Justin Dillon

Title IX & Campus Discipline

Education Law

White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations

Federal Criminal Defense

Civil Litigation

Government & Internal Investigations

Federal Litigation

Appeals

Arbitration

Professional Misconduct & Ethics Investigations

Justin Dillon is a former federal prosecutor and trial lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes white-collar investigations, Title IX and campus disciplinary matters, and complex civil litigation. He is known for combining sophisticated advocacy with a deeply personal commitment to clients whose reputations, careers and futures are at stake.

Justin has gained nationwide recognition for representing students and professors in campus misconduct matters, with his firm handling cases at more than 100 schools nationwide. He and his partner co-authored Title IX Hearings and Litigation: A Practitioner's Guide. He was also the first lawyer in the country to obtain summary judgment against a university in a campus sexual-assault case. Most recently, in July 2026, Dillon PLLC secured a unanimous victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Doe v. Princeton University, reversing the dismissal of its client's lawsuit against Princeton.

In his white-collar practice, Justin represents individuals and small businesses facing criminal, regulatory, ethics and professional misconduct investigations. His experience includes successfully defending the general counsel of a public company in a foreign-bribery investigation, helping a government contractor avoid criminal charges after a lengthy federal investigation, and representing senior government officials and employees in sensitive investigations. He has particular experience with Offices of Inspector General and the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility.

Before entering private practice, Justin served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., where he led more than 100 grand jury investigations, tried more than 60 criminal cases and handled numerous appeals. He previously served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Justin teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School and has guest lectured on criminal law and Title IX at Harvard, George Washington University, American University and the University of Maryland. He is a member of the invitation-only Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court and the John Carroll Society and formerly chaired the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the D.C. Bar. He also served on the Board of Directors of Families Advocating for Campus Equality, supporting greater due process protections in campus disciplinary proceedings.

“The ‘Trust Us’ Era of Sexual Assault Campus Discipline Is Over,” Justin Dillon & Christopher Muha, Bloomberg Law, 2026.

“Conn. Ruling May Force Colleges to Rethink Title IX Hearings,” Aaron Keller, Law360, June 28, 2023.

“Biden’s Title IX Changes Would Roll Back Fairness and Due Process on Campus,” Justin Dillon & KC Johnson, The Washington Examiner, July 5, 2022.

“The Future of Title IX: A Conversation with Justin Dillon,” Doug McKelway, The Washington Examiner, June 15, 2021.

“Ending Due Process: Reinstating Catherine Lhamon at the Dept. of Education Is a Mistake,” Justin Dillon & Stuart Taylor, Jr., USA Today, June 14, 2021.

“Why Does Joe Biden Hate Due Process?” Justin Dillon & Candice Jackson, National Review, March 25, 2021.

“The ACLU vs. Due Process: The Nonprofit Takes a Surprising Stand Against More Rights for Those Accused on Campus,” KC Johnson & Justin Dillon, New York Daily News, May 21, 2020.

“DeVos’s Rules Bolster Rights of Students Accused of Sexual Misconduct,” quoted, The New York Times, May 6, 2020.

“Coronavirus Is No Excuse to Delay the Education Department’s New Title IX Regulations,” Justin Dillon & KC Johnson, National Review, March 30, 2020.

“New Title IX Proposal Would Restore Fairness in Sexual-Misconduct Cases,” Justin Dillon, The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 19, 2019.

“The Common App Will No Longer Require Disclosure of Criminal History. But What It Still Asks Is More Troubling,” Justin Dillon & Scott Bernstein, The Washington Post, August 23, 2018.

“Lawyers: DeVos Is Bringing Due Process to Campus Sexual Assault Cases,” Justin Dillon & Matt Kaiser, The Washington Post, September 11, 2017.

“The Hidden Perils of Affirmative Consent Policies,” Justin Dillon & Hanna L. Stotland, The Harvard Crimson, March 22, 2017.

“Why We Are Suing the Government on Behalf of Students Accused of Sexual Misconduct,” Justin Dillon & Robert Shibley, Law & Crime, April 13, 2016.

“Why It’s Unfair for Colleges to Use Outside Investigators in Rape Cases,” Justin Dillon & Matt Kaiser, Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2015.

“The White House Flunks a Test on Sexual Assault,” Justin Dillon & Matt Kaiser, The Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2014.

Students

Professors and faculty members

Senior government officials

Former Cabinet officials

Federal employees

Federal prosecutors

Corporate executives and general counsel

Government contractors

Small-business owners

Physicians and other professionals

Military officers

Individuals facing criminal investigations

Individuals facing government ethics and misconduct investigations

Clients facing Title IX and campus disciplinary proceedings

Individuals involved in complex civil litigation and appeals

Justin Dillon represents clients in high-stakes matters involving white-collar investigations, Title IX and campus discipline, and complex civil litigation. A former federal prosecutor, he has extensive experience handling criminal investigations, trials and appeals. His recent work includes securing a unanimous Third Circuit victory against Princeton University, representing clients in sensitive government and professional misconduct investigations, and advocating for students, faculty, professionals and businesses whose reputations, careers and futures are at stake.

Justin Dillon is a former federal prosecutor with extensive experience in criminal investigations, trials and appeals. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., and as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. In private practice, he represents clients in white-collar investigations, Title IX and campus disciplinary matters, and complex civil litigation. His experience includes more than 100 grand jury investigations, more than 60 criminal trials, federal appeals, government ethics and misconduct investigations, and higher education litigation.

Harvard Law School

J.D.

Duke University

B.A.

Litigation: White-Collar Defense and Government Investigation

Chambers

2026

Higher Education

Chambers

2026

Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Best Lawyer

2026

Super Lawyers® Top 100

Super Lawyers®

Washington's Best Lawyers in Criminal Defense

Washingtonian Magazine

Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Individuals

The Legal 500 — Recommended Attorney

2023