Duncan Douglass heads Alston & Bird’s payment systems practice and focuses on transactions and regulatory issues related to retail and wholesale payment systems and products. Mr. Douglass has significant experience advising clients in connection with systems and services related to card-based products (credit/debit/prepaid), ACH and check-based products as well as emerging payments (including mobile, person-to-person and account-to-account payments).

Payment Card Services
Mr. Douglass regularly counsels payment card issuers and service providers in structuring card issuance programs and negotiating co-branding, program manager, issuer processor and sales/distribution agent agreements. He also advises merchants, Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs), acquirers and processors in negotiating sponsorship, acquiring and processing agreements. Further, Mr. Douglass frequently counsels PIN and signature-based card network operators in the structuring of partner relationships and in the development and implementation of policies and procedures governing network participants.

ACH and Check Services
Mr. Douglass has extensive experience advising financial institutions, processors and merchants in connection with ACH and check-based payments, including negotiating agreements on behalf of third party service providers, third party senders, retailers and financial institutions related to the authorization, acceptance and processing of ACH and check-based payments.

Emerging Payment Services
Mr. Douglass has represented numerous bank and non-bank clients in connection with product development, implementation and compliance issues related to emerging and evolving payment types and systems, including mobile payments, person-to-person payments, and account-to-account transfer systems.

Mr. Douglass is a frequent lecturer and author on various topics involving electronic payment systems, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Electronic Banking Law and Commerce Report.

Duncan received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the Duke University School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his M.P.H. degree in health policy and management from the University of South Florida and his B.A. in government from Cornell University. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, Mr. Douglass was a judicial law clerk for The Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Douglass is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Florida Bar.