About Douglas
Douglas A. Donnell graduated magna cum laude from Miami University with a bachelor's degree in Economics and received his law degree with honors from Boston College Law School. Doug specializes in environmental law and commercial litigation and has represented both public and private sector clients and individuals in these areas since 1979. He is a member of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section of the American Bar Association and the Environmental Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association. Doug has been a frequent speaker at seminars and continuing education programs on a variety of environmental law and litigation topics and has been asked to participate in the legislative process of drafting several of Michigan's environmental statutes. He has also served as lead counsel in numerous cases before the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court. Doug has been recognized for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyers, and was named by Best Lawyers as Grand Rapids' 2012 and 2016 Lawyer of the Year in Environmental Litigation based on peer reviews. He was also awarded the Grand Rapids Business Journal Legal Newsmaker of the Year for 2015.
Practice Areas
Education
Professional Affiliations
Awards & Recognition
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Environmental, Grand Rapids (2025)
- Lawyer of the Year: Environmental Law, Grand Rapids (2022)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Environmental, Grand Rapids (2020)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Environmental, Grand Rapids (2018)
- Lawyer of the Year: Environmental Law, Grand Rapids (2017)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Environmental, Grand Rapids (2016)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Environmental, Grand Rapids (2012)
- Recognized: Litigation - Environmental
- Recognized: Environmental Law
- Recognized: Commercial Litigation
- Practice Area: Oil and Gas Law
- Practice Area: Arbitration
- Practice Area: Mediation
- Practice Area: Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
- Practice Area: Appellate Practice
- Practice Area: Administrative / Regulatory Law
- Practice Area: Construction Law
- Practice Area: Litigation - Construction
- Special Focus: Litigation
- Selected for inclusion in Grand Rapids Magazine’s 2019-2023 Top Lawyers
- Listed in Michigan Super Lawyers
- Selected as a Leading Lawyer
- Awarded the Grand Rapids Business Journal Legal Newsmaker of the Year for 2015
- Listed in Best Lawyers of America
- Named Best Lawyers' Grand Rapids Lawyer of the Year for Environmental Litigation in 2012, 2016 and 2018