Mark Champoux

Mark Champoux is a partner in the Trial Group at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP. A seasoned litigator and former senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Champoux provides strategic counsel and representation across the country to clients involved in complex litigation or facing investigation or enforcement actions by the government, and also counsels companies on a variety of technology and law enforcement issues. He represents public and private corporations in a range of industries, including energy and natural resources, defense and aerospace, technology, and real estate.

Complex Litigation

Mr. Champoux has an extensive record of success in high-stakes litigation. He has defended global corporations as well as regional and small businesses, obtaining complete defense judgments through dispositive motions and trial and leveraging favorable settlements by winning key motions, defeating class certification, and building a strong evidentiary record in discovery.

He frequently represents energy and oil and gas companies in a wide range of disputes, and also has significant experience in various other subject matters such as contracts, business torts, real estate, shareholder actions, civil RICO, products liability, and special taxation districts.

Investigations & Government Enforcement

Mr. Champoux represents companies, directors, and executives in conducting sensitive internal investigations and resolving potential liability with government enforcement agencies. Having served in senior leadership at DOJ, he understands the equities and incentives of government investigators and has interacted with enforcement officials across the country. Mr. Champoux also helps companies manage “crisis” situations, and he has prepared dozens of individuals for appearances before congressional committees.

Emerging Technology & Law Enforcement

Leveraging his experience leading DOJ’s UAS programs and policies and as a former member of the federal interagency UAS policy steering committee, Mr. Champoux advises companies seeking to incorporate and expand the use of UAS in their businesses, helping them to form and implement UAS policies and comply with FAA regulations and state and local government laws.

Mr. Champoux is active in the Colorado community and has also handled numerous pro bono matters, including a successful petition for certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court with subsequent reversal of conviction for an indigent criminal defendant.

Mr. Champoux received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was deputy editor-in-chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, and his B.A. from Brigham Young University, graduating magna cum laude and as valedictorian. Before first joining DGS in 2012, Mr. Champoux was a trial attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, D.C. and clerked for then-Judge Neil M. Gorsuch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Government Experience

• Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy
• Law Clerk, The Honorable Neil M. Gorsuch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

Community Involvement & Affiliations

• Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, Corporate Leadership Council (2021-present)
• Colorado Technology Association, Policy Council (2020-present)
• Lex Mundi STARS, Mentor
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado Civil Pro Bono Panel (2016-2017)
• Denver Health Foundation, Event Committees (2013-2017)
• Mile High United Way, Emerging Leaders Council (2015-2016)
• Boy Scouts of America (2012-2017)
• William E. Doyle Inn of Court, Barrister (2012-2017)
• Colorado Bar Association

Recognitions

• Benchmark Litigation “Litigation Star” (2023); “Future Litigation Star” (2015)
• The U.S. Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award (2019)
• Colorado Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2014-2017)
• Benchmark Litigation “40 & Under Hot List” (2016-2017)

Selected Speaking Engagements

• “Explaining the Top Tech Policy Debates and How They Can Affect Your Company’s Legal Liability,” Colorado Bar Association, (December 3, 2020)
• “An Insider’s Perspective on Federal Judicial Appointments and Their Impact on the Energy Industry,” Institute for Energy Law, (October 14, 2020)
• “Understanding the UAS Threat,” Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, 19th Domestic Operational Law Course, (January 15, 2020)
• Panel: “Powers Struggle: A Problem or Progress? A Moderated Discussion on the Power Balance Between the Executive and the Judiciary,” Vanderbilt Law School, Hyatt Fund, (November 11, 2019)
• Panel: “Updates in Litigation and Legislation,” U.S. Department of Justice Privacy Training, (May 15, 2019)
• Panel: “The Tech Titans’ Duties to Assist the Government,” The National Security Institute and Federalist Society Event: The Tech Titans and National Security, (June 28, 2018)
• “Avoiding Ethical Traps When Challenging and Defending Agency Decisions,” Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Conference: Challenging and Defending Federal Natural Resource Agency Decisions, (September 15, 2016)

Selected Publications

• “What Businesses Should Expect in Potential COVID Liability Protection Legislation & What They Can Do About It Now,” DGS Legal Alert, (September 14, 2020)
• “How the Judicial Nomination Wars Affect Business Liability,” Law Week Colorado, (October 26, 2020)
• “Don’t Lie, and Other Brilliant Ethics Tips When Challenging and Defending Agency Decisions,” Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Paper 15, (2016)