Douglas R. Marvin began his legal career at the Department of Justice, serving in the Office of Legal Counsel. From there, he was appointed as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and, shortly after Edward Levi's confirmation as Attorney General, returned to the Justice Department as Counselor to the Attorney General of the United States.

In 1977, Mr. Marvin left Government and joined Williams & Connolly where he has practiced law since except for two periods, once when he left the firm to assist in the transition from one administration to another at the U.S. Department of Justice (1981) and the other when he served as general counsel to a major international holding company (and client of the firm) as well as a director of several of the companies within the Group (1997-2001).

Mr. Marvin currently represents major companies in mass tort litigation. He has served as national coordinating counsel, leading successful defense efforts, in some of the largest pharmaceutical proceedings in the country. As the MDL Lead Counsel in the Vioxx Litigation -- which involved more than 60,000 claims -- Mr. Marvin helped devise litigation strategy and led the negotiations which resulted in a settlement that has been praised as a model for mass tort litigation. Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business has consistently recognized Mr. Marvin as one of the leading products liability lawyer in the United States, noting that he is considered by some as “the best field general in the business;” his particular talent is for “anticipating developments.” According to The Legal 500, which lists Mr. Marvin as one of seven leading lawyers in Product Liability Defense (Pharmaceuticals), clients regard him "as fine a national counsel as you will find" and a "brilliant strategist." Vault ranks Mr. Marvin in its top tiers and BTI, which selects the top 300 lawyers in the country for recognition through unprompted, unequivocal recommendations from corporate counsel, recognized Mr. Marvin for excellence.

Mr. Marvin has also represented national and multi-national companies, major professional firms, and medium-sized and smaller corporations in commercial litigation (contract, tort, trademark, patent infringement, employment, and general commercial cases) for general commercial advice and in mass tort litigation. He has handled major litigation in various states throughout the country and in the United Kingdom and several other countries in Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Mr. Marvin has counseled clients about, and has represented parties in, international arbitrations sitting in London, Amsterdam, the United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere.

Mr. Marvin is a member of the American Law Institute. He is a member of the Audit Committee at Lafayette College and a former member of the Board of Trustees and former Chair of the Lafayette Leadership Council for Lafayette College.

Mr. Marvin joined Williams & Connolly in 1977 and has been a partner since 1981.