Travis E. Downs III

Travis Downs is a partner in Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP’s San Diego office. His areas of expertise include prosecution of shareholder and securities litigation, including complex shareholder derivative actions. 

Travis led a team of lawyers who successfully prosecuted over 65 stock option backdating derivative actions in federal and state courts across the country, resulting in hundreds of millions in financial givebacks for the plaintiffs and extensive corporate governance enhancements, including annual directors elections, majority voting for directors, and shareholder nomination of directors. Notable cases include: In re Community Health Sys., Inc. S’holder Derivative Litig. ($60 million in financial relief and unprecedented corporate governance reforms); In re Marvell Tech. Grp. Ltd. Derivative Litig. ($54 million in financial relief and extensive corporate governance enhancements); In re McAfee, Inc. Derivative Litig. ($30 million in financial relief and extensive corporate governance enhancements); In re Affiliated Computer Servs., Inc. Derivative Litig. ($30 million in financial relief and extensive corporate governance enhancements); In re KB Home S’holder Derivative Litig. ($30 million in financial relief and extensive corporate governance enhancements); In re Juniper Networks Derivative Litig. ($22.7 million in financial relief and extensive corporate governance enhancements); In re Nvidia Corp. Derivative Litig. ($15 million in financial relief and extensive corporate governance enhancements); and City of Pontiac Gen. Emps.’ Ret. Sys. v. Langone (achieving landmark corporate governance reforms for investors).

Travis was also part of the litigation teams that obtained a $67 million settlement in City of Westland Police & Fire Ret. Sys. v. Stumpf, a shareholder derivative action alleging that Wells Fargo participated in the mass-processing of home foreclosure documents by engaging in widespread robo-signing, and a $250 million settlement in In re Google, Inc. Derivative Litig., an action alleging that Google facilitated in the improper advertising of prescription drugs. 

Travis is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars and has lectured on a variety of topics related to shareholder derivative and class action litigation. He has received the AV Preeminent certification by Martindale-Hubbell (the highest rating available). Travis has been named a Top Lawyer in San Diego by San Diego Magazine for the past nine consecutive years. He has also been named a Best Lawyer in America and a Southern California Best Lawyer by Best Lawyers®, a Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer by Lawdragon, and a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine. 

Travis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in History from Whitworth University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law. 

• Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
• Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer, Lawdragon, 2019-2023
• Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers®, 2018-2023
• Top 100 Leaders in Law Honoree, San Diego Business Journal, 2022
• Top Lawyer in San Diego, San Diego Magazine, 2013-2021
• Southern California Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers®, 2018-2021
• Elected to the Whitworth University Board of Trustees, 2013
• Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2008

• University of Washington School of Law, J.D., 1990
• Whitworth University, B.A., 1985, History, with Honors

• California
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California
• United States District Court for the District of Colorado
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Notable Cases

Publications

• Travis E. Downs III, Benny C. Goodman III, Jay P. Lefkowitz, Erik W. Luedeke, Darren J. Robbins & Matthew Solum, Chapter 4: Mediation Submissions by Plaintiffs and Defendants, in Financial Services Mediation Answer Book 4-1 (Layn R. Phillips et al. ed., 2017)