Our team includes former prosecutors in the U.S. and Europe and has worked on some of the most significant cases to date in the UK. Thanks to our past governmental and recent defence experience, our lawyers are known and respected by leading prosecutors and regulators in the U.S., Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

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Dan Cogdell

  • Position: Principal & Founder
  • Email: dan@cogdell-law.com
  • Phone: (713) 426-2244
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Untold attorneys call themselves “trial lawyers.” The truth is, very few are. Dan Cogdell is not only a trial lawyer, he’s an iconic one. 

Cogdell has tried over 100 cases in 20 different states. He has represented a governor, the Attorney General of Texas, a mayor, dozens of lawyers and judges, physicians, CEOs, police officers, a Branch Davidian, a Heisman Trophy winner, Emmy award winners, Grammy award winners, a World Champion motorcycle road racer, multiple Supercross and Motocross racers and too many “regular people” to list. 

Dan’s courtroom success has been the focus of numerous books as well as a documentary on the Peacock Network in 2019. In 2023 Dan was portrayed by Giovanni Ribissi in the series Waco: The Aftermath which detailed his successful defense of Clive Doyle in the Branch Davidian trial. 

Dan’s courtroom prowess began under the watchful eye of his legendary mentor Richard “Racehorse” Haynes. With Haynes (who was by most accounts the greatest criminal defense lawyer of his generation). Cogdell worked on many historic trials of that era, including one where Cogdell (literally) shocked himself with a cattle prod while cross examining the State’s pathologist who claimed that being shocked by the prod would cause death. The press noted that “Cogdell survived the cross far better than the pathologist.”

Cogdell focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, federal criminal defense, criminal appeals, grand jury investigations, and fraud cases, making him a sought-after advocate for clients facing cases other attorneys deem “unwinnable”.

Cogdell’s journey to legal prominence began when he earned his JD with high honors from South Texas College of Law. He did a stint as a briefing attorney for the Chief Judge of the highest criminal appeals court in Texas. He was then hired by the legendary Richard “Racehorse” Haynes at Haynes & Fullenweider, where he honed his skills, distinguished himself as an aggressive litigator and became the youngest partner at the firm. 

Today, he is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a privilege reserved for the top 2% of lawyers in the United States and one of only five criminal lawyers in Texas to be admitted. 

Cogdell’s storied career includes successful defense of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against a battery of 16 charges in the Texas Senate and the sole acquittal in one of the world’s most notorious corporate corruption cases – the Enron scandal. He also led the defense of Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, a renowned cancer treatment doctor, and successfully represented a global chemical producer in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation. 

One of the top criminal attorneys in Houston, Cogdell won a “no bill” ruling by a Grand Jury after a euthanasia/mercy killing investigation; an acquittal of all charges in the “Spring Shadows Glenn Psychiatric Fraud Trial”; and acquittal of all charges for a former state district judge and city council member in the “Houston City Hall Bribery Case.”

His other notable achievements include the acquittal of all charges for a former New Orleans City Attorney accused of Conspiracy, Bribery, and Corruption as well as acquittal of charges including Perjury and Obstruction of Justice for the former head of the Texas Department Public Safety Narcotics Enforcement Division.

Cogdell’s legendary courtroom performances have been recounted in numerous books, articles, and law school lessons and he’s been profiled by Texas Monthly, Texas Tribune, and LawDragon. He’s been a sought-after legal commentator and guest for decades and has appeared on CNN, Larry King Live, and the Oxygen Network. 

He is listed in Woodward & White’s The Best Lawyers in America and is an active member of legal associations including the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is admitted to practice in courts across the nation, including the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Fifth Circuits. 

Though he’s fierce in his legal endeavors, he’s a wonderful friend, passionate motorcyclist, connoisseur of classic country music, an avid reader of Hunter S. Thompson’s works and ardent supporter of his personal friend, Lyle Lovett. 

  • J.D., with highest honors, South Texas College of Law, 1982  
  • B.B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1979 
  • The Enron litigation 
  • The Branch Davidian trial 
  • The trial of alternative cancer treatment doctor Stanislaw Burzynski 
  • The Houston City Hall bribery case 
  • State Bar of Texas  
  • United States District Court for the Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western districts of Texas  
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Fifth circuits  
  • United States Supreme Court 
  • State Bar of Texas
  • American Bar Association
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association
    • Past President & Lawyer of the Year
  • Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • State Bar of Texas  
  • Houston Bar Association  
  • Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association  
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers  
  • Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association  
  • Dallas County Bar Association  
  • South Texas College of Law  
  • University of Houston Law Center  
  • Texas Tech School of Law  
  • University of Texas School of Law  
  • Harvard Law School