hills office location

Challenges & Opportunities

• Not currently Chambers-ranked (several smaller competitors like Cleveland Krist and Terrazas have achieved Chambers recognition)
• No Board-Certified construction law attorneys identified (Allensworth and Bollier Ciccone Stinson hold this credential)
• Limited online review presence compared to competitors with active Google review profiles
• The securities practice is a genuine differentiator — few boutique competitors combine securities litigation with insurance defense
• Succession planning considerations given co-founder's passing and managing partner's 44-year career

Website Audit

Key Findings

1. Established market position: With 35 years in the Austin market and an AV Preeminent-rated managing partner, Skelton & Woody has deep credibility in business litigation and insurance defense.
2. Broad practice differentiation: The combination of insurance defense + securities + construction + employment + appellate under one 17-attorney roof is uncommon among Austin boutiques. Only McGinnis Lochridge (70+ attorneys) matches this breadth, and at a much larger scale.
3. Massive insurance market tailwind: Texas's $293.9B insurance premium base, $47B+ in 2024 insured losses, and doubling nuclear verdicts ($31.3B in 2024) all drive demand for the firm's core insurance defense practice.
4. Growing metro: Austin's 2.55M-person MSA with 63,000+ business establishments, $99,897 median household income, and 2.33% annual population growth ensures a robust pipeline of commercial litigation.
5. Competitive gap in rankings: The firm lacks Chambers USA recognition, which several smaller competitors have achieved. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for brand positioning.

Recommendations for Further Research

• TX SOS / Comptroller verification: Manually search SOSDirect and Comptroller franchise tax databases to confirm entity filing status, registered agent, and SOS file number.
• Avvo / Martindale manual review: Visit both platforms in a browser to capture the full numerical rating, review counts, and endorsement details.
• Google Business Profile: Check whether the firm has a claimed and active Google Business Profile with reviews.
• PACER / court records: Search federal PACER database for Western District of Texas case filings involving Skelton & Woody to assess current case volume and types.
• Billing rate discovery: Fee schedules and rate cards are not publicly available; direct engagement or legal billing database access (e.g., CounselLink) would be needed for firm-specific rates.
• Succession planning assessment: With the co-founder's passing and the managing partner's 44-year career, understanding the next generation of leadership is critical for long-term positioning.