Cliff Stricklin

• Led the defense of a large food manufacturing company and its majority shareholders against claims of breach of fiduciary duty and oppression brought by the minority shareholders in a two-week jury trial. The plaintiffs' lawsuit sought to dissolve the company and $2 billion in damages. After a two-week trial a jury found for the company and the majority shareholders and the plaintiffs took nothing. The jury foreperson was later quoted as saying, "[Stricklin's] closing was amazing. [The defense team] did a great job. To us at least, the closing really pieced together a lot of the evidence we had questions about or thoughts about."
• Led the defense of Xcel Energy, Inc. and Public Service Company of Colorado against federal criminal charges arising out of an accident that killed five contractors at a hydroelectric power plant. The result of the matter after a five-week long trial involving complex OSHA regulations, was a jury returning not-guilty verdicts in favor of both companies.
• Led the defense of public internet company and its CEO in a wide-ranging insider trading and market manipulation investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. After multiple subpoenas and interviews over five years, DOJ declined to bring charges and the SEC issued "no action" letters to both clients.
• Represented a midstream pipeline company in relation to largest pipeline spill of its kind. After a seven year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice's Environmental and Natural Resources Division, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, all claims were resolved with a Clean Water Act Misdemeanor and Failure to Report felony. The plea did not include any individuals or restitution, did not require a corporate monitor or debarment, and allowed the fine to be paid out over five years.
• Represented the former CEO of a Fortune 250 healthcare company against first of their kind federal antitrust criminal charges involving "no poach" agreements brought by the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. After a two-week trial a jury found the client not guilty of all charges.
• Led the defense of a large food manufacturing company in a qui tam action under the False Claims Act matter brought by an individual U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector valued at over $1b. The matter resulted in the government declining to intervene and the U.S. District Court dismissing the Inspector's lawsuit with prejudice and awarding client costs.
• Represented a U.S. Olympic athletic organization in a multi-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice that included response to wide-ranging grand jury subpoenas. The matter was concluded when the Department declined to pursue charges.
• Represented the former CFO of a technology company in a federal grand jury investigation led by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division into alleged non-solicitation and “no poach” agreements. After a six-month long investigation, the government declined to prosecute and closed the case.
• Represented two banking executives in a grand jury investigation involving theft of trade secrets and computer crimes. After a six month investigation, case was dismissed by prosecutors.
• Represented a Fortune 250 healthcare company in a False Claims Act lawsuit brought by a whistleblower. The matter resulted in the U.S. District Court dismissing the complaint based on motions, and the relator did not re-file.
• Represented a Fortune 250 healthcare company in an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Health and Human Services in an investigation relating to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law. The matter resulted in no action being taken.
• Represented a CEO of a large, publicly-traded tech company in an independent board member investigation. The matter resulted in no action being taken.
• Represented a Chief Accounting Officer of a large civil engineering firm in an U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into financial reporting issues. The matter resulted in a “no action” letter provided by SEC.
• Represented a corporate owner in an insider trading investigation brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Department of Justice. The result of the matter was the entry of a “no admit or deny” administrative order and no charges were brought.
• Represented a national telecom provider in a qui tam matter under the False Claims Act matter alleging fraud into the Federal Government E-Rate program. The matter resulted in the federal government declining to intervene and the case being dismissed.
• Represented a large regional not-for-profit hospital in a qui tam matter under the False Claims Act alleging Medicare and Medicaid fraud. The investigation lasted 18 months, with the results being a minimal settlement with the state Attorney General’s office, and the federal government declining to intervene.
• Represented a large civil engineering firm in a qui tam matter under the False Claims Act matter and a civil and criminal investigation by the Department of Energy and the Department of Justice. The matter resulted in the relator being dismissed, and there was a civil settlement with the DOJ that included a non-prosecution agreement.
• Represented a large engineering and infrastructure corporation in a qui tam matter under the False Claims Act investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office related to liquid petroleum gas installation issued during Hurricane Katrina recovery. The matter resulted in the government declining to intervene and the case being dismissed.

Cliff Stricklin, a longtime Texas and Colorado based trial lawyer, guides companies and executives through critical situations where litigation is a possible result. He advises clients in commercial disputes and defends them against government inquiries and private allegations of wrongdoing. He is a trusted advisor to C-suite executives and board members. He performs independent investigations on behalf of corporations and boards on subjects that include auditing, accounting, corporate governance and control, sexual harassment, and fraud. Should litigation become necessary, Cliff is an accomplished trial lawyer who has successfully tried and won some of the nation’s largest, most complex cases, including those involving Enron and Qwest.

Cliff aggressively defends corporations and executives in serious matters involving commercial litigation, antitrust, the False Claims Act, securities fraud and regulation (including cryptocurrency issues), industrial accidents, healthcare fraud, and environmental claims. He provides sophisticated advice and counseling in government investigations and parallel civil suits.  His industry experience includes healthcare, finance & banking, fintech & cryptocurrency, oil & gas, pipelines, regulated utilities, telecommunications, civil engineering, web-based retail, biotech, medical devices, food production, faith-based organizations, real estate investments, recreation & hospitality, sports & entertainment, higher education, and mining.

His public service positions have included the roles of First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney with the Enron Task Force in Houston and Dallas, Texas, State District Judge in Dallas, Texas, and Assistant U.S. Attorney in Plano and Dallas, Texas.  

As a federal prosecutor, Cliff was one of the few attorneys to have won the two highest awards bestowed by the U.S. Department of Justice: the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service for his work as a key member of the Enron Task Force, and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work prosecuting the CEO of Qwest Communications for insider trading.

Cliff’s courtroom experience also extends to the bench. During his distinguished term as a Texas state district judge in which he heard thousands of cases – not a single case was overturned on appeal. Cliff also served as presiding judge in Dallas County, Texas, a position he used to implement a number of measures designed to bring openness and fairness to the justice system. The Dallas Morning News opined, “Mr. Stricklin totes impressive credentials. His work ethic, calm judicial temperament and judgment have earned him the respect of his robed colleagues … Mr. Stricklin has performed admirably on the bench.”

Additionally, Cliff created the White Collar Criminal Law program at the University of Colorado’s School of Law and served there as an adjunct professor for ten years. He also taught trial advocacy at SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas, and at the U.S. Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina and Washington, D.C. He is also Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.