Dan L. Cogdell

Dan Cogdell is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the corporate compliance and white collar defense team. He defends corporations and individuals in high-profile white collar criminal defense jury trials and related disputes. Dan has nearly 40 years of experience representing individuals and corporations in a broad range of high-profile, bet-the-company white collar and criminal defense matters. Dan is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only organization for attorneys who have demonstrated the highest levels of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality. Dan also holds an AV Preeminent® peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© since 1995. Currently, he is ranked in Band 2 for white collar crime and government investigations in Texas by Chambers USA. Dan has served as trial counsel in more than 300 trials in 16 states, including some of the most highly publicized cases in recent decades. Among other matters, he obtained the only acquittal in the original trials related to the collapse of Enron Corp. and represented the head of logistics for Arkema in litigation following the 2017 chemical plant explosion in Crosby, Texas. Dan has successfully won dismissals of charges, jury verdicts, and appeals on behalf of individuals facing allegations of securities, wire, bank, government, insurance, Medicare, tax, and mail fraud; conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery, and money laundering; and assault, kidnapping, and murder. Drawing on his early experience as a briefing attorney for Judge John Onion, former presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and his familiarity with federal and state law enforcement officials, Dan has an in-depth understanding of the priorities, processes, and standards of judges, prosecutors, and industry regulators. He works closely with clients at every step — from indictment to trial and appeal — to develop and execute effective legal and courtroom strategies in even the most complex cases. Dan has represented business executives and owners, athletes, medical professionals, and other individuals from a broad range of industries, including banking and finance, energy, entertainment, healthcare, sports, and utilities. He has also represented a number of appointed and elected government officials targeted in corruption and related investigations. Outside the courtroom, Dan speaks frequently before bar associations and industry groups and has been a guest lecturer at a number of law schools. Known as an effective commentator on emerging legal and criminal justice issues, he has appeared on dozens of local, national, and global news programs and networks including NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Court TV, and the BBC. In his spare time, Dan races motorcycles in long-distance events, a pursuit that he credits with helping him learn and practice focus, balance, and endurance — skills that translate directly to his work on behalf of clients. Dan has spoken before a variety of organizations and institutions, including: State Bar of Texas, Houston Bar Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Harris County Bar Association, Dallas County Bar Association, South Texas College of Law, University of Houston Law Center, Texas Tech School of Law, The University of Texas School of Law, Harvard Law School and the AT&T Legal Conference (Dallas).

Dan Cogdell is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the corporate compliance and white collar defense team. He defends corporations and individuals in high-profile white collar criminal defense jury trials and related disputes. Dan has nearly 40 years of experience representing individuals and corporations in a broad range of high-profile, bet-the-company white collar and criminal defense matters. Dan is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only organization for attorneys who have demonstrated the highest levels of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality. Dan also holds an AV Preeminent® peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© since 1995. Currently, he is ranked in Band 2 for white collar crime and government investigations in Texas by Chambers USA. Dan has served as trial counsel in more than 300 trials in 16 states, including some of the most highly publicized cases in recent decades. Among other matters, he obtained the only acquittal in the original trials related to the collapse of Enron Corp. and represented the head of logistics for Arkema in litigation following the 2017 chemical plant explosion in Crosby, Texas. Dan has successfully won dismissals of charges, jury verdicts, and appeals on behalf of individuals facing allegations of securities, wire, bank, government, insurance, Medicare, tax, and mail fraud; conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery, and money laundering; and assault, kidnapping, and murder. Drawing on his early experience as a briefing attorney for Judge John Onion, former presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and his familiarity with federal and state law enforcement officials, Dan has an in-depth understanding of the priorities, processes, and standards of judges, prosecutors, and industry regulators. He works closely with clients at every step — from indictment to trial and appeal — to develop and execute effective legal and courtroom strategies in even the most complex cases. Dan has represented business executives and owners, athletes, medical professionals, and other individuals from a broad range of industries, including banking and finance, energy, entertainment, healthcare, sports, and utilities. He has also represented a number of appointed and elected government officials targeted in corruption and related investigations. Outside the courtroom, Dan speaks frequently before bar associations and industry groups and has been a guest lecturer at a number of law schools. Known as an effective commentator on emerging legal and criminal justice issues, he has appeared on dozens of local, national, and global news programs and networks including NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Court TV, and the BBC. In his spare time, Dan races motorcycles in long-distance events, a pursuit that he credits with helping him learn and practice focus, balance, and endurance — skills that translate directly to his work on behalf of clients. Dan has spoken before a variety of organizations and institutions, including: State Bar of Texas, Houston Bar Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Harris County Bar Association, Dallas County Bar Association, South Texas College of Law, University of Houston Law Center, Texas Tech School of Law, The University of Texas School of Law, Harvard Law School and the AT&T Legal Conference (Dallas).