Mark Champoux

Mark Champoux leads the Trial and Appellate Group at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP. A seasoned litigator and former senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice, Mark provides strategic counsel and representation across the country to clients involved in complex litigation or facing investigation or enforcement actions by the government, and also counsels clients on a variety of technology and law enforcement issues, including the evolving regulation of artificial intelligence systems. He represents public and private corporations in a range of industries, including energy and natural resources, defense and aerospace, technology, and real estate. 

COMPLEX LITIGATION 

Mark has an extensive record of success in high-stakes litigation. He has defended global corporations as well as regional and small businesses, obtaining complete defense judgments through dispositive motions and trial and leveraging favorable settlements by winning key motions, defeating class certification, and building a strong evidentiary record in discovery.  

He frequently represents energy and oil and gas companies in a wide range of disputes, and also has significant experience in various other subject matters such as contracts, business torts, real estate, shareholder actions, civil RICO, products liability, and special taxation districts. 

INVESTIGATIONS & GOVERNMENT ENFORCEMENT

Mark represents companies, directors, and executives in conducting sensitive internal investigations and resolving potential liability with government enforcement agencies. Having served in senior leadership at DOJ, he understands the equities and incentives of government investigators and has interacted with enforcement officials across the country. Mark also helps companies manage “crisis” situations, and he has prepared dozens of individuals for appearances before congressional committees. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, EMERGING TECHNOLOGY & LAW ENFORCEMENT  

Having previously coordinated DOJ’s policy efforts relating to emerging technology and law enforcement, Mark advises businesses whose products and activities lie at the intersection of technology advancement and public safety.

Mark leads the firm’s artificial intelligence group and has advised numerous clients on the evolving regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence systems. He has also counseled companies ranging from global “sharing economy” platforms to technology start-ups on regulatory compliance and risk mitigation for issues implicating data privacy, cybersecurity, unmanned aircraft systems, cryptocurrency, and national security.  

Mark is active in the Colorado community and has also handled numerous pro bono matters, including a successful petition for certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court with subsequent reversal of conviction for an indigent criminal defendant. Mark received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was deputy editor-in-chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, and his B.A. from Brigham Young University, graduating magna cum laude and as valedictorian. Before first joining DGS in 2012, Mark was a trial attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, DC. and clerked for then-Judge Neil M. Gorsuch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. 

Government Experience

• Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy 
• Law Clerk, The Honorable Neil M. Gorsuch, U.S.

Community Involvement & Affiliations

• Colorado Symphony Board of Trustees (2025-present)
• Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, Corporate Leadership Council (2021-present) 
• Colorado Technology Association, Policy Council (2020-present) 
• S. District Court for the District of Colorado Civil Pro Bono Panel (2016-2017) 
• Denver Health Foundation, Event Committees (2013-2017) 
• Mile High United Way, Emerging Leaders Council (2015-2016) 
• Boy Scouts of America (2012-2017) 
• William E. Doyle Inn of Court, Barrister (2012-2017) 
• Colorado Bar Association 

Recognitions

• Benchmark Litigation: “Litigation Star” (2026, 2025, & 2023); “Future Litigation Star” (2015)
• Chambers USA, “Leader in Their Field” Litigation: General Commercial (Colorado) (2025)
• Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America (2026)
• The U.S. Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award (2019) 
• Colorado Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2014-2017) 
• Benchmark Litigation “40 & Under Hot List” (2016-2017) 

Selected Speaking Engagements

• “Explaining the Top Tech Policy Debates and How They Can Affect Your Company’s Legal Liability,” Colorado Bar Association, (December 3, 2020) 
• “An Insider’s Perspective on Federal Judicial Appointments and Their Impact on the Energy Industry,” Institute for Energy Law, (October 14, 2020) 
• “Understanding the UAS Threat,” Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, 19th Domestic Operational Law Course, (January 15, 2020) 
• Panel: “Powers Struggle: A Problem or Progress? A Moderated Discussion on the Power Balance Between the Executive and the Judiciary,” Vanderbilt Law School, Hyatt Fund, (November 11, 2019) 
• Panel: “Updates in Litigation and Legislation,” U.S. Department of Justice Privacy Training, (May 15, 2019) 
• Panel: “The Tech Titans’ Duties to Assist the Government,” The National Security Institute and Federalist Society Event: The Tech Titans and National Security, (June 28, 2018) 
• “Avoiding Ethical Traps When Challenging and Defending Agency Decisions,” Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Conference: Challenging and Defending Federal Natural Resource Agency Decisions, (September 15, 2016) 

Selected Publications

• “Colorado Enacts First-in-the-Nation Legislation Comprehensively Regulating Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,” Davis Graham Legal Alert, (June 19, 2024)
• “What Businesses Should Expect in Potential COVID Liability Protection Legislation & What They Can Do About It Now,” Davis Graham Legal Alert, (September 14, 2020)
• “How the Judicial Nomination Wars Affect Business Liability,” Law Week Colorado, (October 26, 2020)
• “Don’t Lie, and Other Brilliant Ethics Tips When Challenging and Defending Agency Decisions,” Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Paper 15, (2016)