Overview

Companies and executives facing business and law enforcement disputes turn to Edward Loya, a seasoned Dallas lawyer and former federal prosecutor with a national litigation practice, for his proven judgment, creative advocacy, and strong track record of success in difficult cases. 

Edward focuses his practice on civil, employment, and criminal investigation and litigation matters. He has represented companies and corporate executives across many industries in different forums, including federal and state courts and arbitration tribunals, and in matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and other law enforcement agencies.

An accomplished trial attorney, Edward has tried over 30 jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. He regularly represents clients in all stages of problem-solving and litigation, including pre-trial litigation strategy, settlement negotiations, mediation, investigations, litigation, 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.

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He has significant criminal enforcement experience, having served 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.

Edward is a committed leader and community volunteer. He is the immediate past president of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (DHBA)—an organization he helped grow to over 650 active attorney and law student members, making it one of the largest local Hispanic bar associations in the country. At the DHBA, he was instrumental in establishing a law student judicial externship program that gives law students the opportunity to serve as judicial externs for Dallas judges. He is active in the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), serving as HNBA’s Co-Chair of the Standing Committee on Endorsements and helping to lead HNBA’s efforts to advocate for the appointment of Hispanic attorneys to Article III judgeships and U.S. Attorney positions. Edward contributes broadly to the Dallas legal community as a sustaining fellow or ally of the Texas Bar Foundation, the Dallas Women Lawyers Association Foundation, and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation. He is a member of the Stanford Law School (SLS) Board of Visitors and active in SLS alumni activities, serving as the Co-Chair of SLS Texas alumni.

Earlier in his career, he served as a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Harris L Hartz on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and the Honorable S. James Otero on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. In law school, he served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Alex Kozinski on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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Focus Areas

Experience

Highlights of Mr. Loya's previous work in the private sector:

  • Successfully defended a leading Texas engineering and energy construction company against all claims in a construction arbitration hearing and secured an award on behalf of his client, as well as attorneys’ fees, in connection with his client’s counterclaim.
  • 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 in his appeal before the Fifth Circuit.
  • Successfully settled an alleged whistleblower allegation on behalf of a large Dallas-based social media company.
  • Successfully represented a leading Wall Street bank and its executives in multiple high-profile FINRA arbitration hearings in Los Angeles and New York.
  • Successfully resolved multiple threatened employment discrimination cases on behalf of a New York-based software and services company.
  • 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 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.
  • 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.
  • Represented clients in connection with Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement matters in Los Angeles and Washington, DC.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Led an internal investigation (in English and Spanish) on behalf of a multinational corporation concerning the operations of the company’s Mexican business unit.
  • Led an internal investigation on behalf of a large health care organization concerning allegations of misconduct by the organization’s Human Resources Director.

Highlights of Edward’s previous work as a federal prosecutor:

  • 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, and Edward 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, Mr. Loya and his colleague 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 the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division, Major Procurement Fraud Unit, based in San Antonio, Texas, focused on U.S. military recruiters and soldiers who defrauded the military of funds intended to serve as military recruitment bonus payments. His work in this investigation was instrumental in a larger military effort that has been called the largest criminal investigation in the history of the U.S. Army.

Recognition

  • Law360, “Employment Practice Group of the Year” (2024)
  • D Magazine, “Best Lawyer in Dallas” for Criminal Defense: White Collar (2024)
  • Hispanic National Bar Association, “Top Lawyers Under 40” (2017)
  • Lawyers of Color, “Hot List” (2014)
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Distinguished Service Award (2012)
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Special Achievement Award (2010)
  • Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Award for Excellence in Investigation (2010)

Credentials

Education

  • 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)
    • Teaching Assistant, Ancient and Medieval Civilizations, Revelle College Humanities Program

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

Professional & Community Involvement

  • Stanford Law School, Member of the Board of Visitors and Co-Chair of Texas Alumni
  • Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, Immediate Past President and Chair of the Judicial Diversity Committee
  • Hispanic National Bar Association, Co-Chair of the Standing Committee on Endorsements
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow (2023)
  • Dallas Women Lawyers Association Foundation, Ally (2024)
  • Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation, Sustaining Fellow (2024)

Languages

Media

Events

Insights

Insights

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