People / Nick Bunch

J. Nicholas "Nick" Bunch

Partner Dallas

T +1 214.651.5537

Nick.Bunch@haynesboone.com

Biography

J. Nicholas Bunch is a Chambers-rated partner in Haynes Boone’s White Collar and Investigations practice. Described by peers and clients as “fantastic on all fronts” and “very good with clients, very knowledgeable and a great writer,” Nick brings an insider’s perspective on how the government investigates and prosecutes white-collar criminal and civil matters. Nick gained that unique perspective over nearly 11 years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas where he investigated, prosecuted, tried and supervised every type of white-collar case imaginable, including securities fraud, healthcare fraud, accounting fraud, tax, embezzlement, cybercrime, public corruption and intellectual property offenses.

Nick’s deep and broad government experience makes him distinctively situated to represent professionals and corporate clients in high-stakes criminal and civil investigations. Nick understands how a government attorney approaches an investigation and knows how to actively stop it before it gains momentum and results in public charges against his clients. He also has an innate appreciation for the collateral consequences of white-collar matters, which often arise in multiple legal forums—criminal, civil, administrative, and regulatory—and understands how to successfully navigate each of those forums to provide his clients with a comprehensive resolution that minimizes the impact to their businesses and reputations.

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Selected Client Representations

Hired just as FBI agents were entering a Dallas-based hedge fund’s office to execute a search warrant, Haynes Boone’s team of lawyers successfully navigated a complex parallel DOJ/SEC investigation with allegations of improper short selling and insider trading, resulting in a full declination by both DOJ and SEC.
When an anesthesiologist was tainting IV bags at an ambulatory surgery center in Dallas, Texas, Haynes Boone successfully led the facility through the criminal investigation, prosecution, and trial of the anesthesiologist, resulting in his conviction and imposition of a 190-year sentence.
Successfully defended a former executive at a family office in parallel investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, resulting in no charges by any law enforcement agency.
On behalf of a health-care company and its president and Chief Executive Officer, navigated a complex, multi-year investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General into allegations of fraud relating to insurance products, resulting in no charges.
When a retail transportation company received a Grand Jury Subpoena that covered all aspects of its business, a Haynes Boone team quickly mobilized a response that included negotiating a far smaller scope to the document subpoena, significant cost savings to the client, and within a few months a full declination from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
After a lengthy fight and significant litigation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, successfully defended an executive in the automotive industry facing fraud charges and loss calculations well over $30 million, resulting in a sentence far less than what the government initially demanded.
Negotiated a complex resolution of charges in a $50 million bust-out case on behalf of a foreign national, including voluntary extradition from a foreign country and resulting in the shortest sentence of any the charged defendants.
Ongoing representation of a Fortune 10 company in a food-safety investigation by the Federal Drug Administration Office of Inspector General and United States Department of Justice.
Ongoing defense of a company and its principals in a money laundering investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Department of Justice Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (“MLARs”) relating to the airline industry.
Ongoing defense of a Dallas-based publicly traded company under criminal investigation for accounting and disclosure violations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Ongoing defense of the Chief Executive Officer of a medical equipment company facing allegations of healthcare fraud.

Professional Affiliations and Engagements

Dallas Bar Association
American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Section; Health Law Section
Texas Law Review Centennial Planning Committee

Awards and Recognitions

Recognized by Chambers USA, Chambers and Partners, in Litigation: White Collar Crime and Government Investigations (Texas), 2024

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Ethical Issues with Whistleblowers and Internal Investigations, presenter, Association of Corporate Counsel (Sept. 2024)
Recent Federal Criminal Developments: Evolving DOJ Policies, Health Care and FCPA Enforcement Trends, and Other Important Cases, UT CLE Government Enforcement Institute (Sept. 2024)
Insights on FEPA and FCPA Enforcement and the Government’s Push for Cooperation, co-presenter (July 2024)
Common Privileged Issues in Internal and Government Investigations, presenter, UT CLE Corporate Counsel Institute (May 2024)
Criminal Defense Panel Discussion, Northern District of Texas Bench/Bar (Apr. 2024)
Ethical Considerations in Internal Investigations, co-presenter, I Heart Ethics (Feb. 2024)
Congress Passes the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act, a Potent New Tool in the Fight Against International Corruption, co-author, Haynes Boone client alert (Jan. 31, 2024)
Government Contract Basics: Audits and Investigations, co-presenter, D.C. Bar (Jan. 2024)
Crisis Management Academy, presenter, Haynes Boone (Jan. 2024)
5th Circ. Ruling Shows Need For Proffer Terms Negotiation, co-author, Law360 (Oct. 18, 2023)
Crisis Management Academy, presenter, Haynes Boone (Jan. 2023)
The Use (or Abuse?) of the Mail and Wire Fraud Statues, author, Texas Lawbook (Nov. 29, 2022)
Corporate Fraud – Preventing, Detecting, and Resolving, co-presenter, Texas Bar Advanced Business Law (Nov. 2022)
DOJ Provides Additional Guidance on Corporate Criminal Investigations, author, Haynes Boone Client Alert (Sept. 26, 2022)
Collin Street Bakery: Whistleblower Case Study, presenter, SMU’s Ethics and Compliance Certificate Program (Sept. 2022)
FBI and MI5 Sound Alarm on Covert Chinese State Interference in Private Sector, author, Haynes Boone Client Alert (July 26, 2022)
Criminal Prosecution of Securities Fraud Cases, 39th Annual Southwest Securities Conference (Feb. 2016)
Intellectual Property Seminar, National Advocacy Center (Dec. 2015)
Criminal Prosecution of Securities Fraud Cases, 38th Annual Southwest Securities Conference (Feb. 2015)
Brush Up on the RCO Doctrine, Texas Lawyer (Nov. 2010)
Takings, Judicial Takings, and Patent Law, 83 TEXAS L. REV. 1747 (2005)