Dan came to Santa Fe in 1980 to monitor the federal court order that was placed over the Penitentiary of New Mexico following the prison riot. He gained national prominence for his work in exposing the deficiencies of the New Mexico prison system and then working with the Corrections Department to correct the problems. He entered private practice in Santa Fe in 1982. After working a general practice for several years, Dan began concentrating more fully on criminal law in 1987. Dan represented the first two individuals in New Mexico who were charged with crimes in which forensic DNA was utilized in 1989. One of those cases was litigated through the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Dan’s practice consists of representing citizens charged with federal, state, and local crimes, people with national security clearances who have issues relating to their clearances, and professionals with licenses who have issues with their licensing boards. Dan successfully has represented numerous clients in high-profile cases during his 40 years of practice. Most recently, Dan tried one of the January 6 cases in federal court in Washington D.C. He secured the only full acquittal of all charges at trial for the more than 1,000 individuals charged in the January 6 prosecutions. Dan is known for zealous representation, respectful demeanor, innovative and ingenious defenses, knowledge of the law, attention to detail, compassion for his clients, high ethics, and relentless hard work. Dan’s peers have continuously recognized his legal excellence since 1993 with a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV, the highest rating possible for a lawyer to achieve. His peers have also recognized his pre-eminence in criminal law by voting his inclusion in Best Lawyers in America every year since 1995. Dan is also listed in Southwest Super Lawyers. In 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019, Dan was honored by Best Lawyers in America with their White Collar Lawyer of the Year award. Dan is receiving the Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year award from Best Lawyers for 2023. On September 27, 2018, Dan was honored by the ACLU as the 2018 New Mexico Lawyer of the Year for his career work in protecting civil liberties and individual freedoms for New Mexicans.

Karen has lived in New Mexico since 1974 and has worked side by side as a paralegal with Dan for 30 years. She works closely with Dan, Larissa and Justine. Karen attended the University of Texas. Her sunny demeanor and understanding manner are of great comfort to clients, many of whom are experiencing events that are among the most traumatic that they will encounter in their lifetime.  Karen is a consummate team player who one time volunteered to be “strangled” during a demonstration that proved to be instrumental in the dismissal of charges against a client in a first-degree murder death penalty case.  Karen’s genuine concern for the plight of our clients has been appreciated and acknowledged by countless clients over the years.