Don Keenan
Painting a subject without their knowing it, a surprise portrait, is always fraught with danger… and in the case of Don Keenan, doubly so. A larger than life character, electrifying, the trial lawyer community with his “Reptile Theory” of practice, a TV personality, renowned children’s advocate, often to be found unshaved wearing shorts, T-shirt, and always those sunglasses. An ex-marine of Irish blood and creator of the Kids Foundation and Bono aficionado. All this and more went into this painting. It was with relief that I saw it was warmly and enthusiastically received at its unveiling in Houston. Kudos to the courage of the man brave enough to commission this painting!
Painting a subject without their knowing it, a surprise portrait, is always fraught with danger… and in the case of Don Keenan, doubly so. A larger than life character, electrifying, the trial lawyer community with his “Reptile Theory” of practice, a TV personality, renowned children’s advocate, often to be found unshaved wearing shorts, T-shirt, and always those sunglasses. An ex-marine of Irish blood and creator of the Kids Foundation and Bono aficionado. All this and more went into this painting. It was with relief that I saw it was warmly and enthusiastically received at its unveiling in Houston. Kudos to the courage of the man brave enough to commission this painting!
Don Keenan
Keenan, Don. 16" x 20". 2015. Collection of Keenan Law Firm. Atlanta, GA. Portrait on canvas. Commissioned by HMR Funding, Dean Chase.
Keenan, Don. 16" x 20". 2015. Collection of Keenan Law Firm. Atlanta, GA. Portrait on canvas. Commissioned by HMR Funding, Dean Chase.
Boies, David. Portrait on canvas. 12" x 16". 2010 at the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Adare Manor, Ireland. Collection of the artist. Montreal, Canada.
Arguably the most highly acclaimed American trial and appellate lawyer working today, David Boies is known for his high-profile cases, work in the U.S. Senate, support of education, and involvement in film. In addition to his passion for justice, brilliance, and astounding knowledge of the law, Boies is also known for his severe dyslexia. His achievements have done much to undo many misconceptions of the learning disorder and he has been instated as an exemplar of successful dyslexics at Yale University’s Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
Boies also has a passion for film and acting and producing remain mainstays of his career.
Legal Career
Chairman of the Boies, Schiller & Flexner law firm, Boies holds degrees from University of Redlands, Northwestern University, Yale Law School, and the New York University School of Law. His post graduate experience in the U.S. Senate Antitrust Subcommittee and as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the larger umbrella of the Judiciary Committee prepared him to take on large antitrust law cases for the U.S. Justice Department. In particular, Boies has become notorious for his work as Special Trial Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice on the United States v. Microsoft case, after which he was seen as the “latter-day Clarence Darrow.”
David Boies
Boies’ renown has brought forward clients such as New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in a case against Major League Baseball. He has also represented the National Football League, the National Basketball Players Association, AIG insurance, and filmmaker Michael Moore. Boies also served as lead counsel for Gore in Bush v. Gore, defended Napster in a copyright infringement case, participated in the successful lawsuit against California’s proposed ban on Gay Marriage (Perry v. Schwarzenegger), and negotiated on behalf of American Express for the historically highest civil antitrust settlement to date.
While renowned for his work in the antitrust suit against Microsoft, he has also gained a reputation for his participation in the litigation and settlement of a another major suit filed by the U.S. Government against Medco Health Solutions. During this process, set precedent for "the way pharmacy managers do business...[and] increasing their level of accountability to their patients.”
Boies' Honors, Awards, and Philanthropy
Boies has received a staggering number of accolades and honorable mentions for his work. Non-exhaustively, he was selected as one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World,"; was picked as Who's Who Legal's "Global International Litigator of the Year"; received the Milton Gould Award for "Outstanding Advocacy" in 1996; the Outstanding Learning Disabled Achievers Award; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from LD Access Foundation in 2001.
Boies has become notorious for his work as Special Trial Counsel for the US Department of Justice on the United States v. Microsoft case. Boies also holds Doctor of Laws honoris causa from several institutions, including the University of Redlands in 2000, New York Law School in 2007, New York University in 2013, and the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 2013. The Chicago Theological Seminary has also awarded Boies a Doctor of Letters honoris causa.
Boies is a generous philanthropist, extending his wealth to academic institutions, particularly law schools in through donations and professorships.
Acting Career
An unexpected side of this high profile attorney is his venture into film, which ultimately stems from his lifelong love for Westerns. Fortuitously, Boies’ legal career overlapped with cinema. He has had the opportunity to play himself in a number of films, including Election 2000, 8, and The Case Against 8, Boies is now the owner and producer of Straight Up Films and Boies/Schiller Film Group.
Boies' Dyslexia
Reflecting on dyslexia, Boies made a statement that mirrors the quality and movement of his life and careers: "Reading has nothing to do with intelligence. It's just one way of getting information. The important thing is how a person processes that information, the kind of person we are, the contributions we make, and the kind of utility we have for society.”