Michael Donovan

DONOVAN LITIGATION GROUP, LLC, located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, is a law firm dedicated to providing first class litigation services to investors, consumers and small businesses. The firm’s principals have substantial trial and appellate court experience prosecuting complex commercial and consumer cases. The founding member of the firm has appeared or argued before the United States Supreme Court, various federal and state appellate courts, the state Supreme Courts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and federal and state trial courts throughout the country. The firm’s nationwide practice focuses on class actions, shareholders’ rights, consumer and commercial litigation as well as employment-related disputes. The firm strives to provide consumers, investors and small businesses with the type of sophisticated, in-depth representation that is ordinarily available only to the largest corporate clients of money-center law firms.
In the area of consumer justice, Mr. Donovan has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in Smiley v. Citibank (South Dakota), N.A., No. 95-860, 116 S. Ct. 806 (argued Apr. 24, 1996) and obtained favorable appellate rulings from the New Jersey Supreme Court in Sherman v. Citibank (South Dakota), N.A., 668 A.2d 1036 (N.J. 1995) and Hunter v. Greenwood Trust Co., 668 A.2d 1067 (N.J. 1995) and from the Pennsylvania Superior Court in In re Citibank Credit Card Litigation, 653 A.2d 39 (Pa. Super. 1995) and Gadon v. Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., 653 A.2d 43 (Pa. Super. 1995). Mr. Donovan obtained a landmark Truth in Lending Act decision from the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Rossman v. Fleet Bank (R.I.), N.A., 280 F.3d 384 (3d Cir. 2002), holding that a bank may not change a credit card promise of no annual fee. He also obtained landmark decisions from the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court and the New Jersey Supreme Court in Lemelledo v. Beneficial Finance Co., 674 A.2d 582 (N.J. App. Div. 1996).

• Contingent Fees

District of Columbia

District of Columbia Bar

Since 1986

New York

Since 1985

Pennsylvania

Since 1988

2nd Circuit

3rd Circuit

8th Circuit

9th Circuit

10th Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court

Enforcement and Office of the General Counsel

Trial Attorney, US Securities & Exchange Commission

1984 - 1987

Vermont Law School

J.D. (1984) | Law

1981 - 1984

Honors: cum laude, Law Review

Activities: Head Notes Editor, Vermont Law Review

Syracuse University

B.A. (1981) | Political Science

1981

Vern Countryman Award for Excellence in Consumer Law

National Consumer Law Center

2009

Philadelphia Bar Association  # 51895

Member

Current

American Bar Association

Chair, Consumer Law Subcommittee, Class Actions and Derivative Suits Committee, Litigation Section

2005 - Current

District of Columbia Bar

Member

1986 - Current

New York State Bar Association

Member

1986 - Current

National Association of Consumer Advocates

Vice Chair

1996 - 2002