Litigation Partner Donnie M. King has been named to Bloomberg Law’s “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40,” the publication’s annual recognition of the lawyers shaping the future of the profession. Forty attorneys are selected nationwide each year on the strength of their results for clients, their leadership, and their service beyond the courtroom.
Donnie is called upon by general counsel and corporate leaders to handle their most critical matters, often well before litigation is filed. An accomplished trial lawyer and trusted advisor, he maintains a national practice in complex commercial litigation and arbitration. He has appeared in court as first chair across the country. His work covers commercial transactions, securities and shareholder disputes such as Section 220 books-and-records demands), class actions, D&O claims, and investigations. He also handles significant product liability cases for clients in industries including automotive and transportation, consumer goods, energy, financial services, healthcare, and technology.
Donnie’s recent results include a unanimous $30 million jury verdict as first-chair trial counsel for Eaton Corporation in federal court in Cleveland, which TopVerdict named Ohio’s largest plaintiff’s verdict of 2024 and the Sixth Circuit affirmed in February 2026. In January, he secured a complete defense verdict for Allstate Insurance Company in a federal jury trial in Atlanta, defeating claims seeking more than $5 million in damages.
“I do not view the client as the company. I view it as the people,” Donnie said. “When you understand who people are and what resolution means to them personally, you represent them differently.”
Donnie has earned repeated recognition by Lawdragon as one of the 500 leading litigators in America, by Benchmark Litigation as a Florida “Future Star,” and by Super Lawyers Magazine as a Florida “Rising Star” for business litigation. He has also been named among Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Lawyers in Corporate America and recognized by the Daily Business Review as a “Most Effective Lawyer” for products liability.
Donnie serves as Co-Chair of Akerman’s Unity & Inclusion Council. He is a former fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and previously chaired the firm’s Black Bridge Network.