David Seely joined Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch in 1984 after serving for two years (1982–84) as a law clerk to Hon. Earl E. O’Connor, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. Mr. Seely regards this as a unique learning experience that has been invaluable to his work in litigation.

Mr. Seely’s practice is focused on Civil Litigation. Much of this work in recent years has focused on complex litigation and class actions involving oil and gas. Mr. Seely has also handled litigation in state and federal courts on behalf of a variety of individual and institutional clients spanning a wide range of practice areas, including RICO, business litigation, civil rights, employment, insurance defense, personal injury, and church issues. He is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Oil & Gas Law and Labor and Employment Law, and in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers in the area of Civil Litigation Defense.

Mr. Seely served for six years on the Kansas Continuing Legal Education Commission, as both a member and as Chairperson of the Commission. He also served on a committee to review standardization of judicial procedures and forms in the federal court in Kansas. He has previously served by appointment as a member of the Tenth Circuit Advisory Committee (2007–08), the Bench-Bar Committee of the U.S. District Court (1999–2002) and of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas (1997–99).

Mr. Seely is a co-author of the Federal Practice Handbook for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas (1997), and of “Comparison of Federal and State Court Practices,” 75 KBA Journal 28 (April 2006). He has also presented at various seminars on the topics of federal practice and procedure, and oil and gas law.

Mr. Seely’s litigation matters have resulted in a variety of published decisions, including:

• Coulter v. Anadarko Petroleum Corp., 296 Kan. 336, 292 P.3d 289 (2013)
• Farrar v. Mobil Oil Corp., 43 Kan. App. 2d 871, 284 P.3d 19, rev. denied, 291 Kan. 910 (2010)
• Plains Petroleum Co. v. First Nat. Bank of Lamar, 274 Kan. 74, 49 P.3d 432 (2002)
• Kimes v. Unified School Dist. No. 480, 934 F.Supp. 1275 (D. Kan. 1996)
• Wilson v. Meeks, 52 F.3d 1547 (10th Cir. 1995)
• Schrag v. Dinges, 825 F. Supp. 954 (D. Kan. 1993)
• Greene v. Product Manufacturing Corporation, 842 F. Supp. 1321 (D. Kan. 1993)
• St. Francis Regional Medical Center, Inc. v. Weiss, 254 Kan. 728, 869 P. 2d 606 (1993)
• Tucker v. Hugoton Energy Corp., 253 Kan. 373, 855 P. 2d 929 (1993)
• Blue v. McBride, 252 Kan. 894, 850 P. 2d 852 (1993)
• Phelps v. Wichita Eagle-Beacon, 886 F. 2d 1262 (10th Cir. 1989)

Mr. Seely is a former president of the Wichita Bar Association, and has served as an officer, committee member, and committee chairperson for the Association. He is also a member of the Kansas Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel. He previously served as president of the Wesley E. Brown Inn of Court.

Since 2006, Mr. Seely has served as General Counsel to the Eastern Kansas Royalty Owners Association. He also serves as General Counsel for the Southwest Kansas Royalty Owners Association.

Mr. Seely is an active member of the Rotary Club of Wichita, where he has served on the Board of Directors. He and his wife Debra are active members of First United Methodist Church in Wichita. They have three adult children and two grandchildren. From 1998 to 2013, Mr. Seely served as Chancellor of the Kansas West Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. He now serves as Co-Chancellor of the Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, providing legal advice and counsel.