Ms. Mary Joanne Dowd

Mary Joanne Dowd was a partner, and effective January 1, 2025, is a counsel in the Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Group of ArentFox Schiff LLP, in Washington, D.C.  She has represented chapter 11 debtors (including  stock index trading funds, construction companies, real estate developers) as well as entities with loans, contracts, real estate leases, intellectual property licenses, supply agreements, franchise agreements, and other business relationships with debtors or potential debtors. She has particular experience in the intersection of bankruptcy and automotive, broadcast, construction, cryptocurrency, intellectual property, real estate and nonprofit law. Ms. Dowd litigates a wide variety of bankruptcy and commercial matters, including lift stays, plan confirmations, claim objections, contract and lease assumptions and rejections, preferences, fraudulent transfers, withdrawals of reference and guarantee claims. She has served as a court-appointed chapter 11 trustee and on the chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee panel. Ms. Dowd represented a nationwide coalition of automotive dealers in their successful effort to have federal legislation enacted in the wake of the Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcy cases. She also represented several Canadian debtors in the transportation industry in ancillary bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Early in her career, Ms. Dowd clerked for the U.S. bankruptcy judges for the Western District of New York and worked at a major New York law firm. She has served on the Advisory Committee on Local Bankruptcy Rules for the District of Columbia and the advisory board for ABI’s Views from the Bench program. She serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.  Chambers USA has recognized Ms. Dowd as a leading bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer in Washington, D.C., annually since 2006. She has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America annually since 2006; in 2023, the publication named her “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Bankruptcy, Washington, DC. In addition, Washingtonian magazine has named her a “Top Lawyer” in bankruptcy law. She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York and Virginia.