Today marks Erin Nealy Cox’s first full day on the job as the new top federal prosecutor in North Texas.
U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle gave Cox the oath of office Friday, making her the new United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, which includes Dallas, Collin, Tarrant and 97 other counties.
In an exclusive interview Sunday with The Texas Lawbook, Cox said she met with senior staff Friday and was briefed on key developments.
“I had a good first day,” Cox told The Texas Lawbook in her first interview since being sworn in. “I told the staff Friday that I plan to go slow as fast as I can.
“My plan is to spend the next 60 to 90 days meeting with our team, leaders of local federal law enforcement and federal judges” to help understand their needs and help “determine priorities,” she said.
Cox said she plans to start meeting with editorial boards and making public appearances only after she’s spent two to three months on the job.
Many legal experts say they hope Cox focuses more on financial fraud and other corporate white-collar criminal activities, which they say have long been ignored by federal prosecutors in the Northern District.
Cox certainly has the résumé and the experience. She served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Dallas prosecuting cyber and white-collar crimes from 1999 to 2008.
“I am honored to return to the United States Attorney’s Office and I am looking forward to working with the great people here, our many law enforcement partners, and all those in the community who have a commitment to the pursuit of justice,” Cox said.
President Donald Trump nominated Cox in September. The U.S. Senate confirmed her on Nov. 9. While the official swearing in took place last Friday, there will be a more formal ceremony for Cox in early 2018.
The U.S. Attorney’s office, which has a staff of 215 employees and 100 attorneys, prosecutes federal crimes ranging from terrorism and public corruption to firearms and narcotics.
A Mississippi native and graduate of Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, Cox resigned as a senior advisor at McKinsey & Co. and stepped down from her position as a corporate board member at specialty retailer Sally Beauty Holdings when she was confirmed by the Senate in early November.
Cox also has a B.B.A. in finance from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Legal experts say that Cox’s background and career emphasis should make the office more aggressive in pursuing financial fraud cases, which have taken a back seat to antiterrorism and anti-gun prosecutions during the past few years in the Northern District.
“Erin is an excellent choice and she provides a tremendous amount of leadership to an office that is young, talented and needs some professional guidance,” said former U.S. Attorney Matt Orwig, a partner at Winston & Strawn who serves on the committee that recommended Nealy Cox.
“There is no doubt that the Northern District has developed a reputation for being not that interested in prosecuting fraudulent financial schemes other than healthcare,” Orwig says.
Several legal experts say that they believe that Nealy Cox and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Regional Director Shamoil Shipchandler could – if they combine their resources and conduct joint investigations – reinvigorate the white-collar criminal law practice in North Texas.
“The Northern District needs someone who has experience in prosecuting complex criminal cases and makes them a priority,” says former prosecutor Ed Tomko, a lawyer at the Dykema law firm in Dallas. “The U.S. Attorney’s office here needs leadership and I hope she provides it.”
Arnold Spencer, a former white-collar criminal prosecutor and now general counsel at Coinsource, says Nealy Cox is an excellent choice because she has the three qualities needed for the job.
“Erin is a prosecutor, a leader and a manager,” Spencer says. “I think she and Shamoil will work together and will get a lot done. Both are very interested in cybersecurity issues and that is a very good thing.”