Jody Gilzene
Founder & Managing Attorney
Practice Areas:
- Business & Regulatory Counsel
- Investigations & White-Collar Defense
- Catastrophic Harm, Civil Litigation & Whistleblower Claims
- Military & Veterans Advocacy
Direct Email: [email protected]
Main Phone: 214-896-6054
Direct Phone: 469-382-6088
Social Media: LinkedIn
Backed by more than 20 years of experience, Jody brings a track record of deep expertise in business and regulatory compliance, complex investigations, white-collar defense, enterprise-wide legal risk mitigation, litigation, as well as military and veterans law.
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Cornell University
Master of Laws (LLM), Securities & Financial Regulation, Georgetown University Law Center
Juris Doctor (JD), Cooley Law School
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Criminal Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago
Current Practice
Jody provides strategic Business & Regulatory Counsel to companies and executives across highly regulated sectors, offering tailored outside general counsel services, regulatory guidance, and compliance support to strengthen operations and mitigate enterprise-wide legal risk.
She helps clients in Investigations & White-Collar Defense matters, drawing on her experience as a former Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney, Air Force JAG, and financial services in-house counsel to guide clients through high-stakes internal reviews, government inquiries, and complex white-collar matters while addressing civil, criminal, regulatory, reputational, and financial exposure.
Jody also maintains a focused litigation practice, representing clients in Catastrophic Harm, Civil Litigation & Whistleblower Claims. She brings disciplined advocacy and seasoned judgment to each matter, whether resolving disputes pre-litigation or litigating them through trial.
As a former military attorney, Jody provides dedicated Military & Veterans Advocacy, representing service members and veterans in adverse government actions and VA benefit denial appeals.
Prior Professional Experiences
Immediately before forming Gilzene Law PLLC, Jody was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel - Global Financial Crimes for the largest bank in the United States and fifth largest bank globally. She regularly advised senior executives across the global enterprise on various cross-border, financial crime-related matters, regulatory compliance, enterprise-wide legal risk mitigation, and significant government investigations. She was also the designated financial crimes legal advisor for the Asset & Wealth Management line of business - specifically the LATAM Private Bank - engaging in investigation and general counsel advisory matters involving family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Before entering corporate practice, Jody served as a Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney (federal prosecutor) with the U.S. Department of Justice in West Texas. She conducted and oversaw complex criminal investigations and handled a broad array of high-stakes federal crimes, including money laundering, corruption and bribery, drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, immigration fraud, various customs-related violations, computer-related crimes, wire fraud, cultural properties and art theft, false representations to government officials, and financial fraud. Jody also litigated criminal cases in federal district court, collaborating with agents and other attorneys, as lead counsel.
In her earlier government service, Jody served as an active duty Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the U.S. Air Force. Her assignments spanned roles as a prosecutor, ethics advisor, general counsel, criminal defense attorney, and civil litigation counsel in employment law. She operated in high-stakes, diverse environments across multiple countries, including a deployment to the Middle East.
While attending law school for her Juris Doctor, Jody worked full-time as a criminal investigator for a county government agency in Michigan, handling financial crime investigations and restitution matters in the Economic Crimes Unit.
Attorney Bar Admissions
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Michigan
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
Pro Bono Work
Jody volunteers as a pro bono attorney with The Veterans Consortium, a D.C.-based non-profit that helps U.S. military veterans with various legal issues. She works specifically with the Veterans Naturalization Assistance Program; helping veterans, who are lawful permanent residents, obtain U.S. citizenship.
Interesting Facts
Jody was an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship student-athlete throughout all four years of college.
Jody is a naturalized U.S. citizen and first-generation immigrant, born in Jamaica.
In her free time, Jody enjoys spending time with her family and close friends, traveling, and learning new skills.