Don C. Keenan (born 1951) is an

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based

trial lawyer A lawyer is a person who Practice of law, practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different Jurisdiction, legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney at law, attorney, barrister, canonist, canon l ...

and author. He is the head

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

in the Keenan Law Firm, which specializes in cases involving children, including

injury An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, o ...

medical malpractice Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

, and

wrongful death Wrongful death claim is a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are compensated for the harm, l ...

. He is most noted for his

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

s regarding the conditions of

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

in the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, which have led to changes in

state law State law refers to the law of a federated state, as distinguished from the law of the federation of which it is a part. It is used when the constituent components of a federation are themselves called states. Federations made up of provinces, cant ...

regarding abuse in foster families. Keenan served as the national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates and from 1997-1998 as president of the Inner Circle of Advocates. Keenan has won 387 settlements and verdicts of over $1 million. Keenan was featured in ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine on November 5, 2000, in ''

ABA Journal The ''ABA Journal'' (since 1984, formerly ''American Bar Association Journal'', 1915–1983, evolved from '' Annual Bulletin'', 1908–1914) is a monthly legal trade magazine and the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. It is no ...

'' in April 2007, on ''

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

'' on March 15, 2005, and on ''

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'' in 2000, where he was named among Winfrey's "People Who Have the Courage." In 2003,

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

granted him a Career Achievement Award in the field of public policy and child advocacy. In 2006, he published ''365 Ways To Keep Kids Safe'', a book of his advice for child safety.

Legal career

Keenan completed the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

, but accepted discharge before serving in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. He attended

Atlanta Law School The Atlanta Law School was a private, night law school for working professionals and others seeking a legal education. The school's faculty members were practicing lawyers and judges from across the state of Georgia. History The school began in 18 ...

, one of three evening law schools approved by the Georgia Supreme Court. Don was the youngest law school graduate in the State of Georgia at age 21, also in that same year, the youngest law graduate to speak in front of a congressional hearing. His first case started in 1976, Dr. Carl Drury against the

Gilman Paper Company The Gilman Paper Company was an American paper producer founded by Isaac Gilman in the 1880s in the village of Fitzdale, Vermont, which would later be renamed Gilman, Vermont. History Gilman Paper Company's founder, Isaac Gilman, emigrated from U ...

. Keenan and lawyer Scott Sanders settled the case in 1982, after the case received national attention from activist

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

. Between 1982 and 1988, 80 lawsuits were filed against Keenan by his creditors, and he developed a

drinking problem Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

. In 1983, he partnered with lawyer David Bills. Bills too later sued Keenan in 1994 for

breach of contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party ...

and Keenan won. Keenan initially practiced

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...

, but in 1988 took the case of Kathy Jo Taylor, who was five years old when she was beaten into a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

while in state foster care. The case went to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

in 1989, who decided against the state. Since then, he has taken on child safety issues related to

birth defects A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...

, playground construction,

air bag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a Traffic collision, collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and a ...

function, gun

trigger lock Gun safety is the study and practice of using, transporting, storing and disposing of firearms and ammunition, including the training of gun users, the design of weapons, and formal and informal regulation of gun production, distribution, and u ...

programs, and

day care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

related injuries. In 2000, he was brought to national attention with the case of Terrell Peterson, who died in foster care despite warnings to the Department of Family and Children Services. On appeal, the case was decided against the state on April 4, 2002, after it resulted in new legislation regarding the care of foster children in 2000. His penchant for new

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

cars has led him to be featured in ''Mercedes Magazine''. He also has a taste for

Cuban cigars Cuban cigars are cigars manufactured in Cuba from tobacco grown within that island nation. Historically regarded as among the world's “finest”, they are synonymous with the island's culture and contribute nearly one quarter of the value of a ...

and tailored size 50 suits. Don Keenan was awarded th
prestigious medal of honor
by the Ellis Island Foundation in 2007 Don Keenan was the founder of the Edge Trial Advocacy Movement in 2009 and educated 7,000 lawyers in seminars around the country. He has authored a weekly blog to over 5,000 subscribers since 2011. In 2013 he started the Keenan Trial Institute which since its inception has graduated over 1,000 trial lawyers with courses being offered in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, Las Vegas and Phoenix. He is the author of a 6‑volume set titled The Keenan Edge.

Cases

While Keenan said in 2007 that "1986 was the last year the firm closed a file without a recovery", his record has included both ups and downs. His firm has lost cases in that time, such as one in 1999 involving

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta. Along with ...

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

s. In 1993, he founded the Keenan's Kids Foundation, a charity for at-risk children in Georgia for which Keenan performs ''

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

'' work. They launched the Keenan's Kids Law Center in 2001. In his cases, he is known for both courtroom spectacle and eccentricity in his case preparation, including overnight home visits.

Notable successes

* Kathy Jo Taylor (1989) *

Terrell Peterson Terrell Peterson (March 1, 1992 – January 15, 1998) was a five-year-old boy from Atlanta, Georgia, who was tortured and beaten to death while his case was under active state supervision. He was one of more than 800 children who died between 199 ...

(2002)

Bibliography

*Keenan, Don. ''365 Ways To Keep Kids Safe''. Balloon Press. 2006

References

External links

Keenan Law Firm homepageKeenan Kids Law CenterKeenan Blog

Keenan Trial Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keenan, Don 1951 births Living people Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Writers from Atlanta Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) Atlanta Law School alumni Place of birth missing (living people)