David Elrod is a partner with Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, and he is one of the winners of Texas Lawyer's Lifetime Achievement award. Read a Q&A with him below.

What are the moments that have defined your legal career?

This one is tough I have had many moments important to my career that I would consider as "defining." The initial most impact on my career was learning how to prepare for and try cases from George Bramblett. He was incredible and you had to be prepared to try the entire case because he would just say to you during trial take this witness even though it was supposed to be his. You had to be ready for anything when you tried a case with George. At first it would make you mad that he would just dump a witness on you during trial but as you gained experience you realized he did it for a reason. Be prepared, be prepared and be prepared since you cannot predict what will hit you at trial. It taught you how to be good on your feet and not be locked to your presentation. Of course, after building a solid foundation in trial skills, trying cases and getting great results for clients is the best way to define your career. It is hard to just pick one case since each one is so important and distinct. I have recovered in excess of $700 million for clients not just in judgments but money in the bank and have also defended a lot of cases involving significant millions of dollars. On the other hand, I have also enjoyed handling smaller cases for individuals and small companies that are just as important to them. Sometimes even more so. The most important moment in my career was starting the Elrod trial firm. It gave me the ability to take any case I wanted and as a business person to better understand the business risks associated with high stakes litigation.