CJ Donald
CJ Donald is an associate in the Finance Practice Group in the Dallas office of Haynes Boone. His practice focuses on the representation of financial institutions, private equity firms, and commercial borrowers in a variety of financial transactions. CJ also has experience with a variety of corporate matters, representing clients in the entertainment, hospitality, and sports industries.
During law school, CJ was a law clerk for the Vanderbilt Office of the General Counsel and an intern for Vanderbilt Athletics. He participated in Vanderbilt’s Moot Court Competition and the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition, in which his teams were semifinalists and national qualifiers, respectively. In recognition of his dedication, CJ received the K. Harlan Dodson Award, given annually to the Moot Court staff member who rendered the most outstanding service in all aspects of the program. He also provided editorial research assistance to Professor Edward K. Cheng for the economic expertise chapter of Modern Scientific Evidence, 2016 edition.
Selected Client Representations
- Represented Landry’s, Inc. and its subsidiaries in a $300 million increase to the existing term facility and a $30 million increase to the existing revolving facility in connection with the acquisition, and joinder to the facilities, of the Del Frisco Restaurant Group.
Professional Recognition
- Included in Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars directory, Thomson Reuters, 2022, 2023
- Recipient of the Young Alumnus award, Centre College, 2022
- Centre College, President’s Advisory Council, Member
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Pathfinder
- Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Board of Directors, 2020
- Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court, Associate, 2019-2020
- Genesis Young Leaders Board of Directors, Co-Secretary and Membership Committee Member, 2019-2020
- Genesis Young Leaders Board of Directors, Member at Large, 2018-2019
- Equal Access to Justice Committee - Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Committee Co-Chair, 2019
- Equal Access to Justice Committee - Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Committee Member, 2018-2019
- “Ethics Lessons from Pop Culture,” speaker, Kansas Bar Association, April 29, 2022.
- "Recognizing and Responding to Racial Inequality: A Brief Overview of the Social Scientific Research," moderator, Haynes Boone Diversity Awareness and Inclusion event, February 9, 2022.
- “Five Lessons Young Lawyers Can Learn from Tom Girardi of Erin Brockovich and The Real Housewives of Bravo Fame,” speaker, Louisville Bar Association, August 2021.
- “Legislative and Case Law Update for the Business Law Practitioner,” co-speaker, University of Kentucky/Kentucky Bar Association 18th Biennial Business Associations Law Institute, April 7, 2021.
- "Federal District Court Permits University to Delay Title IX Investigation Until Local Law Enforcement Review is Complete, author, DAYL Weekly Brief, January 15, 2020.
- "Don't Talk About it, Be About it: How to Move the Needle on Social Justice," author, The American Lawyer, June 10, 2020.
- “Litigation Over Employee “No-Poach” Agreements Continues To Pick Up Steam,” co-author, American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, Winter 2019.
- "Emotional Abuse Allegations Beset Three College Basketball Programs," author, July 3, 2019.
- "The Burden Of Medical Records During Bankruptcy," co-author, Law360, May 15, 2018.
- "SEC Brings First Enforcement Action Against a Public Company for Failing to Disclose Data Breach," co-author, Haynes Boone client alert, May 1, 2018.
- "Key Features of New Data Breach Notification Laws in Alabama and South Dakota," co-author, Haynes Boone client alert, April 4, 2018.
- "The Supreme Court Opens the Door for Shareholders to Bring Public Offering Securities Class Action Claims in State Courts," co-author, Haynes Boone client alert, March 21, 2018.
- "SEC Announces Examination Priorities for 2018," co-author, Haynes Boone client alert, February 19, 2018.
- "Supreme Court Unanimously Determines that Clean Water Act Approved Jurisdictional Determinations are Final Agency Actions and can be Challenged in Federal District Court," co-author, Haynes Boone client alert, June 1, 2016.
Education
J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School, 2017, Chancellor’s Law Scholar; President, VLS Honor Council
B.A., Government, Centre College, 2014, Max P. Cavnes Prize
Clerkships
Intern, Family Court Division, New York City Law Dept., 2015
Intern, the Honorable Judge Joseph Hood, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 2015
Admissions
Texas
Kentucky
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Three Haynes and Boone, LLP lawyers have been selected to participate in the 2022 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows and Pathfinders Programs. Partner Raquel Alvarenga has been named a Fellow, and Associates CJ Donald and Judy He will participate in the Pathfinders Program. Founded in 2009, LCLD is an organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm man [...]
