DANIEL G. DOWD is a Partner and the President of Cohen Dowd Quigley. For three decades, Dan has practiced in the areas of complex business litigation and administrative disputes, and has repeatedly been selected as one of the top litigators in Arizona. He has been named a Southwest Super Lawyer in every edition of that publication, which recognizes the top five percent of lawyers practicing in their state. Dan has also repeatedly been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Top Fifty attorneys in Arizona. Dan is also ranked by the internationally acclaimed Chambers & Partners for Commercial Litigation. Arizona Business Magazine has selected Dan as one of the Top Lawyers in Arizona multiple times. Dan was selected by Phoenix Magazine as a 2023 Top Lawyer. Dan has also been named multiple times as a “top commercial litigator” by Arizona Business Leaders magazine, which recognizes Arizona’s most respected and influential business leaders. The Business Journal has recognized Dan as one of the “Best of the Bar – Litigation” as selected by his peers. Dan has been recognized by “Best Lawyers in America” every year since 2010 for commercial and bet-the-company litigation. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. Dan is also a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society, the membership of which is limited to less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.
Dan’s accolades reflect his successes throughout his career. Dan has tried and arbitrated multiple cases. For example, Dan and Ron Cohen obtained a $360 million jury verdict after a month-long trial, the second largest ever returned in Arizona and the fourth highest in the United States that year. In 2015, after a two-month bench trial, Dan and his co-counsel obtained a decision finding damages of $288 million in a commercial tort case, which led to a $75 million judgment against the remaining defendants. Dan has successfully litigated cases on behalf of a wide variety of clients in many and diverse industries, from large multinational corporations to local businesses and individuals, and he has represented the Arizona Board of Regents and the public institutions it governs in nearly 100 matters ranging from employment to athletics to intellectual property disputes. Dan has also served as an independent investigator in multiple high-stakes internal investigations.
Dan is also active in the professional community, including with the American Bar Association (“ABA”) and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (“NITA”). He has been a member of the senior leadership within the ABA Section of Litigation since 2001, and has served as a member of the Section’s governing body, the Council. He is also the Program Director for NITA’s highly acclaimed, multi-day Arizona and Nevada Deposition Skills Programs.
Named in every edition of Super Lawyers®, 2007-present
Selected to the Super Lawyers® list of the Top Fifty attorneys in Arizona, 2011-2014, 2016-present
Ranked in Band 2, Commercial Litigation, Chambers and Partners
Named to the list of The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, 2010-Present, and for Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2022-Present
Named in Arizona Business Magazine‘s Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona, 2014, 2015, 2017-2020, 2024
Named in Arizona Business Leaders – Business & Commercial Litigation, 2013-2016, 2020
Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America
Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
Sustaining Member of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers
AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
University of Iowa College of Law
J.D with high distinction, 1988
Order of the Coif
Iowa State University
B.B.A. (Finance) with distinction, 1985
Arizona
United States District Court, District of Arizona
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Supreme Court
State Bar of Arizona
Maricopa County Bar Association
American Bar Association
Former Member, ABA Section of Litigation Council
Former National Co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Program Director for the Arizona and Nevada Deposition Programs
Former Co-chair of the ABA Special Committee on the Future of Civil Litigation
Former Co-chair of the ABA Solo and Small Firm Committee
Former Co-chair of the ABA Federal Practice Task Force
Regional Chair for the ABA Section of Litigation 2016 Rules Amendments Roadshow
“Attorney Ethical Considerations in the University Setting,” University of Arizona
“Dirt to Development” Podcast, Episode 19, Withey Morris, PLC
“Looking Forward: the Landscape for Commercial Litigation,” 2019 AICPA Forensic and Valuation Services National Conference
“How to Get Your Litigation In (or Out) of Bankruptcy,” presented by the Federal Bar Association (Arizona chapter)
“National Institute on Mediation with the Masters: Contemporary Strategies for Effective Advocacy in Mediation,” presented by the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation
“Bridge the Gap: Arizona Legal Skills (Motion Practice and Summary Judgment),” State Bar of Arizona, Continuing Legal Education
“The Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege and The Rules of Professional Conduct for University Lawyers,” Arizona State University
“Cross Examining the Expert Witness at Deposition and at Trial,” Lorman Education Services
Nine CDQ Attorneys Named “Best Lawyers”
Dan Dowd, Dan Quigley and CDQ Earn High Rankings from Chambers USA
Twelve CDQ Lawyers Named to SuperLawyers®
Dan Dowd Recognized by AZ Business Magazine as a Top 100 Lawyer
Dan Dowd Recognized by Phoenix Magazine as a Top Lawyer
Dan Dowd & Dan Quigley Head Seven CDQ Attorneys Recognized By Best Lawyers
CDQ, Dan Dowd and Dan Quigley Earn High Rankings in Chambers USA
CDQ Wins Summary Judgment in Interpleader Action
CDQ Attorneys Present Ethics CLE
Twelve CDQ Attorneys Named to SuperLawyers Lists
CDQ Secures Dismissal of ADA Claim
CDQ Wins Partial Summary Judgment In Title IX Case
Dan Dowd Featured On Popular Lawyers Podcast
Seven CDQ Attorneys Recognized By Best Lawyers
CDQ Wins Fee Award For Discovery Dispute
Eleven CDQ Lawyers Selected to Super Lawyers Lists
Dan Dowd Recognized By Best Lawyers for Bet-the-Company Litigation
District Court Affirms Bankruptcy Court’s Dismissal of $300 Million Adversary Complaint
CDQ Obtains Summary Judgment Ruling
Dan has been a member of the senior leadership within the Arizona Bar Association Section of Litigation since 2001, and has served as a member of the Section’s governing body, the Council. He has devoted years to developing and supporting the Section’s highly acclaimed Judicial Intern Opportunity Program, which creates one-of-a kind judicial internship opportunities for diverse law students. Dan takes great pride in JIOP’s success and its now over 2,000 alumni. Dan recently served as co-director of Division VI of the Section of Litigation, called “The Profession.” In that role, Dan and his co-leader oversee eight section committees focused on the legal profession: Corporate Counsel, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, LGBT Law and Litigator, Minority Trial Lawyer, Solo & Small Firm, The Woman Advocate, Young Advocates, and Young Lawyer Leadership Program. Dan is also an accomplished speaker, and regularly volunteers his time for speaking engagements for a variety of organizations. Dan is also the Program Director for NITA’s highly acclaimed, multi-day Arizona and Nevada Deposition Skills Programs.