Gray Reed has added former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission trial lawyer Chris Davis as a partner in Dallas to lead the firm's white-collar defense practice group.

Davis had worked at the SEC's Fort Worth Regional Office since 2010 and said he always planned to return to private practice. He talked to a number of firms, but said he is excited about the opportunity to build Gray Reed's white-collar defense practice.

He joined Gray Reed, which has about 140 lawyers in Houston, Dallas and Waco, on Monday.

At the SEC, Davis was a senior trial counsel for the region covering Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas, where he investigated and prosecuted cases including cryptocurrency-based securities and Ponzi schemes, accounting fraud and insider trading. He was a member of the SEC's digital currency working group.

Davis said he brings more than trial experience to his new role in private practice— he understands how the government approaches matters. That will help him predict when the government is likely to pursue a matter, or move into “cooperation mode” to resolve it, he said.

“It's just that kind of combination of that experience you can only get as an insider,” Davis said.

Cary Gray, Gray Reed's managing partner, said the firm is growing its white-collar defense practice—in part because of health care work—and needed someone like Davis to head it. Dallas-based partner Tomas Rhodus had been heading the white-collar defense practice, Gray said, but is very busy with tax fraud work.

Gray said the white-collar defense practice gets some of its work through referrals from other firms.

“Somebody who has Chris's resume is a very appealing option when there is this situation when there are multiple defendants and multiple law firms have to be involved,” Gray said.

Before moving to the SEC in 2010, Davis was a trial associate at Baker Botts in Dallas.