Edward L. Dowd Jr. is a litigator who defends corporations, professional service firms and individuals in high-stakes, complex civil, and white collar criminal cases and investigations. He represents clients with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the SEC, DOJ, EPA, IRS, Health and Human Services and other federal and state agencies. In addition, Ed works with companies to strengthen corporate compliance in order to avoid the initial missteps that result in investigations and trials.
Ed’s legal career includes years as a federal prosecutor and as a private practice litigator. He served as Deputy Special Counsel in the federal investigation of events surrounding the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Ed knows the intricacies of investigations and litigation from the perspectives of the prosecutor, investigator and the person or company being pursued.
Ed has repeatedly been recognized by industry publications for his work in white collar criminal defense, commercial litigation and corporate compliance:
- Annual recognition as an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell
- Annual recognition by Best Lawyers in America®
- Corporate Compliance “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America® in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024
- Annual recognition by Chambers USA as a “Band 1” attorney (the highest rank) in Missouri in the areas of “Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations”
Additionally, Ed has been recognized for his public service including:
- Recipient of the Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), an honorary organization of lawyers, judges, and legal scholars whose careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession.
- Recipient of the “Distinguished Lawyer Award,” the “highest honor given” by the Bar Association of St. Louis for a lawyer “who as made a great and lasting contribution to the St. Louis region.”
- Recipient of the Missouri Lawyers Media ICON Award given to “distinguished men and women who have demonstrated notable, sustained success and strong leadership within and outside the field of law.”
Immediately prior to founding Dowd Bennett, Ed was a partner at Bryan Cave LLP where he represented clients in corporate compliance and defense, healthcare, environmental and commercial litigation.
As U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, Ed set policy and supervised the professional and support staff in handling thousands of civil and criminal cases for the U.S. government.
Ed is a past president of the National Association of Former United States Attorneys and the past president of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.
