Douglass B. Maynard represents clients in government and regulatory investigations and litigation, corporate investigations and complex civil matters.

Practice & Background

Mr. Maynard has extensive experience representing public companies, audit committees, investment funds and individuals in a variety of matters involving allegations of insider trading, accounting fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and related business matters.

Mr. Maynard recently rejoined the firm from the New York City Police Department (NYPD), where he served as deputy commissioner for legal matters. In that position, Mr. Maynard served as the general counsel of the NYPD, advising Police Commissioners Raymond Kelly and William Bratton and the executive staff on all legal matters affecting the department, including criminal investigations and policy, intelligence matters, civil litigation, legislative affairs and press relations. His work involved close coordination of significant matters with City Hall, federal and state prosecutors, the NYC Law Department and other agencies. He managed a command of more than 250 uniform and civilian lawyers and staff.

Mr. Maynard also served for six years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He investigated and prosecuted federal cases involving RICO violations, drug trafficking, bank fraud, money laundering, murder and other crimes. Mr. Maynard specialized in Russian organized crime cases and was one of the first to use the RICO statute to prosecute Russian criminals whose criminal enterprises operated in the United States, Europe and Russia.

Mr. Maynard has significant experience handling libel and other media law cases. He represents book and magazine publishers and cable companies. He won summary judgment for his publisher client in a rigorously litigated libel case arising out of Blonde Ambition, a book about the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith. Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Maynard was associate general counsel of Time Inc., where he actively litigated cases in a variety of areas, including libel, copyright, trademark, antitrust and consumer marketing. While at Time Inc., he tried two libel cases to verdict, one for Time magazine and one for Sports Illustrated magazine.
Representative Matters

Mr. Maynard’s representations include:

representing an investment management company in Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission insider trading investigations
representing a major investment bank in connection with federal mortgage fraud investigations
on behalf of the audit committee of a multinational public company, conducting an internal investigation of the alleged criminal conduct of a former executive and related matters
representing a public company in connection with DOJ and SEC investigations involving alleged FCPA violations
defending the CEO of a public company in connection with DOJ and SEC investigations of alleged improper accounting and FCPA violations
defending the former CEO of a public company in connection with DOJ and SEC investigations of alleged bribery, improper accounting and disclosure practices
on behalf of an investment fund, conducting an internal investigation of alleged insider trading.

Awards & Accolades

Mr. Maynard has repeatedly been selected as a New York Super Lawyer.
Community Involvement

New York State Justice Task Force, January 2013 to present:
A commission created by the Chief Judge of the State of New York to address the causes of wrongful convictions. Mr. Maynard represents Police Commissioner Kelly’s position in policy debates about proposed changes to investigative practices and discovery rules.
Departmental Disciplinary Committee of the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, New York State Supreme Court, 2004 to 2012:
Mr. Maynard served two three-year terms as a member of the Committee, which reviews proposed findings of facts and sanctions in cases of ethical complaints filed against lawyers. He also served as a referee in ethical complaint cases, holding hearings and making findings of facts and recommended sanctions.
The Fund for Modern Courts, Member of the Board of Directors, 2002 to 2012

Speaking Engagements

Counterterrorism Technology – The New York City Experience: Privacy and Constitutional Implications, Second Circuit Judicial Conference, June 2014
International Organized Crime and National Security, panelist, ABA Conference on National Security, November 2013
False Confessions, panelist, Federal Bar Council, October 2013