Morgan Lewis is expanding its government enforcement, white collar, and commercial litigation services with the addition of accomplished litigators Danny Ashby, Steve J. Korotash, and T. Gregory Jackson, who have joined as partners in the Dallas office. Also joining are five government enforcement and litigation associates. Previously, the group worked at another global law firm.

Mr. Ashby represents clients in federal white collar investigations and securities litigation. He has represented numerous public and closely-held companies, religious organizations, and trade associations in federal courts throughout the United States. Mr. Ashby represents corporations, officers, and individuals in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations, False Claims Act suits, and in parallel civil/criminal investigations and proceedings. Federal appellate work also makes up a substantial part of his focus. He served as a trial lawyer in the criminal division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and was a special assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. Before becoming a prosecutor, Mr. Ashby served as a law clerk to Judge Edith Jones of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Mr. Korotash brings a unique mix of experience: He is one of a small number of practicing lawyers in the United States who has served as both a senior enforcement officer with the SEC and a federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice. He focuses primarily on defending corporations and regulated entities and their officers in government investigations, particularly actions involving the SEC, the DOJ, the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and financial service regulators. He is the founding co-chair of the University of Texas Government Enforcement Institute.

Mr. Jackson primarily represents Fortune 500 and middle market businesses, and high-net-worth individuals in the oil and gas, construction, energy services, real estate, professional services, manufacturing, technology, financial services and transportation industries in disputes in state and federal courts. He also represents clients in government enforcement matters and counsels them in regulatory compliance, litigation avoidance, pre-litigation investigations, and strategic business planning. Before entering private practice, Mr. Jackson served as a law clerk to Magistrate Judge Pamela A. Mathy for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Coming aboard as associates are David I. Monteiro, Jeaneen M. Kappell, Justin R. Chapa, Megan R. Whisler, and Michael A. Cumming. The associates, all with significant government enforcement experience, will round out the firm’s Texas government enforcement practice. The associates include two former law clerks for the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Each has defended investigations by the DOJ and United States financial regulators.

“We are thrilled to welcome these distinguished trial lawyers to our expanding litigation team,” Firm Chair Jami McKeon said. “The group enhances our firm’s existing bench of government enforcement, white collar, and commercial litigation lawyers serving clients across the United States and internationally at a time of increasing regulatory activity.”

“In addition to bolstering the client-service capabilities of our Dallas and Houston offices, Danny, Steve, Greg, and their group will work closely with members of our firmwide government enforcement, government investigations, and commercial litigation teams, which recently doubled in capacity with the arrival of our new colleagues from the Bingham firm,” said J. Gordon Cooney, Jr., firmwide leader of the Litigation practice.

“We are committed to strategically expanding the breadth of services for clients of our Dallas office  – which was recently named the finalist in the Texas Lawyer 2014 Litigation Departments of the Year competition in the “General Litigation—Large Firm” category,” Dallas Office Managing Partner John Kober said. “The addition of this new team strongly complements the Dallas office’s robust appellate, commercial, employment, intellectual property, insurance recovery, and product liability litigation capabilities, and also enhances our corporate and private equity practices in Dallas.”

www.morganlewis.com