Uttam Dhillon, Attorney

Uttam Dhillon brings over two decades of experience as a federal prosecutor, civil litigator and high-level government attorney to the firm's litigation practice. His diverse background combines extensive litigation experience in a variety of complex civil and criminal cases with years of experience in government giving him a unique perspective when addressing a client's strategic needs.

Mr. Dhillon has held senior-level positions in Washington, D.C. where he played leading roles in shaping U.S. law enforcement policy in both the executive and legislative branches. In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Mr. Dhillon to head the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement where he worked closely with other federal agencies to coordinate the federal government's anti-drug and anti-terrorism efforts. Prior to that, Mr. Dhillon served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice where he led the development of the Department's anti-gang efforts as chair of the Attorney General's Anti-Gang Coordination Committee, developed policies and procedures for resolving federal law enforcement jurisdictional conflicts over terrorist-related explosives investigations, served as a member of the Attorney General's Review Committee on Capital Cases, and was appointed executive director of the President's Board on Safeguarding Americans' Civil Liberties.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Dhillon served as Chief Counsel for the House of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security where he provided legal advice on all matters before the committee, organized and directed all aspects of committee meetings and hearings, and trained committee staff on committee practices and procedures. Mr. Dhillon also served as the Policy Director for the House Policy Committee where he was responsible for resolving the fundamental constitutional issues that could arise in the event Congress suffers casualties in a terrorist attack.

Prior to working in Washington, D.C., Mr. Dhillon served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles where he directed complex investigations of major narcotics trafficking organizations and gangs. He successfully prosecuted cases involving narcotics trafficking, money laundering, alien smuggling, and gun possession crimes and prepared and argued multiple appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Dhillon also has extensive experience as a civil litigator and has represented clients in various sectors including financial institutions, health care providers, insurance companies, and manufacturers.

Mr. Dhillon graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley in 1987. He earned a Master of Arts degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego in 1984 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from California State University, Sacramento in 1982. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the State Bar of California, the District of Columbia Bar, all Federal District Courts in Texas and California, and the Fourth, Fifth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals.  Mr. Dhillon is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Dallas Symphony Association.