Don Keenan
Encyclopedia
Don C. Keenan is an Atlanta, Georgia
-based trial lawyer and author. He is the head partner
in the Keenan Law Firm, which specializes in cases involving children, including injury
, medical malpractice
, and wrongful death
.
He is most noted for his lawsuit
s regarding the conditions of foster care
in the state of Georgia
, which have led to changes in state law
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 115 settlements of over $1 million.
Keenan was featured in Time
magazine on November 5, 2000, in ABA Journal
in April 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor
on March 15, 2005, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show
in 2000, where he was named among Winfrey's "People Who Have the Courage." In 2003, Emory University
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.
Officer Candidate School, but accepted discharge before serving in Vietnam
.
He attended Atlanta Law School, one of three well-known evening law schools for students with full-time employment seeking a law degree 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
. Keenan and lawyer Scott Sanders settled the case in 1982, after the case received national attention from activist Ralph Nader
. Sanders later that year sued Keenan, accusing him of setting up a sham corporation
to shield his assets. Between 1982 and 1988, 80 lawsuits were filled against Keenan by his creditors, and he developed a drinking problem
. In 1983, he partnered with lawyer David Bills. Bills too later sued Keenan in 1994 for breach of contract
.
Keenan initially practiced criminal law
, but in 1988 took the case of Kathy Jo Taylor, who was five years old when she was beaten into a coma
while in state foster care. The case when to the United States Supreme Court in 1989, who decided against the state. Since then, he has taken on child safety issues related to birth defects, playground construction, air bag function, gun trigger lock
programs, and day care
related injuries. In 2000, he was brought to national attention with the case of Tarrell 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.
In 1994, Keenan and his wife Therese divorced, and Keenan has no children.
His penchant for new Mercedes-Benz
cars has led him to be featured in Mercedes Magazine. He also has a taste for Cuban cigars and tailored size 50 suits.
In 1993, he founded the Keenan’s Kids Foundation, a charity for at-risk children in Georgia for which Keenan performs pro bono
work. They launched the Keenan's Kids Law Center in 2001. In his cases, he is known for both court room spectical and for eccentricity in his case preparation, including overnight home visits.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
-based trial lawyer and author. He is the head partner
Partner (business rank)
A partner in a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position. Originally, these businesses were set up as legal partnerships in which the partners were entitled to a share of the profits of the enterprise. The name has remained even though many of these...
in the Keenan Law Firm, which specializes in cases involving children, including injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
, medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
, and wrongful death
Wrongful death claim
Wrongful death is a claim in common law jurisdictions 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...
.
He is most noted for his lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s regarding the conditions of foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, which have led to changes in state law
State law
In the United States, state law is the law of each separate U.S. state, as passed by the state legislature and adjudicated by state courts. It exists in parallel, and sometimes in conflict with, United States federal law. These disputes are often resolved by the federal courts.-See also:*List of U.S...
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
Inner Circle of Advocates
The Inner Circle of Advocates is an organization of civil plaintiff trial lawyers in the United States. The group is invitation-only and is limited to 100 lawyers...
. Keenan has won 115 settlements of over $1 million.
Keenan was featured in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine on November 5, 2000, in ABA Journal
ABA Journal
The ABA Journal is a monthly legal trade magazine and the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. It claims to be "read by half of the nation's 1 million lawyers every month"...
in April 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
on March 15, 2005, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
in 2000, where he was named among Winfrey's "People Who Have the Courage." In 2003, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor 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 CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Officer Candidate School, but accepted discharge before serving in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
He attended Atlanta Law School, one of three well-known evening law schools for students with full-time employment seeking a law degree 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
Gilman Paper Company
The Gilman Paper Company was a paper producer that was started in the 1880's by Isaac Gilman in Gilman, Vermont. In the 1940's his son Charles Gilman built an additional mill in St. Mary's, Georgia. The company was capable of producing 2.6 million pounds of paper per day, employed 1,100 workers...
. Keenan and lawyer Scott Sanders settled the case in 1982, after the case received national attention from activist Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
. Sanders later that year sued Keenan, accusing him of setting up a sham corporation
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
to shield his assets. Between 1982 and 1988, 80 lawsuits were filled against Keenan by his creditors, and he developed a drinking problem
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. In 1983, he partnered with lawyer David Bills. Bills too later sued Keenan in 1994 for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action 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's performance....
.
Keenan initially practiced criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, but in 1988 took the case of Kathy Jo Taylor, who was five years old when she was beaten into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
while in state foster care. The case when to the United States Supreme Court in 1989, who decided against the state. Since then, he has taken on child safety issues related to birth defects, playground construction, air bag function, gun trigger lock
Trigger lock
A trigger lock is a device designed to prevent a firearm from being discharged while the device is in place. Generally, two pieces come together from either side behind the trigger and are locked in place, which can be unlocked with a key or combination. This physically prevents the trigger from...
programs, and day care
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
related injuries. In 2000, he was brought to national attention with the case of Tarrell 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.
In 1994, Keenan and his wife Therese divorced, and Keenan has no children.
His penchant for new Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
cars has led him to be featured in Mercedes Magazine. He also has a taste for Cuban cigars and tailored size 50 suits.
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 pediatricians.In 1993, he founded the Keenan’s Kids Foundation, a charity for at-risk children in Georgia for which Keenan performs pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
work. They launched the Keenan's Kids Law Center in 2001. In his cases, he is known for both court room spectical and for eccentricity in his case preparation, including overnight home visits.