AUSTIN  Luis A. Reyes, a regulatory attorney and former high-ranking government official, has joined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in its nationally recognized Regulatory Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. With more than two decades of experience providing counsel to clients and public service at the White House, Department of Justice, and other federal and state agencies, Reyes bolsters the firm’s service offerings in Texas and nationally.

Reyes, who was a partner and stakeholder at Ashcroft Sutton Reyes, brings deep experience in both public service and private practice. He has experience providing legal counsel to senior leadership of multinational clients in a wide range of industries such as technology, financial markets, energy, and life sciences. Reyes focuses his practice on international and domestic special matters; internal investigations; litigation; civil, criminal, and congressional government investigations; international risk and investigations; government relations; securities litigation; crisis response; and regulatory compliance.

“Collaborating with Lu during the past few years has shown me firsthand the depth of his experience and the strength of his connections. His legal acumen and insights have made him a sought-after advisor and counselor in both the public and private sectors,” said Stephen Piepgrass, leader of Troutman Pepper Locke’s RISE Practice Group. “His arrival highlights our emphasis on strategically and significantly scaling our capabilities and creating collaboration opportunities across various sectors, including energy, financial services, government contracting, and health sciences.”

During his public service career, Reyes served as a senior advisor and Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States and held senior positions at the U.S. Department of Justice, including Deputy Associate Attorney General (AG); Chief of Staff to the Associate AG; and as chief legal counsel to the heads of both the Civil and Civil Rights Divisions. He also served as the General Counsel for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction – the federal law enforcement agency charged with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse occurring in the reconstruction of Iraq. Early in his career, Reyes served as an Assistant AG for the state of Texas, where he managed a heavy federal court trial practice.

“Lu’s practice presents a unique growth opportunity for our Austin office as his extensive experience in government service, regulatory compliance, investigations, and litigation will expand our federal and state regulatory investigations practice and enhance our presence in the Texas market,” said Dave Foster, managing partner of Troutman Pepper Locke’s Austin office.  

Reyes holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

“Having collaborated with Troutman Pepper Locke attorneys in the past, I am well aware of their exceptional work, and I’m excited to join this esteemed team,” said Reyes. “Leveraging the firm’s comprehensive platform and resources will be instrumental in growing my practice and providing clients an unmatched level of service.”

Troutman Pepper Locke’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement Practice Group counsels clients in a wide range of legal and public policy matters. For businesses in heavily regulated industries, such as financial services, advertising and marketing, health care, insurance, telecommunications, alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, the team offers guidance on compliance and reporting as well as, when necessary, litigation and administrative appeals of regulatory enforcement actions.


Troutman Pepper Locke

Troutman Pepper Locke helps clients solve complex legal challenges and achieve their business goals in an ever-changing global economy. With more than 1,600 attorneys in 30+ offices, the firm serves clients in all major industry sectors, with particular depth in energy, financial services, health care and life sciences, insurance and reinsurance, private equity, and real estate. Learn more at troutman.com.


Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

Ashley Taylor – Co-leader and Firm Vice Chair
Ashley is co-leader of the firm’s nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice, vice chair of the firm, and a partner in its Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. He helps his clients navigate the complexities involved with multistate attorneys general investigations and enforcement actions, federal agency actions, and accompanying litigation.
Clay Friedman – Co-leader
Clayton is a partner in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group and co-leader of the State Attorneys General practice, multidisciplinary teams with decades of experience crafting effective strategies to help deter or mitigate the risk of enforcement actions and litigation.
Stephen Piepgrass
Stephen leads the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. He focuses his practice on enforcement actions, investigations, and litigation. Stephen primarily represents clients engaging with, or being investigated by, state attorneys general and other state or local governmental enforcement bodies, including the CFPB and FTC, as well as clients involved with litigation, with a particular focus on heavily regulated industries.
Michael Yaghi
Michael is a partner in the firm’s State Attorneys General and Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Groups, nationwide teams that advise clients on consumer protection enforcement matters and other regulatory issues.
Samuel E. “Gene” Fishel
Gene is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) practice, based in the Richmond office. He brings extensive regulatory experience, having most recently served as senior assistant attorney general and chief of the Computer Crime Section in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, and as special assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia for 20 years.
Chuck Slemp
Chuck advises clients on a wide range of complex issues that frequently involve government actions, including investigations, inquiries, regulatory matters, and litigation. With a distinguished background in the law and public service, he served as chief deputy attorney general of Virginia before joining the firm. In addition to overseeing the Department of Law and Division of Debt Collection, Chuck managed a team of attorneys who handle complex litigation and investigations. He also directed the attorney general’s legislative affairs and represented the attorney general in various capacities.
Tim Bado
Tim is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, where he represents corporations and individuals facing potential civil and criminal exposure. Tim’s experience in government investigations, enforcement actions, and white-collar litigation spans a number of industries, including financial services, pharmaceutical, health care, and government contracting, among others.
Jessica Birdsong
Jessica is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice Group. She received her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, magna cum laude, where she served as associate articles editor of the Journal of Law & Technology.
Chris Carlson
Chris Carlson represents clients in regulatory, civil and criminal investigations and litigation. In his practice, Chris regularly employs his prior regulatory experience to benefit clients who are interacting with and being investigated by state attorneys general.
Blake R. Christopher
Blake collaborates with clients on matters related to government contracting, investigations, and disputes. His senior-level government experience generates valuable insights and strategies for clients across a variety of industries.
Nick Gouverneur
Nick is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice Group.
Natalia Jacobo
Natalia is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) practice. She focuses her practice on two primary areas: government contracting and state attorney general work.
Namrata Kang
Namrata (Nam) is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, based in the Washington, D.C. office. She routinely advises clients on a wide variety of state and federal regulatory matters, with a particular emphasis on state consumer protection laws relating to consumer financial services and marketing and advertising.
Michael Lafleur
Michael is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy, and Enforcement Practice Group. Based out of the firm’s Boston office, Mike has deep experience in litigation, investigations, and other regulatory matters involving state-level regulators and state attorneys general.
Lane Page
Lane specializes in federal and state regulatory investigations and complex civil litigation. He focuses on representing financial institutions and other businesses, with a particular emphasis on consumer protection and fair lending issues.
Trey Smith
Trey is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice. He focuses his practice on helping financial institutions and consumer facing companies navigate regulatory investigations and resulting litigation.
Daniel Waltz
Daniel is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group and State Attorneys General team. He counsels clients in connection with navigating complex government investigations, regulatory compliance, and transactions, involving state and federal government contracting obligations. Drawing on his broad experience as a former assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois, Daniel is a problem solver both inside and outside the courtroom.
Cole White
Cole is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) group. He has a decade of experience working in the attorney general community, having joined the firm from the Wyoming Office of the Attorney General, where he was assistant attorney general.
Stephanie Kozol
Stephanie is Troutman Pepper Locke’s senior government relations manager in the state attorneys general department.