Edward J. Loya, Jr.
PEOPLE

Edward J. Loya, Jr.

Partner
loya.edward@dorsey.com

Overview

Edward is a seasoned lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

Edward is a Litigation Partner and the Head of the Trial Practice Group in the firm’s Dallas office. He focuses his practice on business disputes and white collar civil and criminal enforcement matters. He has represented companies and executives across many industries and in different forums, including federal and state courts and arbitration tribunals. He has extensive experience representing clients in matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies.

Edward is an accomplished trial attorney who has tried over 30 jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. He is a goal-oriented problem solver who diligently represents clients in all stages of litigation, including pre-litigation case strategy, settlement negotiations, mediations, internal investigations, trials, and appeals. In recent years, a significant portion of his practice has been dedicated to trying arbitration cases on behalf of corporate and individual clients.

He has significant criminal enforcement experience, having served early in his career as a federal prosecutor in the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division at the DOJ in Washington, DC. On a nationwide basis, he handled public corruption investigations and prosecutions of elected, appointed, and career public officials at all levels of government—as well as significant matters involving fraud in connection with federal programs. For his work at the DOJ, he received the Criminal Division’s Distinguished Service Award, among other law enforcement recognition. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney on detail to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he had a 100-percent conviction rate in the 20 bench trials he prosecuted.

Edward has been recognized as one of D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” in the area of white collar criminal defense. He has written and commented on high-profile white collar criminal investigations and prosecutions for major news media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Law360, The Texas Tribune, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and The Daily Journal.

Education & Admissions

Stanford Law School (J.D., 2005), Co-President, Class of 2005; Editor in Chief, Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance; Pro Bono Distinction Award

University of California, San Diego (B.A., 2002)

Admissions

  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • Texas
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
  • U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California

Languages

  • Spanish

Clerkships

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, Honorable Harris L. Hartz, 2007-2008
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Honorable S. James Otero, 2006-2007

Experience

Representative Experience

Dorsey and Private Sector Highlights:

  • Successfully tried a case on behalf of a Texas engineering and energy construction company, obtaining a complete defense victory and securing an arbitration award in favor of his client’s counterclaim as well as attorneys’ fees. *
  • Successfully defended a leading Wall Street Bank and senior bankers in multiple FINRA arbitrations in California and New York. *
  • Represented the lead defendant in an international fraud case—and one of a small number of defendants who have been extradited from Nigeria to the U.S.—negotiating a plea agreement that resulted in the client receiving a sentence that was eight years below the most severe sentence imposed on his co-defendants.
  • Successfully represented a Dallas company in what has been called the largest False Claims Act customs case in which the federal government intervened arising from tariffs on China during President Trump’s first administration.
  • Represented the lead defendant in the “Forest Park” case—a historic healthcare fraud prosecution based in Dallas, Texas—in my client’s appeal before the Fifth Circuit.
  • Obtained a declination letter from the DOJ’s Fraud Section, following a multi-year representation of an executive in connection with a high-profile insider trading investigation based in Northern Virginia.
  • Represented the father of a sitting U.S. Congressman in a high-profile criminal campaign finance prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, California.
  • Represented a Hollywood production company in connection with a criminal antitrust investigation conducted by the DOJ’s Antitrust Division in New York, resulting in no charges being filed against the client.
  • Successfully referred a matter for criminal prosecution to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas involving a client’s former office manager who defrauded and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the client.
  • Successfully settled an alleged whistleblower allegation on behalf of a large social media company, thereby avoiding potential high-profile media coverage.
  • Represented the former chief operating officer at a high-profile Bay Area start-up company in connection with government civil and criminal proceedings concerning allegations of consumer fraud and false advertising, resulting in no charges being filed against the client.
  • Represented the board of directors of an elite Bay Area private school in connection with a criminal investigation and prosecution of the former head of the school on charges of fraud and embezzlement.
  • Led an internal investigation on behalf of the largest community foundation in the Washington, DC, area concerning a former employee’s alleged whistleblower allegations.

DOJ Highlights:

  • Participated as a key member in a high-profile DOJ investigation focused on corruption in the award of lucrative defense contracts at Camp Arifjan, a U.S. military base in Kuwait, in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom. As part of this investigation, 19 individuals, including a colonel, three lieutenant colonels, four majors, and other public officials, were convicted by guilty plea or trial. Mr. Loya handled cases in Texas, Alabama, and Indiana.
  • Served as co-counsel in the final trial in San Juan, Puerto Rico, arising from the FBI’s historic police corruption investigation, “Operation Guard Shack." All three defendants, including two former Puerto Rican police officers, were convicted at trial.
  • Served as co-counsel in a successful trial in Boston, Massachusetts, against a scientist and businessman who defrauded the U.S. Department of Transportation out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. As part of the government's proof, my colleague and I summoned a U.S. Congressman to testify against the defendant regarding earmarked funds and the defendant’s fraudulent representations to the Congressman.
  • Led a successful prosecution in McAllen, Texas, against a U.S. Border Protection Officer, his girlfriend, and three associates for receiving bribes from dozens of undocumented aliens in exchange for transporting them illegally across the U.S./Mexico border.
  • Led successful prosecutions in St. Louis, Missouri, and Oakland, California, of a director of legal services in American Samoa and others for defrauding the federal government and embezzling government funds intended to benefit victims of domestic violence and other underserved individuals in American Samoa.
  • Led a wide-ranging, nationwide investigation with U.S. Army criminal investigators, based in San Antonio, Texas, focused on U.S. military recruiters and soldiers who defrauded the U.S. military of hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to benefit military recruiting efforts.

*Certain experiences occurred prior to joining Dorsey

Industries & Practices

  • Banking & Financial Institutions
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Development & Infrastructure
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Government Solutions & Investigations
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Technology

Professional & Civic

Professional Achievements

  • Council of Affiliates’ Delegate, Hispanic National Bar Association Board of Governors
  • Member, State Bar of Texas Court Rules Committee
  • Council Member, State Bar of Texas Hispanic Lawyers Section Council
  • Member, Stanford Law School Board of Visitors, Stanford Law School
  • Co-Chair, Stanford Law School Texas Alumni, Stanford Law School
  • Immediate Past President, Dallas Hispanic Bar Association
  • Co-Chair, Standing Committee on Endorsements, Hispanic National Bar Association, 2024-Present
  • Ally, Dallas Women Lawyers Association Foundation, 2024-Present
  • Sustaining Fellow, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation, 2024-Present
  • Sustaining Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2023-Present

Accolades

  • D Magazine, “Best Lawyer in Dallas” for Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2024
  • Hispanic National Bar Association, “Top Lawyers Under 40,” 2017
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Distinguished Service Award, 2012
  • Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence in Investigation, 2010 & 2017
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Special Achievement Award, 2010
  • 2008 United States Attorney General’s Honors Program
Edward J. Loya, Jr.