Fernald Advisory & Legal Consulting, PLLC

Federal experience.
Strategic counsel.

A boutique Austin practice in white collar defense, government investigations, complex civil matters, and outside counsel — built on twenty-eight years of federal experience.

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Michelle Fernald, founder of Fernald Advisory & Legal Consulting, PLLC

About

Michelle Fernald

Michelle Fernald spent more than three decades as a prosecutor — thirty-three years in total, the last twenty-eight as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Texas. Since 2012, she also served in leadership roles in the Austin Division, including tenures as Deputy Chief and Chief.

Over the course of her career she worked on complex federal investigations and prosecutions — from sophisticated financial crimes and money-laundering networks to high-profile public-safety matters — in close coordination with the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

She now brings that federal experience to private practice, working with businesses and individuals on white collar matters, government investigations, complex civil disputes, and strategic regulatory work — and serving as outside counsel to organizations and their leadership teams.

A full curriculum vitae is available on request. Additional background is on LinkedIn.

Services

How we work with clients

The firm works with businesses and individuals on federal matters — bringing investigative discipline, courtroom judgment, and a calm, strategic approach to sensitive, high-stakes issues.

01

White Collar & Corporate Defense

Representation and strategic counsel for businesses and individuals facing federal allegations of fraud, public corruption, tax, healthcare, securities, and money-laundering exposure — including pre-indictment advocacy, grand jury practice, and corporate internal investigations.

02

Government Investigations

Counsel for businesses and individuals facing inquiries from the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the SEC, and other federal regulators — subpoena response, voluntary disclosures, witness preparation, and parallel-proceeding strategy.

03

Complex Civil & Regulatory Matters

Representation and advisory work for businesses and individuals in high-stakes commercial disputes, fraud claims, and civil matters that intersect with federal regulatory or criminal exposure.

04

Strategic & Outside Counsel

Trusted counsel to businesses and individuals on white collar and federal regulatory strategy — supporting leadership teams and clients with investigative readiness, crisis response, and senior-level judgment on sensitive, high-stakes matters.

Prior Casework

Practice area highlights

Representative matters drawn from more than two decades of federal practice and from ongoing work in private practice. The descriptions below summarize the nature and scope of the work.

01 · White Collar & Financial Crime

Federal Investigations

  • Served as co-counsel on one of the nation’s most complex international financial investigations — the dismantling of a multimillion-dollar money-laundering network tied to the Los Zetas cartel and the American Quarter Horse industry — coordinated with multiple federal agencies and the subject of national-media scrutiny.
  • Worked on a broad range of federal matters involving tax fraud, healthcare fraud, public corruption, and other sophisticated financial-crime schemes — work that required deep tracing of funds and analysis of corporate records.
  • Represented an individual targeted in a federal investigation involving alleged fraud on a Department of Defense contract — a matter outside the Western District of Texas, illustrating the firm’s ability to defend clients in federal procurement and government-contracts investigations nationwide.
  • Recognized repeatedly for casework by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, DEA, FDA, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

02 · Government Investigations & Crisis Response

High-Profile Matters

  • Provided interagency strategic counsel during the 2018 Austin bombings investigation — a fast-moving public-safety crisis with national visibility — supporting coordinated response among federal, state, and local partners.
  • Served as co-counsel in United States v. Terry Miles (2019), a high-impact, multi-victim matter requiring defensible discovery processes and disciplined inter-agency communication.
  • Member, Crisis Management Task Force for the Texas Central Region, contributing to regional crisis-response planning and high-pressure incident management.

03 · Complex Civil & Regulatory

Compliance & Coordination

  • Worked on compliance-sensitive matters that required financial oversight, corporate audits, and coordinated regulatory response across multiple agencies.
  • Advised a healthcare operator on a sensitive matter that began as a civil regulatory issue and developed into a parallel criminal investigation — coordinating defense, regulatory response, and communications across the civil and criminal tracks of healthcare oversight.
  • Served as Texas local counsel in an arbitration involving an employment dispute led by out-of-state counsel — providing on-the-ground procedural and strategic support in a Texas forum.
  • Familiar with parallel civil and criminal exposure, internal investigation protocols, and corporate compliance considerations — and with how federal prosecutors evaluate corporate cooperation, voluntary disclosure, and remediation.

04 · Strategic & Inter-Agency Work

Federal & Regional Partnerships

  • Long-standing member of the Human Trafficking Task Force, Texas Central Region (2004–2025), and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, U.S. Marshals Service (2005–2025).
  • Advisor and member, Travis County Hate Crimes Task Force and Steering Committee (2014–2025).
  • Assisted on a sensitive matter involving the defamation and harassment of a crime victim — drawing on years of working with victims in prosecutions to support strategy and protective measures.
  • Served as Guardian ad Litem in a federal matter, appointed to inform the court of the victim’s interests in the proceeding.
  • Trusted resource for businesses and leadership teams navigating high-visibility federal investigative, regulatory, and reputational matters.

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter is unique and depends on its specific facts, applicable law, and circumstances.

Recognition & Honors

Honors, leadership, and professional service

A selection of fellowships, awards, and leadership roles spanning Michelle’s career in federal practice, the trial bar, and the Austin legal community.

Honors & Awards

  • Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2025

    Elite, highly selective, invitation-only fellowship of international trial lawyers — membership limited to less than 1% of active attorneys in the United States.

  • WDTX Impact Award 2019

    Recognized by the Western District of Texas for work on United States v. Terry Miles.

  • WDTX Group Award 2018

    Recognized for service as Lead Prosecutor at the Command Post during the 2018 Austin bombing investigation.

  • Texas Lawyer “Winning Woman” 2014

    One of nineteen women selected statewide — recognized in part for the Los Zetas / American Quarter Horse money-laundering prosecution.

  • Outstanding Prosecution Recognition

    Recognized for casework by the FBI (2003, 2009, 2013), IRS-Criminal Investigation (2013), DEA (2002, 2013), U.S. Marshals Service (2009), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (1998).

  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

    Honor extended to a limited number of Texas attorneys for outstanding professional achievement and service.

Professional Leadership

  • Federal Bar Association

    President, Austin Chapter (2025–26). Executive Board, 2018–2021.

  • Lloyd Lochridge American Inn of Court

    President; Master, Team Leader, and Executive Committee member. The Inn fosters excellence and civility among federal practitioners.

  • State Bar of Texas

    Moderator, Federal Criminal Law (2021); Advanced Criminal Law Course Planning Committee.

  • Austin Bar Association

    Education Committee (2017–2020).

  • DOJ Ambassador Program

    University of Texas School of Law (2017–2020); University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and Little Rock (2017–2025).

  • Selected Task Force Service

    Human Trafficking Task Force, Texas Central Region (2004–2025); Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, USMS (2005–2025); Crisis Management Task Force, Texas Central Region (2015–2025); Travis County Hate Crimes Task Force (2014–2025).

Additional professional background and a full curriculum vitae are available on request and on LinkedIn.

Credentials

Admissions, education, and speaking

Bar Admissions

  • 1991State of Arkansas
  • 1996State of Texas
  • 1997U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
  • 2007U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • 2012U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • 2013U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • 2015U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana

Education

  • Juris Doctor

    University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
    William H. Bowen School of Law, 1991

    Chief Justice (elected) — oversaw the school’s honor code, 1990

  • Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education

    University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 1987

Selected Speaking & Teaching

  • Southwest Border Money Laundering Conference — Scottsdale, AZ
  • Texas Attorney General Money Laundering Conference — Lakeway, TX
  • University of Texas School of Law — guest lecturer
  • IRS-Criminal Investigation — money laundering and asset forfeiture training
  • National Advocacy Center — National Security Symposium
  • Lloyd Lochridge American Inn of Court — Austin, TX
  • Trainings for the IRS, U.S. Marshals Service, Austin Police Department, Travis County District Attorney, and Homeland Security Investigations
Michelle Fernald speaking on a panel

In Practice

Preparation, candor, and a clear-eyed view of how federal investigators evaluate a case.

A perspective informed by more than three decades of federal practice.

Contact

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