Richard H. Donohue concentrates his practice in the defense of professional negligence and product liability cases. He specializes in handling catastrophic injury claims against hospitals, physicians, attorneys and other professionals. He has also frequently served as a mediator in alternative dispute resolution proceedings involving professional negligence, insurance coverage and commercial claims.

One of the city’s most sought-after defense lawyers, Chicago Lawyer magazine rated Mr. Donohue as one of the top 20 tort defense lawyers in Chicago. He has also been recognized by his peers as an elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Trial Lawyers. He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, International Society of Air Safety Investigators and a number of other professional organizations.

Mr. Donohue has been named a Leading Lawyer in the areas of Class Action/Mass Tort Defense Law, Medical Malpractice Defense Law, Products Liability Defense Law, Professional Malpractice Defense Law: Including Legal/Technical/Financial, and ADR Law: Personal Injury. The list of Leading Lawyers is the result of thousands of contacts with Illinois lawyers asking them which of their peers they believe comprise the top lawyers. Only those lawyers who are most often recommended qualify as Leading Lawyers. In 2005, he was also named one of the top 100 Super Lawyers in Illinois in the area of Insurance Defense: Personal Injury. In 2006 and 2007, he was recognized as one of the top 10 Super Lawyers in Illinois in the area of Medical Malpractice: Defense. Super Lawyers are the top 5 percent of attorneys in each state, as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics.

Mr. Donohue joined the firm as a founding partner in 1995. He was previously a partner at Baker & McKenzie, which he joined in 1979. He graduated from Northwestern University School of Law, cum laude, where he was a Notes and Comments Editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, cum laude, in 1972. Between college and law school, Mr. Donohue served on active duty as a Naval aviator stationed at the Naval Air Station, Point Mugu, California; from there he made three six-month deployments to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze. From 1976-1993, he served in the Naval Air Reserves flying out of the Glenview Naval Air Station.

E-mail: richard.donohue@dbmslaw.com
Phone: (312) 422-0904