Former Federal Prosecutors Leigha Simonton and Scott Hogan Join Dykema’s Dallas Office

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Leigha Simonton and Scott Hogan as Members in the firm’s Government Investigations and Corporate Compliance practice, each resident in the firm’s Dallas office. They both come to the firm from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas, where they practiced for almost two decades. Simonton most recently served as the presidentially nominated, Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney, and Hogan was First Assistant U.S. Attorney, together occupying the two top positions leading one of the largest districts in the nation.

“The combination of former U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton and former First Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hogan immediately gives Dykema one of the strongest white collar and investigations practices in the Northern District of Texas and, for that matter, in the entire state,” said Chris Kratovil, Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas Office. “We view Leigha and Scott as a potent tag team; they’ve worked closely together for many years, and we are delighted that they elected to continue their highly successful professional partnership here at Dykema. Both Leigha and Scott have platinum-plated resumes and remarkable credentials, and their success leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office speaks for itself. We are confident that success will continue as they transition into private practice here at Dykema.”

Simonton focuses her practice on government and internal investigations, corporation compliance, white-collar crime, and complex legal issues at all stages of the trial and appellate process. She is also regarded as an authority in Northern District of Texas practice and one of the preeminent advocates in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Simonton began her law practice at a major Texas-based law firm and later joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, where she focused on complex trial court and appellate issues and successfully argued more than 20 cases before federal circuit courts, predominantly the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She served as sole counsel in nearly 400 appeals and eventually managed the office’s entire Appellate Division. As Appellate Chief, she led one of the top Appellate Divisions in the country, shaping precedent in the Fifth Circuit and other appellate courts, leading the charge to victories before the en banc court, and teeing up issues for the Supreme Court in a way that was most favorable to her client, the United States. She also actively supervised and crafted strategy in thousands of Fifth Circuit appeals and prepared AUSAs for hundreds of Fifth Circuit arguments.

During her time as an AUSA, Appellate Chief, and U.S. Attorney, Simonton worked on virtually every type of matter falling under the DOJ umbrella and with the highest levels of government, including the Offices of the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and Solicitor General; the FBI and other federal agencies; and several of the other 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Among other recognitions, she received the Director’s Award from the Department of Justice for her multi-year trial and appellate work on the Dallas City Hall corruption case involving 13 defendants, including the mayor pro tem.

Simonton earned a J.D. from Yale Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and a B.A., with highest honors, in History from The University of Texas at Austin. After graduating from Yale, she clerked for Judge Barbara Lynn in the Northern District of Texas and Judge Patrick Higginbotham on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Hogan joins Dykema with nearly two decades of experience in federal investigations, prosecutions, and civil litigation. As First Assistant U.S. Attorney, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, supervising the district’s Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions and providing counsel to the United States Attorney on all legal and operational matters affecting the district and its 200+ employees. Before accepting the First Assistant role in 2021, Hogan served as the district’s Civil Chief, leading all civil investigations and litigation across the Northern District of Texas. He managed complex investigations and cases involving the False Claims Act, Controlled Substances Act, and various other federal statutes, achieving significant recoveries for the government across a spectrum of industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and government procurement.

Beginning his career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2007, Hogan held various leadership positions in the office, including Affirmative Civil Enforcement Coordinator and Deputy Civil Chief, where he led civil enforcement investigations and litigation and supervised defensive litigation impacting the federal government. His extensive experience includes leading and handling large qui tam cases, fraud and regulatory investigations, and constitutional challenges, making him a formidable advocate in federal court.

As a member of Dykema, Hogan will leverage his extensive experience and background to provide strategic guidance and representation to clients facing government investigations and inquiries, requiring internal investigations, and building and enhancing corporate compliance programs and efforts.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hogan practiced for six years at a major Texas-based law firm, where he worked on and handled a variety of complex commercial disputes.

He earned a J.D., cum laude, from the SMU Dedman School of Law—where he was a Hatton W. Sumners Scholar and Order of the Coif—and a B.B.A. from Texas Wesleyan University.

“Leigha and Scott put Dykema on the short-list of any corporate counsel in Texas facing government investigations and enforcement actions,” said Mark Chutkow, Leader of Dykema’s Government Investigations and Corporate Compliance practice. “Their deep experience in criminal, civil, and appellate issues ensures that businesses have all their bases covered when the government comes knocking. We are thrilled they joined Dykema, and look forward to working with them on challenging, high-profile matters not only in Texas but across the nation.”