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David A. Nachtigall: A Former White-Collar Prosecutor Who Now Defends the Cases He Used to Bring

David Nachtigall built his practice on the same white-collar case types he once prosecuted — embezzlement, employee theft, insurance and mortgage fraud, theft of trade secrets, securities fraud, and Ponzi schemes — giving him a documented, checkable government-to-defense career arc rather than a generalist criminal practice that happens to include fraud work.

At a Glance

Origin and Background

David Nachtigall received both his undergraduate degree (with high honors from the McCombs School of Business, management information systems) and his law degree (with honors) from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was awarded the David J. Beck Endowed Presidential Scholarship. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 2006 and previously worked as a white-collar prosecutor before moving into private criminal defense and civil litigation. He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Practice Concentration

Nachtigall represents individuals and businesses facing state and federal criminal charges of all degrees, along with a specific concentration in white-collar and fraud matters: embezzlement, employee theft, insurance and mortgage fraud, theft of trade secrets, securities fraud, and Ponzi schemes. See this Houston Criminal Defense directory for how this former-prosecutor, board-certified white-collar practice compares to other Harris County defense firms. The firm also handles select civil matters and “quasi-criminal” disputes involving theft of money or intellectual property, fraud, and lawsuits carrying a risk of future criminal prosecution — a dual civil-and-criminal skill set the firm frames as distinct from a purely criminal defense practice.

Track Record

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published, itemized case-results table with specific verdict or settlement figures on the firm’s site. This is consistent with a discretion-oriented white-collar practice’s typical presentation and has not been independently re-verified against court dockets by this profile; past results do not guarantee similar outcomes, and every case depends on its own specific facts.

Client Voice

Published client and peer testimonials describe Nachtigall as hard-working, creative, and intelligent, with one reviewer of more than 16 years’ acquaintance specifically praising his well-grounded perspective and courtroom eloquence. A separate reviewer describes Nachtigall staying in touch and remaining easily reachable throughout a DWI defense, and another describes him helping resolve an old outstanding warrant that a county office would not otherwise discuss with the client directly. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a pattern of negative or unresolved reviews warranting disclosure.

Beyond the Courtroom

Nachtigall’s academic distinctions — an honors law degree and a named endowed scholarship from the University of Texas School of Law — and his dual civil-and-criminal litigation practice reflect a broader legal skill set than a single-track criminal defense career.

Recognition

Nachtigall’s Board Certification in Criminal Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is the state’s official specialty credential, and the firm’s own materials describe it as the only distinction established by the State Bar of Texas that recognizes an attorney as a specialist in criminal law, in contrast to purchased marketing “awards.” His Texas Super Lawyers selection, sustained from 2020 through 2026, is a separate peer-nomination-based distinction.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Texas and federal fraud statutes can overlap for the same conduct, meaning a white-collar matter may expose a client to prosecution in both state and federal court depending on jurisdictional factors like interstate wire use or federally insured financial institutions. Securities fraud in particular is frequently investigated jointly by state regulators and federal agencies such as the SEC and FBI before any criminal charges are filed, making early counsel during the investigative phase especially significant in these matters. None of this is legal advice; anyone facing a criminal charge or investigation should consult a licensed Texas attorney about the specific facts of their case.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

David A. Nachtigall’s clearest, most checkable differentiator is his documented former-prosecutor-to-defense career arc specifically within white-collar and fraud casework, paired with TBLS Criminal Law certification and an honors academic background from the University of Texas. The honest trade-off: Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published, itemized case-results table, consistent with a discretion-focused white-collar practice, and as a solo practice Nachtigall has real capacity limits compared to a larger multi-attorney firm. For a Harris County client facing a white-collar, fraud, or “quasi-criminal” civil-criminal overlap matter specifically, this background is a genuine, checkable basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from David A. Nachtigall, Attorney at Law’s official website (dntriallaw.com), including its published attorney biography, practice-area pages, and client and peer testimonials, along with independently confirmed Super Lawyers profile data.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by David A. Nachtigall, Attorney at Law, PLLC prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.