By Michael Uhl, P.C.

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White Collar Crimes

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Last Modified on Aug 24, 2026

Michael Uhl Named to D Magazine’s Hall of Fame for Dallas Criminal Defense

A federal target letter has a way of making everything else go quiet. The subpoena, the grand jury date, the call from an agent who already seems to know your business, and suddenly the only question that matters is who you can trust to stand between you and the government.

That question got easier to answer this month. Michael Uhl was named to the D Magazine Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for professionals recognized among D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas for more than 15 years. For anyone weighing their options for Dallas criminal defense, that kind of staying power says something the marketing never can.

You can read more about Michael Uhl and the cases he takes on. What the honor really reflects is simple, though. The work came first, and the recognition followed.

Key Takeaways

• The D Magazine Hall of Fame is reserved for lawyers named to the Best Lawyers in Dallas list for more than 15 years, so it rewards a long record rather than one strong year.
• The list starts with peer nominations and runs through an anonymous review panel, which means it reflects what other lawyers think of the work.
• D Magazine states plainly that advertising dollars have no effect on who makes the list.
• Michael Uhl earned the honor in the Criminal Defense: White Collar category, the same area he worked as a federal prosecutor before moving to the defense side.
• For someone under a fraud or healthcare fraud investigation, sustained peer recognition is one of the harder trust signals to fake.

If you are trying to decide who should handle a serious case, the team at Michael Uhl, P.C. offers a free initial case evaluation, so you can ask those questions before you commit.

What the D Magazine Hall of Fame Actually Recognizes

The Hall of Fame recognizes sustained excellence, not a single good year. D Magazine reserves it for professionals who have been named among the region’s best in their field for more than 15 years, a bar that quietly filters out anyone with a short or uneven track record.

For Michael Uhl, that means a long run in the Criminal Defense: White Collar category on his D Magazine profile, earned while opposing counsel and former colleagues watched him work. Recognition that survives changing panels and shifting competition tends to track something real. How a lawyer earns a spot on that list explains why the honor carries the weight it does.

How Lawyers Land on the Best Lawyers in Dallas List

Earning that spot is a matter of being voted, vetted, and verified before a name ever appears in print. The process runs in four steps.

1. Peer nomination. D Magazine invites thousands of local lawyers to nominate colleagues, capping how many names can come from inside a single firm.
2. Vetting. Editors tally the ballots and strip out self-nominations, duplicates, and anyone practicing outside the coverage area.
3. Panel review. An anonymous panel of respected lawyers weighs the finalists, and editors confirm each honoree’s bar license, disciplinary status, and minimum years in practice.
4. Notification. Winners learn by mailed and emailed letter, which is how this year’s Hall of Fame news arrived.

The publication is blunt that advertising dollars have zero impact on the outcome. That is what separates a peer honor from a paid placement.

Why More Than 15 Years Says More Than One

A single award can come from a good year, a well-timed nomination, or a firm that knows how to campaign. Fifteen years is harder to explain away. It means the same lawyer kept earning the votes of people who had every reason to notice a slip, and many of those people argue against him for a living.

That is the quiet value of a peer-voted honor. It measures what other lawyers think, including the ones across the table, and that is the one opinion a person facing charges can almost never gather on their own. You can read the reviews and study the website. What you cannot see is how a prosecutor sizes up the Dallas criminal defense attorney sitting on the other side.

Uhl’s record backs the pattern. Alongside the Hall of Fame, he holds a Texas Super Lawyers selection and an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, two more marks that lean on peer and judicial input rather than self-promotion.

When the stakes are your freedom and your name, that kind of standing is worth asking about. A conversation with Michael Uhl, P.C. costs nothing and tells you a lot.

The Experience Behind the Honor

Awards follow the work, and the work here started on the other side of the courtroom.

From Prosecutor to Defense

Uhl spent five years as a felony chief prosecutor at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, where he led the Dallas corporate fraud investigation group until 2004. Nearly two decades of building fraud cases taught him how the government thinks, and where those cases tend to crack.

A Focus on White Collar and Fraud

His practice centers on federal and state matters like healthcare fraud, securities fraud, and other white collar charges. He is admitted before all four U.S. District Courts in Texas, including the Northern District, where many North Texas federal cases are heard.

Still in the Classroom

Uhl has also taught white collar crime as an adjunct professor at SMU Dedman School of Law. Teaching the subject year after year is its own kind of credential, and it keeps him current as the law shifts.

For a defendant, that mix of prosecution history and courtroom teaching means fewer surprises once a case is underway.

What This Means If You’re Facing Charges in Dallas

A strong track record does not guarantee an outcome, but it does change the odds that your case is handled well. Awards like the Hall of Fame will not decide your case. What they signal is that the Dallas criminal defense attorney you are considering has done this work long enough, and well enough, for peers to keep saying so.

If you are facing a federal or state charge, the next move is simple. Talk to a lawyer who has sat in both chairs, and do it before you say anything to investigators. Michael Uhl, P.C. offers a free case evaluation, and the sooner that conversation happens, the more options tend to stay open.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is D Magazine’s Best Lawyers list the same as Super Lawyers or Best Lawyers in America?

No, they are three separate honors run by different organizations. D Magazine’s list is peer-voted and focused on the Dallas area, while Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America run their own national selection processes. A lawyer who appears on all three, as Uhl does, has cleared several independent bars rather than one.

How soon should I contact a lawyer after getting a target letter or subpoena?

Right away, ideally before you respond to anyone. A target letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office means you are the focus of an investigation, and what you say early can shape the whole case. You’ll want counsel involved before the first interview, not after.

Does Michael Uhl handle state cases or only federal ones?

Both. He is admitted before all four U.S. District Courts in Texas and practices in state court as well, drawing on his years as a Dallas County felony prosecutor. That range matters when a case starts in one system and moves to the other.

What does a free case evaluation actually include?

It’s a private conversation about your situation, the charges or investigation you’re facing, and the options in front of you. You won’t be charged for it, and you’re not committing to anything by showing up. Bring any documents you’ve received, like a subpoena or letter, so the discussion stays concrete.

Can I check a lawyer’s disciplinary history myself?

Yes, and you should. The State Bar of Texas lets anyone look up a lawyer’s license status and any public disciplinary record for free. When a firm’s claims and the bar’s records line up, that’s a good sign.

Michael Uhl, P.C.: Your Dallas Criminal Defense Law Firm

Facing a federal investigation or a serious charge in Dallas is one of the more isolating things a person can go through, and the lawyer you pick shapes what happens next. Michael Uhl has spent decades on both sides of these cases, first building fraud prosecutions for the government and now defending against them, and the D Magazine Hall of Fame is one more sign the work has held up over time. 

In practice, the earliest calls tend to be the ones that protect the most options. If that is where you are, Contact our firm today and start the conversation with someone who has been in the room before.