Tab H. Keener

Shareholder

As a shareholder of Downs & Stanford, P.C., Mr. Keener’s practice focuses on premises liability, wrongful death, trucking accidents, sovereign immunity, product liability, and electric utility and oilfield accidents, all with an emphasis on trial practice. As lead counsel, Tab has tried many complex commercial and personal injury defense cases to verdict. His article on premises liability is cited in multiple cases and law review articles and has been prominently featured in O’Connor’s Texas Causes of Action since 1998.

Despite the pandemic, Tab has maintained a flourishing docket, with oral arguments before the Texas Supreme Court on the issue of personal jurisdiction over out-of-state corporations. He is poised to present oral arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a prominent civil rights case involving qualified immunity.

Bar Admissions

State of Texas (1986)
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
United States District Court - Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas

Professional Affiliations

State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section
Dallas Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Section
Texas Association of Defense Counsel
Co-Chair, Primerus Defense Institute, Transportation Section, 2021 to 2023

Education

Mississippi College School of Law, J.D. (1986)
Mock Appellate Court Champion, Trial Team, National Competition
Southern Methodist University, B.A. (1982)
Attended SMU on Football Scholarship, Letterman 1979, 1981

Honors

AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Reported Cases

Durham, Glover, Stanley and Wilson v. Zarcades, Individually, and as a Trustee of the Peter A. Zarcades Trust, 270 S.W.3d 708 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2009).
Panatrol Corp. v. Emerson Elec. Co., 163 S.W.3d 182 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2005, pet. denied).
Willowbrook Foods, Inc. v. Grinnell Corp., 147 S.W.3d 492 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2004, pet. filed).
Dallas Cent. Appraisal Dist. v. Seven Inv. Co., 835 S.W.2d 816 (Tex. 1992)
Dallas Cent. Appraisal Dist. v. Las Colinas Corp., 814 S.W.2d 816 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1991).

Publications

“Can the Submission of a Premises Liability Case be Simplified?” 28 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 1137, 1997 - cited in multiple cases, law reviews, and Texas Causes of Action, Premises Liability Chapter since 1998.
“Making Changes and Resolving Disputes During the Construction Process” Construction Law for Engineers and Contractors, Half Moon, LLC, December 2008.
“Venue under Ruiz v. Conoco: What is the Standard of Review and Who is an Agent or Representative?” 48 Baylor L. Rev 669, 1994.
“What is a QSF and When Should it be Used?” Defensively Speaking, Primerus Defense Institute, November 2009.

Practice Specialty:

Defense Litigation, Appeals, & Subrogation