Barbara J. Dawson

Barb Dawson is a senior litigation and investigations partner. She serves on the firm’s elected five-person Executive Committee and three-person Compensation Committee. She also has led the firm's Commercial Litigation Practice Group and its International Practice Group.

Barb’s practice concentrates on assisting Fortune 500 businesses and boards of directors with internal investigations, complex litigation and regulatory compliance, and Best Lawyers in America® recognized her as 2018 Phoenix Lawyer of the Year for Regulatory Enforcement Litigation. Barb assists companies when legal challenges arise from government action, shareholder, consumer and whistle-blower claims, and other circumstances involving business-threatening conflict and crisis management. She has deep industry experience with several highly regulated business sectors, including financial services, energy, government contracting and technology.

On a national basis, Barb currently serves as the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation chair-elect and will chair the Section in 2019-2020. She recently served as one of 16 members of the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary that vets and rates federal judicial candidates for the United States Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal and District Courts.

On an international basis, Barb has served as chair of the Board of Directors for Lex Mundi, an international affiliation of 160 independent law firms located in 100 countries. She frequently assists clients with matters involving non-U.S. parties and venues, international compliance issues and cross-border investigations. Her experience has included legal engagements, law-related presentations, projects and board of directors’ duties on six continents including the non-U.S. venues of China, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, Barbados, Costa Rica, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Estonia, Czech Republic, Russia, Austria, Ghana and Nigeria.