Rachael Jones

Rachael Jones is a Principal in McKool Smith’s Dallas office and a veteran trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience handling high stakes litigation. Her practice at McKool Smith is focused on Civil Litigation. In addition to her civil litigation practice, Rachael will also focus on White Collar Defense, where she represents individuals and corporations in government investigations, enforcement actions, and complex criminal proceedings.

Prior to joining the firm, Rachael served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, where she supervised federal prosecutors, and helped manage various hiring and budget decisions while also maintaining an active caseload involving complex federal criminal matters.

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2015 to 2025, Rachael conducted major investigations and prosecutions involving international drug trafficking conspiracies, securities and wire fraud, health care fraud, firearms offenses, tax fraud, and money laundering. Rachael’s courtroom experience includes trials charging securities fraud, health care fraud, wire fraud affecting a financial institution, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses. She tried more than 80 jury trials involving violent felonies—including capital murder, child sexual assault, and arson—and served as trial counsel in two death penalty cases. Rachael is known for her tenacious and expert trial skills.  She was often brought onto trial teams and investigations because of her ability to question the most difficult of witnesses and to brainstorm on effective strategies to win a case. This extensive litigation and trial experience has provided Rachael with deep insights into how federal prosecutors and federal agents are analyzing a case.

Before her federal service, Rachael spent over a decade at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, where she held leadership roles including Chief Prosecutor in both the Felony Trial Court and Community Prosecution Unit. In those positions she supervised other prosecutors and helped train numerous prosecutors. She also helped launch and manage a new unit focused on community-based prosecution, implemented diversion programs, and conducted outreach and prevention initiatives in schools and neighborhoods. Some of Rachael’s most passionate work was in the child abuse division where she prosecuted numerous sexual assaults and injuries of children.

Rachael began her legal career at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office and has been Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2009.

In addition to her legal practice, Rachael is deeply engaged in civic and professional service. She is a past President of the Rotary Club of Dallas, Vice President of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, a Master of the Honorable Sarah T. Hughes Inn of Court, and a former Barrister of the Honorable Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court. Rachael has also served as an adjunct professor teaching trial advocacy at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and as a member and panel chair of the Texas Bar District 6 Grievance Committee. She is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Paul Harris fellow for the Rotary International Foundation, and Price Cross Partner for the Rotary Club of Dallas Foundation. Rachael frequently speaks and teaches on trial advocacy and criminal law at national programs hosted by the Department of Justice, National District Attorneys Association, and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA).