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.
A pioneering and accomplished trial lawyer who championed large issues of social and environmental injustice, human rights, and set precedents throughout his career. Because of his boldness in the face of mass social injustice, Ron Motley is now renowned for leading large-scale lawsuits on critical social, medical, and environmental issues. During a career spanning more than four decades, he represented clients in cases revolving around anti-terrorism, asbestos exposure, and human rights violations.
Ron Motley (1944 - 2013)
Legal Career
Motley earned a B.A. at University of South Carolina and a J.D. from University of South Carolina School of Law. He was a founding member of Motley Rice L.L.C. and broke ground with cases against the asbestos and Big Tobacco industries. His work with Dr. Jeffrey Wigand established the historic Master Settlement Agreement in November 1998, an accord which required the tobacco industry to pay massive retributions to the involved states for damages and ongoing health care costs. He also headed lawsuits for thousands of asbestos victims and his work brought the dangers of asbestos exposure to the public consciousness. Motley took on two of the largest civil class action settlements in U.S. history to bring justice to [those] impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Coast oil spill.
Motley, Ron. 16" x 20". 2016. Collection of the artist. Montreal, Canada.
In addition to legal work, Motley sat on the executive board of many of the organizations related to his major cases. Over the course of his career, he received numerous awards and accolades and will be remembered for his commitment to “greater justice, accountability, and recourse.”