Don is a trial lawyer and recognized authority on bet-the-company litigation, representing clients in aviation, consumer product, chemical, and pharmaceutical suits.

As an experienced trial lawyer who is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Don enjoys a well-deserved reputation for successfully trying complex cases for his clients. Equipped with an M.B.A. in Business Economics and Finance, Don understands the business and economic realities involved with his clients’ matters. As an Air Force Academy graduate, pilot, and former Air Force officer who served in the Air Force Systems Command research and development community, he is able to provide technically informed legal advice in complex litigation. Don has served as national coordinating and trial counsel in mass disaster, serial tort, and toxic tort matters that involved class action, multi-jurisdiction, and multi-district proceedings in more than 25 states and five foreign countries.

Don is recognized by several top publications for his expertise in aviation litigation. Don is ranked as a leading aviation lawyer by Chambers, Legal 500 US, Benchmark Litigation, and Euromoney’s Expert Guides. Don has decades of experience resolving aviation accident cases in and out of the courtroom, and has tried numerous cases to successful jury verdicts.

Don also receives recognition from The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of bet-the-company, commercial, and product liability litigation and from Southern California Super Lawyers in class action and mass tort litigation. In 2010, Daily Journal recognized him as one of California’s “Top 100” leading lawyers. Best Lawyers named him “San Diego Product Liability Lawyer of the Year” in 2013 and “San Diego Bet-the-Company Litigator of the Year” in 2015, and SD Metro Magazine named him one of San Diego’s Top 25 Attorneys.

Don received his B.S. in 1970 from the U.S. Air Force Academy, his M.B.A. in 1973 from the University of Southern California, and his J.D. in 1978 from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. During law school, Don was a member of the UCLA Law Review editorial board. From 1970 to 1975, Don served as an officer with the U.S. Air Force System Command’s Space and Missile Systems Organization, where he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for work in the Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems program.