HAAKON T. DONNELLY
Partner
Dallas, Texas
Phone: 214-954-9540
Email:
hdonnelly@bd-law.com

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Haakon Donnelly joined Bellinger & DeWolf, LLP in 2001.  Haakon handles a broad array of litigation, with a primary focus on complex civil litigation, employment, insurance defense and civil rights issues.

Before joining the firm full-time, he worked as a summer associate for the Firm, gaining invaluable experience in transactional matters before focusing on litigation.  
Haakon has been involved in numerous "high-profile" cases, often being called to provide comment by various media.  Haakon has been instrumental in helping clients achieve resolution of their cases by summary judgment or other dispositive motions.

In 1999 Donnelly clerked in the legal department of PECO Energy Company, now Exelon Corporation, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PRACTICE AREAS

Employment Disputes
Corporate Officer & Director Litigation
Complex Commercial Litigation
Civil Rights Litigation
Defamation
General Civil Litigation
Professional Liability Litigation
Premises Liability Litigation
Insurance Defense Litigation

CLIENT EXPERIENCE

Successful defense of school district police chief, winning summary judgment dismissing claims of discrimination and defamation

Representation of police officers in administrative and employment disputes

Successful representation of Lubbock Chief of Police against the City of Lubbock in employment dispute and defamation claim

Successful representation of former corporate officer against breach of fiduciary duty claims alleging $250 million in damages, winning summary judgment in client’s favor

Representation of former corporate director and officer in breach of fiduciary duty suit alleging more than $300 million in damages

Representation of students and families in claims arising out of the tragic 1999 Texas A&M University bonfire collapse

Successful representation of clients in appellate matters to the Fifth Circuit regarding alleged civil rights violations

Successful representation of former county employees in appeal to the Dallas Court of Appeals over due process violations, and continued representation before the Texas Supreme Court

EDUCATION

Brown University, Bachelor of Arts in Early European History, 1998

Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University, J.D. 2001
Mason Scholar, Phi Delta Phi

COURT ADMISSIONS

Supreme Court of Texas, 2001
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Courts of the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas, 2001
American Bar Association
Dallas Bar Association
Dallas Association of Young Lawyers

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Brown Club of North Texas
Brown Rowing Association
Volunteer with animal rescue programs

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Donnelly enjoys reading, The New York Times crossword puzzles, and is a fan of professional cycling.

In college, Donnelly was a four-year letterman on Brown’s collegiate national champion rowing team and rowed with the United States National Team as part of its Olympic Development Program, winning the 1996 Nations Cup Under 23 World Championship and the US Rowing National Championship in the Men’s Open Eight.

Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization