Areas of Practice
- Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Litigation Consulting
Education
- CPCU, CPCU Society, 2005
- LL.M., in Trial Advocacy, Temple University Beasley School of Law, cum laude, 1999
- J.D., University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, 1993
- Certificate in Latin American Studies, Temple University, 1982
- B.B.A., in Marketing, Temple University Fox School of Business, summa cum laude, 1980
- B.A., in Political Science, Pennsylvania State University, 1976
Bar Memberships
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for Colorado
Other Languages
- Spanish (Fluent)
- Portuguese (Familiarity)
Professional Affiliations
- National Bar Association
- CPCU Society
- National African-American Insurance Association
|
Firm founder, Donald O. Johnson, has more than 15 years experience in commercial litigation and counseling and has represented clients in state and federal courts. His practice has concentrated primarily on insurance coverage and bad faith claims handling litigation involving commercial property and commercial liability policies. He also has represented clients in worker's compensation, unemployment compensation, subrogation, misappropriation of trade secrets, and mortgage foreclosure matters.
Among the largest insurance coverage claims that he has worked on are a multi-million dollar property insurance and business interruption claim arising out of the World Trade Center disaster, several multi-million dollar property insurance claims involving catastrophic hurricane damage, and a multi-million dollar bodily injury claim.
Don earned the professional insurance designation Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) in 2005. The CPCU program that he completed included university-level courses on commercial property policies, commercial general liability policies, insurance operations, finance and accounting for insurance professionals, business law for insurance professionals, personal property and liability insurance, and ethics. He currently is a member of the CPCU Society's Claims Interest Group Committee, an Assistant Editor of the interest group's quarterly newsletter -- the Claims Quorum, and a Director of the Society's District of Columbia Chapter.
From 2004 to 2010, Don was an Executive Committee member of the National Bar Association's Commercial Law Section and was the principal Editor of the Section's semi-annual newsletter -- The Commercial Law Connection.
Don graduated first in his class and with highest honors from Temple University Fox School of Business. Among other awards, he received the Wall Street Journal Award and the President's Scholar Award. He also became a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an honor society for business school graduates.
While earning his Juris Doctor degree with honors, Don was a member of the University of Miami's Law Review and its International Law Journal and was awarded a Ford Foundation scholarship in international law. He later earned a Master of Laws degree in Trial Advocacy with honors from Temple University's Beasley School of Law, which is widely recognized as having one of the premier trial advocacy programs in the country. There he received a year of intense training in the rules of evidence, litigation strategy, and all aspects of pre-trial and trial work, including negotiations and alternative dispute resolution.
Before becoming an attorney, Don worked as a computer operator for three years and as a computer programmer and computer systems analyst for seven years. As an attorney, he has used this experience to counsel clients concerning the cost-effective collection, review, and production of electronic data, including e-mail, during civil discovery. He also has used his experience to perform the highly-technical task of interviewing computer operators, programmers, analysts, database personnel, and computer applications users and preparing them for, and representing them in, depositions.
Pro Bono
In November 2007, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless recognized Don and the litigation team that he supervised for their work by awarding them a special pro bono award for successfully challenging a landlord's attempt to convert their clients' apartments into condominiums. Their work prevented the eviction of the eight lower-income tenants who they represented. The clinic asked for and received permission to use their work product as a model for other attorneys who represent tenants in similar matters in the District of Columbia.
In 2010, Don was named General Counsel of the National African-American Insurance Association.
|
|
