Donald J. Friedman
- Washington, D.C.
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Don has litigated and arbitrated virtually every type of commercial dispute for a wide range of clients, particularly in the telecommunications and high-tech industries.
Don Friedman has been a litigator for more than 50 years. He was the sole recipient in the United States of the International Law Office's 2010 Client Choice Award for Litigation. He has maintained a particular focus on insurance coverage litigation and representing insurance carriers since the 1970s. Since the late 1980s, Don has exclusively represented policyholders in disputes regarding coverage for contingent business interruption, environmental liability, directors and officers liability, copyright infringement, and other claims.
Long before arbitration, mediation, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution became fashionable, Don was an advocate for early dispute analysis and resolution and efficient case management, mainly by businesses with high volumes of recurring litigation. Don has frequently written about litigation management, preparing a litigation risk assessment, arbitration, and insurance coverage.
Don regularly represents victims of sexual abuse in the military through Protect Our Defenders and veterans referred by the National Veterans Legal Service Program. He has also represented recruits into the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) Program by obtaining deferred action, naturalization, or both for more than 70 individuals.
Areas of focus
Industries
Services
Education & Credentials
Education
- Yale Law School, J.D., 1973
- Harvard University, A.B., History, 1967
Bar and Court Admissions
-
District of Columbia
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Related Employment
- Black, Tremaine, Lankton, Krieger & Schmeer, Portland, OR, Partner, 1980-1985, Associate, 1974-1979
- Lt. U. S. Navy (submarine service), 1967-1970
Clerkships
- Hon. Alfred Goodwin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Professional Recognition
Selected as a Benchmark Litigation National Star for Insurance, 2017
Listed in Benchmark Litigation’s Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys as a Litigation Star, Local Litigation Star
Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell
(AV®, BV® and CV® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.)
"International Law Office (ILO) 2010 Client Choice Award recipient for Litigation," United States
Recommended by The Legal 500: Industry Focus: Insurance - advice to policy holders, 2015
Impact
Professional Leadership
- District of Columbia Computer Law Forum, Board of Directors, 2011-2019
- District of Columbia Bar Association, Computer Law Section, Commercial and Government Contracts Committee, Co-Chairperson, 1988-1990; Section Steering Committee, 1990-1992
Community Involvement
- Sheridan-Kalorama Neighborhood Council, President
- Bread, Inc., Vice President