John Kinchen

Practice Areas

White-Collar Defense | Independent & Internal Investigations | Commercial Trials & Litigation | Tax | Sports Integrity

Career

John Kinchen is the rare trial lawyer who skillfully navigates between complex commercial litigation and high-stakes white-collar criminal matters. John has developed a national trial practice in both arenas and in a variety of industries, including energy, financial services, health care, tax, real estate, and telecommunications.

While John has a strong record of delivering successful results in the courtroom, his most rewarding victories are the quiet but positive resolutions that keep his clients far from any public scrutiny.

John has particular skill and experience in defending clients against allegations of corporate misconduct, securities fraud, tax fraud, health care fraud, and environmental crimes; conducting internal investigations related to such allegations; and defending and prosecuting complex commercial claims in federal and state courts.

John sharpened his trial skills as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, where he successfully prosecuted white-collar crime and public corruption. During his tenure as a prosecutor, he successfully prosecuted the District’s first ever Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act charges in a public corruption case. After leaving the US Attorney’s Office for private practice, John was appointed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a special prosecutor in the high-profile prosecution of a transportation company charged with crimes related to a deadly bus fire during Hurricane Rita.

In the aftermath of the Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon looked to John for guidance with the DOJ’s high-profile two-year criminal investigation and the ensuing multidistrict civil and administrative litigation. With John’s assistance, the DOJ investigation ended with the company avoiding all felony charges. On the civil front, John was a trial lead for Transocean during the three-month federal multidistrict litigation trial, where the company was cleared of any gross negligence finding, thereby avoiding exposure to significant fines and penalties. He also assisted the company in successfully navigating numerous administrative investigations and proceedings before the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Chemical Safety Board.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association