BakerHostetler has added Douglas W Greene (pictured), as a partner in its national White Collar, Investigations and Securities Enforcement and Litigation practice team, where he will lead the Securities and Governance Litigation team.
Greene, based in Seattle, is widely respected for his work defending securities and corporate governance cases on behalf of directors, officers and public companies. He joins BakerHostetler from Lane Powell, where he led the firm’s securities litigation practice group.
For more than 20 years, Greene has focused exclusively on securities and corporate governance matters, one of a handful of practitioners nationwide who handle such matters full time. He represents public companies and their directors and officers in class action lawsuits, litigation related to merger and acquisition activities, shareholder derivative actions, and investigations and enforcement proceedings by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. He also conducts internal investigations for corporations.
Greene’s clients range in size from industry giants to small companies and cross industry sectors. He has defended securities and governance litigation against such diverse companies as Amazon.com, Boeing, Expedia, Liberty Mutual, Micron Technology, Nordstrom, OfficeMax, Safeco Corporation and Washington Mutual, among an impressive list of others. In recent years, he has also defended a number of US-listed Chinese companies in securities litigation, which underscores his ability to manage not just the litigation but also the cultural issues such matters may involve.
His collaborative approach to managing the defence of complex shareholder litigation has earned him the respect and confidence of D&O insurers, minimising friction between insurers and policyholder clients.
Always out in front of the latest issues impacting directors, officers and public companies, Greene has recently commented on the looming surge in shareholder litigation and SEC actions related to cybersecurity oversight and disclosure.
“Doug Greene is an outstanding securities and corporate governance litigator with a well-earned reputation as being one of the best, particularly related to stock-drop cases. His addition not only strengthens us on the West Coast, but across the US,” says W Ray Whitman, firm-wide chair of the Litigation Group.
“Doug’s practice bolsters the litigation capabilities of the Seattle office and the firm as a whole. I have also heard him talk about how protecting people is his top priority in every matter he handles, which makes him a wonderful fit at BakerHostetler, where we distinguish ourselves through our commitment to the highest standard of client care,” says Timothy D Casey, partner-in-charge of BakerHostetler’s Seattle office.
Greene says: “I’m honoured to join BakerHostetler and its team of talented securities litigators. BakerHostetler is a unique strategic fit for me. I defend securities litigation around the US, and BakerHostetler’s strong litigation teams nationwide provide a perfect place for me to serve clients effectively and efficiently. Moreover, the firm’s foremost cybersecurity litigation team will help me serve clients better as cybersecurity breaches increasingly become the basis for securities and governance litigation.
“The firm is also a unique cultural fit. At the core of every securities case are people accused of doing something wrong. I focus my defence of each case on these people. From designing legal arguments that defend their honesty, to client-focused economics that maximise their insurance protection, to sensitivity to the stress the litigation may cause them, I work hard to protect people and keep them as comfortable as possible. BakerHostetler shares my belief that protecting people is the top priority in every case.”
“Doug Greene has received praise from clients and peers for his strategic legal mind and genuine care for the people involved in his cases. We are excited to have Doug as part of our team and know that he will be a natural fit for firm culture,” says George Stamboulidis, co-chair of BakerHostetler’s White Collar, Investigations and Securities Enforcement and Litigation team.
A thought leader in his field, Greene is a prolific speaker and writer on securities litigation and corporate governance topics. He founded two blogs for directors and officers that he was a regular contributor to and regularly provides commentary for publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Law360, Business Insurance, Inside Counsel, Securities Reform Act Litigation Reporter and Corporate Governance Advisor, among others. He has been a featured speaker at dozens of seminars and conferences, particularly those aimed at boards of directors, general counsel and C-suite executives.
