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Douglas Russell Donnelly

Douglas Russell Donnelly

 
  • California
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Lawyer Rating and Reviews
Legal Knowledge
5.0/5.0
100% Complete
Legal Analysis
5.0/5.0
100% Complete
Communication Skills
5.0/5.0
100% Complete
Ethics and Professionalism
5.0/5.0
100% Complete
About the Justia Lawyer Rating
What Lawyers Are Saying
Celeste Elaine Liversidge
Celeste Elaine Liversidge November 13, 2019
Rating: 10 Lawyer Rating - 10 out of 10
I have the utmost respect for Mr. Donnelly and would not hesitate to recommend him to friends or colleagues as I have done on many past occasions. View More
Q. How do you know this lawyer?
  • Current or Former Co-Worker/Colleague

I have been Doug's colleague for the past 20 years.

Q. In the cases you were involved in with this attorney, which of the following apply?
  • Same Client
  • Different Client, Same Side of Case

I have sought Doug's counsel many times on a wide of adoption-related legal issues. We have also worked together on cases wherein we represented different parties in the same matter.

Q. When did you work with this lawyer?
At various times since 1999.
Q. Was this lawyer an effective advocate/counselor and why?
Yes

Doug's experience and reason inspires confidence in his clients. He manages to strike a balance between a measured, but bold approach to cases.

Q. Please rate this lawyer on the following:

Legal Knowledge: Excellent

Doug is one of the most well-respected adoption attorneys in California and a "go-to" resource for many of his colleagues throughout the country.

Legal Analysis: Excellent

Doug's knowledge of the law is extraordinary as his ability to quickly understand its applicability to the issues presented. He has served as lead counsel in significant adoption cases before the California Supreme Court as well as in several appellate matters.

Communication Skills: Excellent

Doug is an excellent teacher and has a unique ability to recall case law, statutes and fact patterns on command. He is responsive, trustworthy and honest in the way he communicates with peers and clients alike.

Ethics and Professionalism: Excellent

Doug has a reputation among his fellow attorneys for maintaining the highest moral standards and does not compromise when it comes to ethics. I have sought his advice on "best practices" many times in my career.

Q. For which practice area(s) would you recommend this lawyer?
Domestic Adoption, Guardianships.
Q. Which of the following skills does this lawyer possess?
  • Appeals
  • Arbitration
  • Client Relations
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Document Review
  • Drafting
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Financial Literacy (handling client funds)
  • Legal Research
  • Legal Writing
  • Litigation
  • Mediation
  • Negotiation
  • Oral Argument
  • Problem Solving
  • Pro Bono and Community Services
  • Project Management
  • Transactions
  • Trials
  • Use of Technology
Q. I would recommend this lawyer to my family and friends
Yes
Alison Foster Davis
Alison Foster Davis October 15, 2019
Rating: 10 Lawyer Rating - 10 out of 10
Doug is ethical, knowledgeable, and extremely skillful, as evidenced by his winning arguments at the trial level, all the way up to the California Supreme Court. View More
Q. How do you know this lawyer?
  • Current or Former Co-Worker/Colleague

Doug and I have worked together on numerous cases over the past several decades. We are both members of the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers.

Q. In the cases you were involved in with this attorney, which of the following apply?
  • Different Client, Same Side of Case
  • Represented Me or My Company

As in-house legal counsel at an adoption agency, I often require the assistance of outside counsel to represent a birth parent or adoptive parent. Doug has worked with me often in each of these situations.

Q. When did you work with this lawyer?
I have worked with Doug Donnelly numerous times over the last twenty years, up to and including the present with several pending cases.
Q. Was this lawyer an effective advocate/counselor and why?
Yes

Doug is one of the most effective adoptive advocates I know. He is incredibly bright, with an amazing memory for details, case names, statutes, and procedures. He is compassionate with his clients, zealous without being obnoxious, and behaves with utmost integrity in all of his work, not just with co-counsel and the court, but also with opposing counsel and unrepresented parties.

Q. Please rate this lawyer on the following:

Legal Knowledge: Excellent

No one has more knowledge and experience with California adoption law than Doug.

Legal Analysis: Excellent

He knows how to look at the big picture and the small important details.

Communication Skills: Excellent

Doug communicates well, and often. One never has to wait long for a return phone call or email.

Ethics and Professionalism: Excellent

Doug's ethics are above reproach; he will never mislead or play dirty tricks on any party or the court.

Q. For which practice area(s) would you recommend this lawyer?
Doug is an expert in adoption law and all related areas, including but not limited to legal guardianships.
Q. Which of the following skills does this lawyer possess?
  • Client Relations
  • Collaboration
  • Document Review
  • Drafting
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Financial Literacy (handling client funds)
  • Legal Research
  • Legal Writing
  • Litigation
  • Mediation
  • Negotiation
  • Oral Argument
  • Problem Solving
  • Trials
  • Use of Technology
Q. Please provide any additional comments about this lawyer
If you need an attorney to assist you with a contested or uncontested adoption, please give Doug Donnelly a call. You will not be disappointed.
Q. I would recommend this lawyer to my family and friends
Yes
Randall Bruce Hicks
Randall Bruce Hicks October 11, 2019
Rating: 10 Lawyer Rating - 10 out of 10
Doug Donnelly is one of the most experienced, and most respected, attorneys in California in the field of adoption. View More
Q. How do you know this lawyer?
  • Current or Former Co-Worker/Colleague

I have worked with Doug Donnelly as an attorney for over 30 years. He has contributed a tremendous of helpful advice and information on cases in which I've been involved.

Q. In the cases you were involved in with this attorney, which of the following apply?
  • Different Client, Same Side of Case

I've consulted with Doug on many, many adoption cases over the last 30+ years, and he always has insightful advice.

Q. When did you work with this lawyer?
On a regular basis for the last 30+ years.
Q. Was this lawyer an effective advocate/counselor and why?
Yes

Doug is experienced as both a trial litigator, and in appellate cases.

Q. Please rate this lawyer on the following:

Legal Knowledge: Excellent

Excellent legal knowledge on all adoption-related subjects, as well as others (but I only practice adoption law).

Legal Analysis: Excellent

Doug has had a significant role in many highly contested and complicated adoption cases, and been victorious in the appellate courts.

Communication Skills: Excellent

Doug is a great communicator, whether sharing information with clients, or fellow attorneys. Or judges.

Ethics and Professionalism: Excellent

Doug is one of the most moral and ethical attorneys I know. I could not recommend anyone more sincerely.

Q. For which practice area(s) would you recommend this lawyer?
Adoption and guardianship.
Q. Which of the following skills does this lawyer possess?
  • Appeals
  • Business Advising
  • Client Relations
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Document Review
  • Drafting
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Financial Literacy (handling client funds)
  • Legal Research
  • Litigation
  • Negotiation
  • Oral Argument
  • Problem Solving
  • Pro Bono and Community Services
  • Project Management
  • Trials
Q. I would recommend this lawyer to my family and friends
Yes
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