Faculty Profile

Professor Dayle Elieson joined BYU Law in 2024 after three decades in public service. She teaches litigation skills, government practice skills, and criminal law, and she supervises student externships and the Washington, D.C., Seminar.

Drawing on senior leadership across federal agencies, Professor Elieson served as Chief Counsel for two: the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General—supporting oversight of FHFA conservatorships and the application of federal financial regulations—and the Drug Enforcement Administration, whose mission includes stopping illegal diversion, manufacture, and distribution of drugs while ensuring an adequate, uninterrupted supply for legitimate medical, commercial, and scientific needs.

A career prosecutor, she served as the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada, leading both criminal and civil work for the United States. As an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, she prosecuted criminal and national security matters and developed a successful model for future lone-offender terrorism cases. Earlier, she was an Assistant District Attorney for the State of Texas.

Her experience also spans policy, compliance, and judicial oversight. She served as counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary; was Assistant Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, responsible for the evaluation and review of all United States Attorneys’ Offices; and served as Counsel to a United States District Judge overseeing a corporate monitorship of one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies.