
David Sloan
Partner
David Sloan is an experienced litigator, former state prosecutor, and partner at the Keith & Lorfing law firm. David manages our Lubbock office and oversees all firm cases in the surrounding area. He practices both federal and state criminal defense exclusively in West Texas. Before joining Keith & Lorfing, Mr. Sloan served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Lubbock, serving occasionally as faculty, teaching other lawyers how to defend certain kinds of sensitive federal cases. Prior to serving as a Federal Defender, David was a state public defender in Wisconsin, where he defended hundreds of people charged with every kind of crime imaginable. Before his sojourn in the north, Mr. Sloan cut his teeth as a trial lawyer in Waxahachie, Texas, as a prosecutor. He put his trial skills to work in the courtroom, prosecuting cases for Ellis County and the District Attorney’s office in Waxahachie. His skills were recognized by the trial lawyers around him, and he went from a misdemeanor prosecutor to lead counsel on murder trials in less than three years.
Mr. Sloan has also made his mark in the appellate world, with wins in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals as well as in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was the trial counsel in US v. Cuellar, and identified a crucial issue that led to an important victory in the United States Supreme Court.
Over his career, he has defended thousands of people. He is recognized throughout West Texas as the go-to guy when it comes to federal child exploitation charges. In addition to his work on behalf of defendants, Mr. Sloan has:
- Served on the selection committee for United States Magistrate
- Taught multiple classes on defending federal criminal offenses
- Mentored junior attorneys
- Licensed to practice in Texas state courts for 33 years
In addition to his criminal practice, Mr. Sloan manages all personal injury litigation in the Lubbock area. With over 30 years of experience standing up for clients in a courtroom, the transition to civil litigation was a walk in the park for David. He prides himself on representing the working-class men and women who depend on us to make sure they are compensated fairly for their injuries.
Approach
Mr. Sloan is driven by a strong desire for fairness, and a firm belief that every person deserves a strong defense, no matter what they’re accused of. He approaches each case with sincerity, and believes he should be the kind of lawyer he’d like to have, if he were the accused. He is a strong believer in redemption, second chances and that a person can change.
When handling a case, Mr. Sloan knows that over-preparation is the key, and gathers as much information as possible. He also keeps his clients informed about the details and his strategy from the beginning, so they suffer no surprises. He shoots straight with the court, opposing counsel and most of all his clients. He loves to fight for the little guy, and to stand up to bullies. Judges know he can be counted on to handle his cases professionally, and he’s been called in by the court to help other attorneys who aren’t getting it done. Courteous and professional to everyone, his reputation for an honest and thorough case assessment has enabled him to get cases dismissed with a single conversation. As one Assistant US Attorney noted, “he is always reasonable, and never tries to blow smoke or put on a frivolous show.”

Education
A strong student, David received a full tuition scholarship to Baylor University as a National Merit Scholar. It was during a freshman course on constitutional law that Mr. Sloan first fell in love with the elegance and beauty of the law, and decided he wanted to become a lawyer. He went on to Baylor Law School, where he excelled in Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure and Evidence. He endured six months of rigorous trial training in Practice Court before he was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1991. His seven years in Waco give his blood a distinctly green and gold tint.
- Bachelor of Arts – Baylor University at Waco
National Merit Scholar - Juris Doctor – Baylor University School of Law
Practice Court Alumnus
Bar Admissions and Licenses
- State of Texas
- State of Wisconsin, 1994-2004
- Eastern District of Wisconsin
- Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- Northen District of Texas
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Victories
It ain’t bragging if its true
The United States Department of Justice charged our client with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was facing a potential life sentence. Based on our comprehensive knowledge of the Justice Manual, Keith & Lorfing was confident that the Government would not proceed to trial because the Government had not taken the appropriate steps to obtain a waiver from Main Justice in Washington, D.C. In keeping with the principle of Psalms 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God” we kept our nerve and rejected favorable plea offers. Eventually the prosecution dismissed the case at the last minute. Sometimes knowing the law is not enough, hire attorneys that know the policies undergirding the prosecution and can implement strategies to keep you safe.
The United States Department of Justice charged our client with Distribution of Child Pornography. Our client was facing 20 years in prison. Through our bespoke network of former federal law enforcement agents, Keith & Lorfing, thoroughly excavated the case for exculpatory material that would undermine the prosecutions case. After a thorough review with the prosecution team, the Government agreed to drop all the charges pending against our client.
The State of Texas (Taylor County) charged our client with Possession of Child Pornography. Our team of former prosecutors took to the offensive and uncovered rock solid evidence that our client was nowhere near the state of Texas at the time of the alleged activities. Using this information, Keith & Lorfing thoroughly researched the territorial jurisdictional limits for the State of Texas to charge crimes, and carefully selected the proper legal tools to bring the issue to the judge and get the case dismissed.
The State of Texas (Taylor County) charged our client with DUI and our client was facing jail time and a mandatory license suspension. After reviewing a search warrant that formed the backbone of the State’s case, we then carefully reviewed police officer body camera footage which established that law enforcement based their warrant on deliberately false facts to make our client appear to be the driver of a car that had recently crashed. The prosecution originally refused to dismiss the case, but after we carefully crafted a precision strike in the form of a Motion to Dismiss pursuant to violations of the Fourth Amendment, the State of Texas dismissed the case.
The United States Department of Justice charged our client with Possession with Intent to Distribute over 100 pounds of cocaine. Our client was facing a potential life sentence. Using a potential Fourth Amendment violation as negotiating leverage we bargained for a reduced charge reducing the maximum sentence to 20 years. Then United States Probation attempted to apply draconian guideline enhancements which placed our client’s likely sentence at 210 months in prison. Through Keith & Lorfing’s expertise in the United States Sentencing Guidelines we were able to defeat all of the draconian enhancements applied by the Probation Office and cut our client’s actual sentence in half.
The State of Texas (Jones County) charged our client with Terroristic Threats and kept our client in jail for over a month. Within days of receiving the case, Keith & Lorfing was able to get our client released from jail. Shortly afterward, our team obtained body camera footage from law enforcement officers that completely undermined the charges, and we worked with the prosecution to get the felony pending against our client dismissed.
The United States Government had our client charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, in a situation where a death was caused by a controlled substance. We were able to work with the Government and convince them that our client was not responsible for the death that occurred. Our client was spared a potential life sentence.
The State of New Mexico (Bernalillo County) charged our client with a serious offense of distributing alcohol to a minor. Keith & Lorfing tapped into an extensive knowledge of the New Mexico Rules of Criminal Procedure to make discovery requests that the State of New Mexico could not comply with. Keith & Lorfing then brought several issues to the court including violations of the Sixth Amendment right to speedy trial as well as violations of local discovery rules. The Court was left with no choice but to dismiss the case against our client with prejudice.
The State of New Mexico (Curry County) charged our client with Criminal Sexual Penetration or common law rape. Our client was facing nine years in prison in the most heavy-handed county in the State of New Mexico. Our attorneys used a deep knowledge of the rules of evidence and the New Mexico rules of discovery to obtain multiple statements from the alleged victim which were completely incoherent. These prior statements were used to develop a script and combined that with our mastery of the New Mexico Rules of Criminal Procedure to obtain a Pre-Trial Interview with the alleged victim. After that interview, the State’s case fell apart and the State dismissed all charges against our client.
The United States Government had incarcerated our client for a prior conviction of Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. Keith & Lorfing was retained by our client to reduce her sentence based upon recent changes to the United States Sentencing Guidelines. By getting to know our client, transcending the basics to a command of the federal statutes, and an unparallelled capacity to advocate for our clients, we successfully reduced our client’s reduced by nearly 20%.

West Texas Roots
Mr. Sloan has strong ties to West Texas. Although he wasn’t born in Texas, he got here as quick as he could. He represented clients throughout West Texas during his twenty year career with the Federal Public Defender’s Office. His wife, Noel, works for Texas Tech University. His son was born in Lubbock, and all his children are proud graduates of Lubbock Cooper High School. Go Pirates! Additionally, David has been a twenty-year member and occasional officer with Hope Lutheran Church in Lubbock and volunteers with them to renovate Lutheran Churches in the area.
- Favorite travel destination: His favorite travel destination in West Texas is the Palo Duro Canyon, and he loves to vacation with his wife at the Dove’s Rest cabins on the canyon’s rim.
- Best kept secret in West Texas: The Slaton bakery is the best kept secret in West Texas because kolaches.
- Best Restaurant in West Texas: Las Brisas steakhouse in Lubbock because of sizzling plates and great mashed potatoes.
- Biggest Surprise about West Texas: The amazing cutting edge energy research being done at Texas Tech.
- What does West Texas Tough mean to me: It’s grit, determination and
persistence, getting back up when you’ve been knocked down.
What are Clients are Saying


Personal Life
We all know David is the smartest person at the firm, but after meeting his wife, Noel, we also know he’s the luckiest. David and his incredibly talented wife have been married for over 30 years. He is an active member at Hope Lutheran Church and volunteers his time there on occasion. David has also served as a cub scout pack leader and scoutmaster with pack 593 and troop 505.
David loves watching college football, and always cheers for the Baylor Bears, unless they are playing his second favorite Texas Tech, when he just watches and smiles. If you want to get him talking, ask him about his love of the outdoors. He enjoys national parks and is currently working his way through a list of them. An adventurer at heart, he enjoys exploring new wilderness and discovering new places.