With a wealth of experience practicing cross-border and international litigation, Douglas has provided legal counsel to private and sovereign clients located across the globe, with a particular focus in the Middle East and Africa. He has litigated cases in US state courts and at each level of the federal court system, including the United States Supreme Court. He has been consistently recognized by Super Lawyers for his work in the field of International Litigation (2014-2020).
Since 2004, Douglas has successfully litigated more than a dozen mass tort actions brought pursuant to the US Anti-Terrorism Act, securing victories on behalf of various Middle East-based financial institutions at the dispositive motion, summary judgment, and appellate stages. His victories include some of the leading decisions in the field of Anti-Terrorism Act litigation.
Douglas also represents and advises clients in connection with compliance and liability matters involving US Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism laws and regulations, claims brought pursuant to the US Alien Tort Statute, as well as other complex cross-border commercial litigation and contract disputes. In 2018, Douglas was part of the team that secured victory in Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC, a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court that barred Alien Tort Statute lawsuits against foreign corporations.
He writes on topics concerning international law, jurisdiction and compliance issues, with articles appearing in the New York Law Journal, Global Investigations Review, Legal Tech News and multiple DLA Piper bulletins, among other publications. He also participates in panel discussions and lectures on these topics, including presentations in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Kuwait, and an invited lecture on the Alien Tort Statute at the Practising Law Institute.
Representative matters are described further below (prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome).
Features
- LicenseLicensed in New York
State: New York
Acquired: 2005
Currently Registered - Honors2020 - Top Rated International Attorney, SuperLawyers2019 - Top Rated International Attorney, SuperLawyers2018 - Rising Star in International Litigation, Super Lawyers Magazine2018 - Legal Lion, Law 3602017 - Rising Star in International Litigation, Super Lawyers Magazine2016 - Rising Star in International Litigation, Super Lawyers Magazine2015 - Rising Star in International Litigation, Super Lawyers Magazine2014 - Rising Star in International Litigation, Super Lawyers Magazine
- Work Experience2013 - Present Partner, Dla Piper, LLP (Us)2012 - 2012 Associate, Dla Piper, LLP (Us)2005 - 2012 Associate, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP2003 - 2005 Summer Associate & Associate, Winston & Strawn, LLP2001 - 2003 Law Clerk, Arnold & Porter, LLP
- Sample of Legal CasesAverbach v. Cairo Amman Bank, No. 19-cv-0004-GHW, 2020 WL 1130733 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2020) -
DISMISSAL OF ALL CLAIMS AGAINST DEFENDANT; HELD: PLAINTIFFS FAILED TO PLAUSIBLY PLEAD ELEMENTS OF ANTI-TERRORISM ACT TORT. CLIENT VICTORY.Averbach v. Cairo Amman Bank, No. 19-cv-0004-GHW-KHP, 2020 WL 486869 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 21, 2020) -
MAGISTRATE RECOMMEDED DISMISSAL OF ALL CLAIMS AGAINST DEFENDANT; HELD: PLAINTIFFS FAILED TO PLAUSIBLY PLEAD ELEMENTS OF ANTI-TERRORISM ACT TORT. CLIENT VICTORY.Kaplan v. Lebanese Canadian Bank, SAL, 405 F. Supp. 3d 525 (S.D.N.Y. 2019) -
DISMISSAL OF ALL CLAIMS AGAINST DEFENDANT; HELD: PLAINTIFFS FAILED TO PLAUSIBLY PLEAD ELEMENTS OF ANTI-TERRORISM ACT TORT. CLIENT VICTORY.Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC, 138 S. Ct. 1386 (2018) -
DISMISSAL OF PLAINTIFFS' CLAIMS AFFIRMED; HELD: FOREIGN CORPORATIONS CANNOT BE SUED UNDER THE ALIEN TORT STATUTE. CLIENT VICTORY.Linde v. Arab Bank, PLC, 882 F.3d 314 (2d Cir. 2018) -
TRIAL COURT JUDGMENT VACATED AND REMANDED; HELD: TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR IN INSTRUCTING THE JURY WITH REGARD TO THE ELEMENTS OF A CIVIL ANTI-TERRORISM ACT CLAIM. CLIENT VICTORY. - Associations2004 - Present
American Bar Association - Member2000 - Present
Phi Beta Kappa - Member - Education2004 - Georgetown University Law Center - JD - Juris Doctor2000 - Hofstra University - BA - Bachelor of Arts
- Speaking Engagements2016 - Panel Discusion (Kuwait City, Kuwait) - Rise of U.S. Regulation and Litigation2015 - Panel Discussion (Dubai, U.A.E.) - Expanding Reach of U.S. Regulation and Litigation2012 - International Litigation - Recent Developments in International Litigation
- Publications2017 - Global Investigations Review
US casts a broader counter-terror net, and a prominent university is ensnared2017 - LinkedIn
Mid-Year Review: FinCEN Penalties Rise Markedly Over Last Year2017 - LinkedIn
DFS' $630 Million Action Against Habib Bank Also Puts Saudi Arabia's Al Rajhi Bank In The Crosshairs2017 - LinkedIn
After President Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration, Congress Readies Three Bills That Will Further Undermine U.S. Ability To Act As Honest Peace Broker2016 - DLA Piper LLP (US)
US Second Circuit: a foreign corporation's in-state activities and registration are insufficient to exercise general jurisdiction over it2016 - DLA Piper LLP (US)
Issuing final rule for financial institutions, NYDFS steps back from threat of criminal consequences for executives2016 - DLA Piper LLP
New York's high court finds jurisdiction over foreign bank on basis of correspondent bank account activity2016 - LinkedIn
Congressional Override of JASTA Veto Expands Extraterritorial Reach of U.S. Law in Unprecedented and Concerning Ways2016 - Legal Tech Newsletter
New Suits Against Social Media Giants Seek to Expand Reach of US Anti-Terrorism Laws2015 - New York Law Journal
Correcting the Record on Arab Bank Case2015 - DLA Piper LLP (US)
Letter from America: Non-US companies and executives at risk from US RICO law2015 - DLA Piper LLP (US)
New York proposes new financial regulations that threaten criminal consequences for senior financial executives2013 - DLA Piper LLP (US)
Letter from America: Congress expands Anti-Terrorism Act liability exposure - LanguagesEnglish - Native / Fluent
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