Barrett R. Howell is a Dallas, Texas attorney and the founding member of Howell Defense, PLLC. He launched the firm in February 2025 after nearly 25-years practicing at large law firms. His career has centered on high-stakes matters, representing companies, executives, and healthcare professionals in government investigations, civil enforcement actions, and criminal prosecutions.
Howell’s practice operates at the intersection of business, regulation, and risk. He has handled matters involving alleged healthcare fraud related to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance claims, as well as securities, accounting, and financial investigations. His experience also includes cases involving allegations of bribery, kickbacks, and corruption. In addition, he conducts internal investigations and advises on regulatory compliance, internal controls, and self-reporting decisions.
Before founding his firm, Howell served as a partner at Blank Rome LLP, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Bracewell LLP, and K&L Gates LLP. Earlier in his career, he practiced at Winstead PC and Haynes and Boone, LLP. Over time, he built a reputation in white collar defense and government investigations, including matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, various offices of state attorneys general, and other federal and state regulatory agencies.
Howell earned his J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law in 2001. He earned degrees from Emory University, including a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in French. Howell has been ranked by Chambers & Partners in Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations for four consecutive years, from 2021 to 2025. He has also been recognized by D Magazine as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” in Criminal Defense: White Collar in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023—underscoring his reputation among the region’s top attorneys. In addition, Best Lawyers, published by BL Ranking and known for its exclusive peer-review process recognizing only the top 5% of U.S. attorneys, has honored Mr. Howell as a Best Lawyer in Commercial Litigation since 2024. He has also been selected to Super Lawyers, published by Internet Brands, for seven consecutive years (2014–2020) in the areas of White Collar Crimes, Health Care, and Business Litigation—an acknowledgment reserved for attorneys demonstrating outstanding professional achievement and peer recognition. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Alcuin School in Dallas, TX.
When you think about professional success, what does it mean in your world?
At its core, success means protecting the client’s liberty, livelihood, and reputation. That may involve avoiding charges altogether, persuading the government not to pursue certain theories, narrowing the scope of the investigation, or resolving the matter on terms that preserve the client’s ability to continue working and operating. It also means controlling what can be controlled. Investigations are disruptive by nature—they consume time, resources, and attention. A successful defense minimizes that disruption, implements order on a fast-moving process, and ensures that decisions are deliberate rather than reactive. For me, the best success is quiet. It looks like preventing escalation, clarifying misunderstandings before they harden into allegations, and guiding the matter to a resolution that is proportionate to the facts.
What helped you build the foundation to start your own firm after nearly 25-years at large law firms?
I learned early in my career that the best white collar defense work happens long before the government shows up. Over the course of my career at firms including Haynes and Boone, Winstead, K&L Gates, Bracewell, Katten, and Blank Rome, I focused on understanding how regulators evaluate risk, build cases, and interpret internal records. That perspective allows you to identify vulnerabilities before they become allegations and address issues before they become crises. Starting my own firm was a natural extension of that approach—strategic, anticipatory, and centered on guiding clients through risk rather than simply reacting to it.
What does success look like when the government starts asking questions?
It begins with control and clarity. The first move is disciplined: preserve the record, map the facts, and establish a defensible review process. In healthcare matters, that may require a granular understanding of how closely a client’s coding and billing practices align with the applicable reimbursement requirements, whether it is Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers. In securities and accounting matters, it often means tracing what information was internally known, by whom and when it was known, then comparing that to what was publicly disclosed and when it was disclosed.
Success rarely looks dramatic. More often, it is the steady, methodical work done early—before assumptions harden and narratives take hold—that keeps a matter from escalating.
Your work spans healthcare fraud defense, securities issues, accounting questions, and corruption topics. How do you stay effective across such different problem sets?
I see them as different surfaces covering the same underlying architecture: systems, incentives, and proof. In healthcare matters, the questions may center on coding, medical necessity, or referral relationships. In securities and accounting investigations, the focus often shifts to revenue recognition, internal controls, and disclosure judgments. In corruption cases, scrutiny tends to fall on relationships, payments, and intent.
Across all of them, the common denominator is the record—and the controls behind it. I concentrate on the process according to which decisions were made, how they were documented, and what a regulator is likely to infer from both what is present and what is missing. That framework travels well, even when the subject matter changes.
How did your education shape your approach to success?
My education gave me a blend of analytical discipline and clarity in communication. I earned a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in French from Emory University, followed by a J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law.
Finance trained me to understand incentives and to follow the numbers wherever they lead. Learning a second language reinforced intellectual discipline and precision in communication—the ability to express complex ideas clearly and avoid careless thinking. Law sharpened my instinct to reason from rules and evidence. In investigations, those skills converge: success often depends on distilling intricate transactions and large volumes of data into clear, accurate explanations without sacrificing nuance.
Recognition can be part of a career story. How do you view awards and rankings?
I see them as signals, not the goal. Listings like D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas, Chambers rankings for white-collar crime and government investigations, Texas Monthly recognition, and Super Lawyers are meaningful because this work is referral-driven and trust-driven. People often find a defense lawyer when they are under stress. External validation can help them feel less alone in a hard moment. But the day-to-day standard is still the work itself.
What is one behind-the-scenes practice you rely on that most people would not expect?
I build timelines that look more like engineering diagrams than legal memos. I map people, events, documents, and decision points on a single page, then I stress-test it. Where did the information originate. Who touched it. What policy applied. What record proves it. That method helps in internal investigations and in interactions with regulatory and enforcement agencies. It also forces discipline. If I cannot tie an argument to a document or a clear fact, I treat it as a risk.
After your firm’s first year, what advice would you give to someone just starting in a demanding field?
Choose a difficult problem and stay with it long enough to understand it at depth. Depth compounds. Develop habits that make you reliable under pressure. Learn to document your work as carefully as you perform it. Pay attention to systems and controls—they often determine outcomes long before anyone drafts a brief. And if you decide to build something of your own, do it when your expertise is strong enough to keep the model simple: focus, disciplined execution, and clear accountability.