Michael Dowd was a founding partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP. He has practiced in the area of securities litigation for 20 years, prosecuting dozens of complex securities cases and obtaining significant recoveries for investors in cases such as American Realty ($1.025 billion); UnitedHealth ($925 million), WorldCom ($657 million), AOL Time Warner ($629 million), Qwest ($445 million), Under Armour ($434 million), and Pfizer ($400 million).
Dowd served as lead trial counsel in Jaffe v. Household International in the Northern District of Illinois, a securities class action that obtained a record-breaking $1.575 billion settlement after 14 years of litigation, including a six-week jury trial in 2009 that resulted in a verdict for plaintiffs. Dowd also served as the lead trial lawyer in In re AT&T Corp. Sec. Litig., which was tried in the District of New Jersey and settled after only two weeks of trial for $100 million.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2026 | Securities Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2025 | Securities Litigation |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2024 | Securities Litigation |
| The 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2023 | Securities Litigation |
| The 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2022 | Securities Litigation |
| The 2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2021 | Securities Litigation |
| The 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2020 | Securities Litigation |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers | 2019 | Securities Litigation |
| Lawdragon Announces 2017 Hall of Fame Inductions | 2017 | |
| The 2016 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2016 | |
| The 2014-15 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers | 2014-2015 |
Dowd served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of California from 1987-1991, and again from 1994-1998, where he handled dozens of jury trials and was awarded the Director's Award for Superior Performance. He has been named a Leading Lawyer in America, Hall of Fame, and a Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer by Lawdragon. Additionally, the National Association of Corporate Directors’ NACD Directorship magazine named him to their Directorship 100, which recognizes those individuals who have had a profound impact and the greatest influence on corporate governance. Dowd received the 2024 Hon. David H. Bartick Award for Civility and Professionalism from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Dowd graduated from Fordham University, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Latin. While at Fordham, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from University of Michigan Law School.