Overview
(July 11, 2022, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that former Assistant US Attorney Dwight J. Draughon Jr. has rejoined the firm's Investigations and White-Collar Defense Group as a partner in the Washington, DC office. Draughon brings an impressive track record of trial experience to the firm gained during his tenure as an Assistant US Attorney for the District of Maryland (2018-2022).
While an Assistant US Attorney, Draughon's jury trials, all of which resulted in guilty verdicts, included a seven-day trial with more than 30 witnesses. Additionally, Draughon investigated and prosecuted wire, bank, and procurement fraud, public corruption, hate crimes, firearm trafficking, and numerous other federal offenses. He also acted as the US Attorney Office's Southern Division's civil rights coordinator, investigating criminal violations of civil rights. Prior to this, Draughon spent two years as an associate at Steptoe.
At Steptoe, Draughon will maintain a broad white-collar and government investigations practice, focusing on matters related to internal investigations, public corruption, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and fraud. Draughon will also help clients navigate civil cases––namely those headed to trial.
Steptoe Chair Gwen Renigar commented: "Dwight will make an excellent addition to the firm's growing Investigations and White-Collar Defense Group, given the variety of cases he’s handled, his work with multiple law enforcement agencies, his continuous litigation experience, and his management of appellate matters. He rejoins the firm on the heels of four other prominent additions to our investigations and white-collar defense team over the past year, including Jonathan Baum, Iris Bennett, Lizzie Baird, and former AUSAs Steve Welk and Rachel Cannon. As we continue to see an uptick in white-collar work, his significant trial skills and insider’s knowledge of the US Attorney’s Office will be an ideal fit for the practice—we’re fortunate to have him back.”
Draughon added: "I'm thrilled to pick up where I left off at Steptoe, and to join a renowned team with a storied history of handling complex white-collar defense cases for some of the largest companies in the world. As I build out my practice, I also look forward to contributing to the firm’s ongoing recruitment efforts, diversity initiatives, and community service opportunities."
Steptoe's Investigations and White-Collar Defense practice has represented some of the largest public and private companies in the world in major government and internal investigations. Regarded as one of the best white-collar practices in the United States, the team has garnered many accolades, including recognition by both Chambers USA and The Legal 500 as a top-ranked practice in this field. The group was also named The National Law Journal's "Washington Litigation Department of the Year in White-Collar Crime" in 2014, 2017, and 2018, and has received Law360's "Practice Group of the Year in White-Collar" award three times. Global Investigations Review has named Steptoe to its GIR 30, an independent guide to the world's best firms for international investigations, every year since 2015.
Prior to joining Steptoe, Draughon clerked for Judge Hazel on the US District Court for the District of Maryland after practicing at a leading law firm. Draughon earned his J.D. from the Howard University School of Law, his M.A. in Education from American University, and his A.B. from Princeton University.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s Chair is a woman; the majority of Steptoe's nine offices are managed by women; the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders; and the firm’s twelve-person elected compensation committee is headed by a woman and includes five women as members. The firm's eight-person professional business services leadership is equally diverse, with half the c-suite made up of women, including three women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
