Michael J. Donohue is a criminal defense attorney based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the founder of Donohue Law, LLC. He represents people facing criminal charges in Lehigh County and Northampton County, including Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. An experienced trial lawyer and former prosecutor and public defender, Mr. Donohue has first-chaired more than 40 jury trials and more than 60 bench trials.
Growing up in a family of attorneys, a career in law came naturally to Mr. Donohue. He recalls: “As a kid, I grew up seeing exactly what lawyers do and how they used their position of power to help people. I found this extremely inspiring and have known pretty much since high school that I was going to go down the same path.”
Mr. Donohue graduated from Villanova University in 2002 and completed law school one year early in 2004. In 2005, he served as a summer law clerk to the Honorable Kevin F. Kelly of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. He then worked as a Delaware County Assistant Public Defender from 2005 to 2006, representing individuals charged with felonies and misdemeanors. From 2006 to 2011, he served as a Delaware County Assistant District Attorney. During his approximately five and a half years as a prosecutor, Mr. Donohue completed specialized training, including DUI and undercover drug investigations, and tried serious criminal cases, including murder and aggravated assault.
Today, Mr. Donohue is renowned for his formidable litigation skills which he developed through his extensive experience in criminal law. Over the last decade, he has conducted countless trials and hearings from nearly every position in the courtroom, giving him a comprehensive understanding of strategy and technique. As an assistant public defender, he learned early on in his career how to effectively defend some of the most difficult cases. And, as a former prosecutor, Mr. Donohue gained invaluable insights into the inner workings of law enforcement and how they investigate and prosecute different crimes, which he now uses to his clients’ advantage.
Mr. Donohue’s numerous successes in high-profile complex cases, including a case of first impression in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has earned him invitations to appear on media outlets such as ESPN, The New York Post, and USA Today. With this prominence, Mr. Donohue keeps his eye on prevailing trends in criminal defense law, which he updates the public on through two educational bogs. In particular, he mentioned recent changes in application of the hearsay rule with respect to witnesses and how it has impacted his practice.
With more than twenty years of practice behind him, Mr. Donohue envisions a bright future ahead. Looking towards continued growth, he hopes to successfully defend the rights of the accused for many years to come.
