Judge David R. Donnersberger (Ret.)

Of Counsel | 312-628-7857 | ddonnersberger@lgcounsel.com

Judge David Donnersberger (Ret.) brings more than 40 years of legal and judicial experience to his mediation/arbitration practice. He is greatly respected by both the defense and plaintiff bars for his good temperament, intelligence, and his ability to bring parties together. While on the bench he was noted for his unbiased approach in assisting attorneys in successfully resolving emotionally and legally complex matters. As a Chancery Circuit Judge, Donnersberger managed, tried, and mediated matters as complex as billion dollar family trusts, class action consumer cases and business dissolution. As the General Counsel for the Chicago Park District he was the client negotiator in the resolution of sexual predator cases, employment discharge cases, pool and beach swimming death cases. Judge  Donnersberger’s (Ret.) tenure as the General Counsel for the Chicago Park District allowed him to work with parties in a vast variety of settings including business, commercial, employment, and government. Further, as a neutral he successfully mediated or arbitrated more than one hundred matters. Further, He was a hearing Officer to determine insurance issues involving interpretation of Illinois Statues  regarding Police and Firefighters benefits as emergency responder.

Summary

> As a Cook County Judge from 1989 – 2007 conducted several thousand pre-trials in:
• Law Division
• Commercial Litigation
• Chancery Courts
• Municipal Courts
• Domestic Relations Court

> As a Neutral mediated more than one hundred personal injury, insurance and legal  malpractice matters.

> As General Counsel and First deputy General Counsel for the Chicago Park District supervised  many successful personal injury, labor, workers compensation, and construction trials

> Seventeen year judicial career focused on contract, lease, real estate dispute, and insurance coverage litigation; personal injury, business, employment, and statutory interpretation cases in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Calendar 5, Chancery Division, 2003-2006. Commercial  Calendar, Commercial Litigation Section, Law Division 2001-2003. Trial Judge, Domestic Relations Division, 1996-2001. Motion Call, Law Division, 1996-2001. Motion Judge, First Municipal District, 1989-1994.

> Assistant States Attorney and Sole Practitioner

Teaching

Chicago Bar Association, faculty, trial practice courses; Chicago City Colleges, assistant
professor; Cook County Training Academy, faculty; Chicago Police Academy, faculty.

Bar Admissions

Illinois, 1972; Florida, 1972; U.S. District Court; 1972; Federal Trial Bar, 1982

Education

DePaul University, J.D. 1972 / DePaul University, M.A., 1967 / St. Bonaventure, B.A. 1963

Bar Association Activities

Chair, Committee on Correctional Department

Judge David Donnersberger (Ret.) served with distinction in Circuit Court of Cook County for more than 17years. Appointed as an Associate Judge in 1989, he served in the Municipal Division hearing both civil and criminal cases and was then assigned to Domestic Relations serving as a trial judge hearing pre-trial, trial and post-trial matters. Judge Donnersberger was elected as a circuit judge in 1996 and was assigned to the Law Division to the contested motion call. In 2001 was transferred to the Commercial Litigation Sections of the Law Division, responsible for cases from their initial filing through their final disposition whether by motion, pre-trial, bench or jury. In 2003 was assigned to the Chancery Division presiding over cases involving complex litigation, class
actions, corporations and partnership cases, injunctions, declaratory judgments and administrative review.

Most recently Judge Donnersberger (Ret.) served as the General Counsel for the Chicago Park District. In that capacity, Donnersberger was responsible with conducting all of the law business for the Park District including: advising the Superintendent and the Board of Directors on all legal matters, managing and oversight of staff attorneys responsible
for representing the Park District in a variety of cases including personal injury, etc. Judge Donnersberger’s (Ret.) tenure as the General Counsel for the Chicago Park District allowed him to work with parties in a vast variety of settings including business, commercial, employment, and government.

Committees

In addition to his courtroom duties, selected by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Advanced Judicial Academy Committee on Education, the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Conduct and the Supreme Court Planning and Oversight for Judicial Performance Evaluation Program. Also served on committees such as the AEI-Brookings Judicial Education Program, the American Bar Association, and the Robert Morris College Paralegal Committee. Was a founding member of American College of Business Court Judges.

Seminars

Lectured at Judicial Conferences on topics pertaining to civil motions, courtroom management, grandparents’ rights, and tort law defenses. Also lectured at the University of Illinois and the Chicago Police Academy. Have also lectured at the Chicago Bar Association on a variety of subjects ranging from cross-examination, motions practice, and discovery rules. Attended numerous seminars at the Illinois Bar Association and the National Judicial College with the American Bar Association.

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