Mark J. MacDougall
Mark J. MacDougall
- Education:
- The George Washington University Law School
- Boston University (M.B.A.)
- University of Notre Dame (B.A.)
- Bar Admissions:
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Practice Focus:
OVERVIEW
Mark MacDougall’s practice focuses on white collar criminal defense as well as reputational protection and recovery. He has extensive trial experience in federal and state courts across the United States. Mr. MacDougall has handled numerous noteworthy and unusual cases for individuals and corporations facing a range of criminal charges and has secured substantial recoveries for clients in closely related civil litigation. In addition, Mr. MacDougall has successfully defended numerous individuals and corporate clients facing false attacks in the media and on the Internet by combining traditional legal tools with sophisticated investigational methods. Since 2001, Mr. MacDougall has provided trial defense, on a pro bono basis, for a series of indigent defendants facing the death penalty in South Carolina, Missouri and Florida. In addition to his law practice, Mr. MacDougall is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center where he teaches courses in white collar crime and sentencing practice and policy.
EXPERIENCE
Representative matters:
- Led the trial team that obtained a dismissal of all charges of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, brought against former federal government official Bijan Rafiekian in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
- Obtained an order of dismissal on all counts of a federal grand jury indictment charging one of the nation’s largest privately owned companies with multiple counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering – as well as a demand for forfeiture of $188 million – in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
- Secured a jury verdict of acquittal on all counts, following a two-week trial, for the senior director of Military Personnel Services Corporation on charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
- Negotiated immunity for the former Hillary Clinton Campaign IT staffer involved in federal and congressional investigations relating to the installation and use of private computer servers by U.S. Department of State officials.
- Successfully sued Alex Jones and his media company Infowars for defamation on behalf of one of the nation’s leading consumer food companies in state court in Idaho – resulting in a full public retraction and apology by Jones.
- Led the trial defense of Earnest Daise on capital murder charges in the Circuit Court of Beaufort, South Carolina, resulting in the first unanimous verdict of life returned by a death-qualified jury in that state in more than twelve years.
- Recovered more than $50 million, unlawfully seized by federal prosecutors from a major national liquor and wine wholesaler, following a series of evidentiary hearings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
- Litigated a series of civil RICO claims, brought on behalf of the national aluminum concession of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which resulted in recoveries of more than $470 million from multinational corporations in the United States Europe and Japan.
- Defended a former executive director of the Central Intelligence Agency charged with federal conspiracy and honest services fraud offenses.
- Currently defending the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the District of Columbia Bar and that Office’s individual staff attorneys in multiple federal civil lawsuits.
BACKGROUND
Mr. MacDougall joined Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears as a partner in January 2024. Before joining the firm, Mr. MacDougall was a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for 29 years. Mr. MacDougall previously served as a federal prosecutor with the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, where he was the lead attorney in a series of highly successful bank and financial fraud prosecutions. Mr. MacDougall currently serves as a Director of The Sentencing Project and as a Trustee of Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Massachusetts. He is a former trustee of the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia and a former director of both IMG Worldwide and 24 Hour Fitness.
recognition
Mr. MacDougall was elected to fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2006, and he is a former Chair of the College’s State Committee for the District of Columbia. Mr. MacDougall’s many other notable professional recognitions include:
- John Paul Stevens Award, ABA Death Penalty Project
- Foot Soldier Award, NAACP
- Exemplar Award, National Legal Aid and Defender Association
- Best Lawyers in America (since 2010)
- Super Lawyers – Top 100 Lawyers in Washington, D.C. (since 2012)
- Washingtonian magazine – Top Lawyers
- The National Law Journal, Winning Litigators
- The National Law Journal, Criminal Law Trailblazer
- Chambers USA, Litigation: White Collar Crime and Government Investigations (since 2008)
- The Legal 500 – Dispute Resolution - Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense - Advice to Individuals
- National Law Journal, Litigation Trailblazer
ATTORNEYS
The attorneys of Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears bring deep experience, practical judgment, and vigorous advocacy to the matters we handle. Our lawyers include former federal prosecutors, former members of the Antitrust and Tax Divisions of the Department of Justice, and a former Assistant to the Solicitor General. We have tried cases large and small, have briefed and argued numerous appeals, and also have the skill and acumen to negotiate resolutions of matters when it is in the best interests of our clients. More detailed biographies of our attorneys are accessible below.