David D. O'Donnell | Member

Highlights

Practice Areas

Civil Rights; Employment Defense; Constitutional Law; Voting Rights and Redistricting Litigation; Product Liability; Insurance Coverage Law

Detroit, Michigan, September 3, 1956

College

American University, School of International Service, B.S., 1980; Georgetown University, School of Government, M.A. Candidate, 1981

Law School

University of Mississippi, J.D., 1985

Membership

Lafayette County and American (Member, Section on Litigation, Committee on Employment and Labor Relations) Bar Associations; Mississippi State Bar; The Florida Bar; Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association; Member, Defense Research Institute (Civil Rights Section); Member, International Association of Defense Counsel.

Admissions

1987, Florida; 1988, Mississippi, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court

Biography

David D. O'Donnell has more than 34 years of experience in the successful handling of matters involving employment, Constitutional (First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments), voting rights and redistricting,  product liability, business, public entity and insurance litigation. He has been retained to defend individuals, public entities, and  insurers before the Mississippi and Tennessee federal and state trial and appellate courts. Mr. O'Donnell works in the Clayton O'Donnell, PLLC Oxford office. He is a former federal law clerk to U.S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers, Jr.

Mr. O'Donnell is the author of "Mississippi Automobile Insurance Law and Practice", a practice manual for lawyers and insurance claim professionals, published by West Publishing. He has also co-authored several legal works on voting rights (Section 2 vote dilution) litigation under the Voting Rights Act, including two chapters in a treatise published by the American Bar Association "America Votes! A Guide to Modern Election Law and Voting Rights," involving litigating Section 2 vote dilution claims and the use of expert witnesses in Section 2 cases.

Mr. O'Donnell is also a member of the Adjunct Facility of the University of Mississippi School of Law (since 1997), where he teaches federal trial and pretrial practice, deposition skills and political and civil rights litigation. 

Mr. O'Donnell obtained his undergraduate degree from The American University (School of International Service) in 1980 while also working full time at Georgetown University School of Medicine. After graduation, David enrolled in the graduate program at Georgetown University's School of Government and later pursued and obtained his law degree  at the University of Mississippi School of Law. During law school, he served as the Research and Articles Editor for the Mississippi Law Journal and Book Review Editor for the Journal of Space Law. After receiving his law degree, David was appointed to serve as a Law Clerk to U. S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers of the Northern District of Mississippi (1985-1987).

David is active in a number of Bar organizations, including the W. C. Keady American Inns of Court (President 1993-1996; Program Chair 1996-2006) and the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions, Character and Fitness Committee (2002-2007).

Mr. O'Donnell is AV (Preeminent) Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell (2006-2021), listed in The Best Lawyers In America (2007-2021) and listed in the Mid-South Superlawyers (2009-2021). He was awarded "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for the areas of Municipal Litigation (2018) and Insurance Law (2021). He also serves as general counsel to Lafayette County, Mississippi.

David D. O'Donnell has more than 34 years of experience in employment, civil rights, and business litigation, including matters involving constitutional and voting rights issues. He is also experienced in  voting redistricting (Section 2 Vote Dilution and Reapportionment)  and annexations. Mr. O'Donnell maintains his office in the Clayton O'Donnell, PLLC Oxford location. 

Listed In
Martindale-Hubble - AV Rated
(2006-2021), Best Lawyers In America (2007-2021), Mid South Super Lawyers (2009-2021)

Address
1403 Van Buren Avenue, Suite 103
Oxford, MS 38655

Phone  662-234-0900
Fax  662-234-3557

Email
[email protected]