Emeritus Professor of Law
Education
B.A., 1975, Northwestern University
J.D., 1978, Harvard Law School
Biography
Until his retirement in June 2023, Don was a co-founder and shareholder of Nilan Johnson Lewis in Minneapolis, where his practice focused on complex employment litigation and internal investigations. His work also included white collar criminal defense, health care litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. Don now serves as a mediator, arbitrator and special master with JAMS.
From July 2008 through December 2013, Don served as dean of Hamline University School of Law. At Hamline, Don led a law school of more than 650 students and 42 full-time faculty members. His strategic plan, which focused on expanding experiential learning and career services opportunities for students, resulted in substantially improved national rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Hamline’s designation by The National Jurist as among the top five “best value” and top 20 “most innovative” law schools in the U.S. During Don’s deanship, the law school maintained strong U.S. News national specialty rankings for the law school’s institutes in dispute resolution and health law, launched a third institute in business law and a master in the study of law program, and expanded non-J.D. certificate programs. Before his deanship, Don served on William Mitchell’s board of trustees and the Hamline law dean’s advisory board. He had also taught as an adjunct at both law schools.
During his years in private practice, business entities and government agencies engaged Don to lead sensitive, high profile investigations, often involving allegations of executive fraud or other misconduct. He reviewed Hennepin Healthcare’s EMS use of Ketamine to sedate criminal suspects; assisted the Walker Art Center in its review of the acquisition of the Scaffold sculpture; and served as Ramsey County’s special prosecutor in the Jeronimo Yanez/Philando Castile case. Don also investigated allegations against Minneapolis police officers regarding improper arrests and use of excessive force; served as general counsel to the independent lay task force appointed by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to review its policies and protocols related to clergy sexual abuse of minors; and investigated the prior knowledge of St. Paul park and public works officials regarding soil conditions that contributed to the deadly landslide in Lilydale Regional Park. Don also conducted the investigation on behalf of the University of Minnesota regarding allegations of academic fraud in its men’s basketball program.
Don began his career at the U.S. Department of Justice: he was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division in Washington before serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in Minneapolis. In the health care sector, Don has served as board chair for HealthPartners. He has been a fellow of the American Law Institute, the American Bar Foundation, and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Don was also a co-founder of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers and has served on the Board of Governors of the National Bar Association.
A native of St. Paul, Don earned his undergraduate degree in journalism with distinction at Northwestern University in 1975 and his law degree at Harvard Law School in 1978.
