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

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Haakon Donnelly joined Bellinger & DeWolf, LLP as an associate in 2001. Donnelly works in a variety of litigation areas for both plaintiffs and defendants, with a primary focus on complex civil litigation, employment and civil rights issues.

Before joining the firm full-time, he worked as a law clerk with the Firm in 2000, gaining experience in transactional practice before moving into litigation. Bellinger & DeWolf’s smaller firm environment appealed to Donnelly as it offered excellent opportunities for direct case involvement as a young attorney, and promoted close client contact.

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

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 in suit 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 civil rights claim arising out of the 1999 Texas A&M University bonfire collapse

Successful representation of clients in appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding civil rights violations

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