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.
Bruce Stern
Bruce Stern is Certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by both the New Jersey Supreme Court and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. A shareholder and member of the Accident & Personal Injury Group in the New Jersey law firm Stark & Stark his practice focuses on representing the victims of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and wrongful death.
Co-author of “Litigating Brain Injuries” published by Thomson Reuters, Bruce began publishing the Traumatic Brain Injury Law Blog in 2004 to share his extensive knowledge and experience as a brain injury lawyer, augmenting his already numerous articles and lectures on the subject of this highly specialized field of litigation, evidence and trial techniques.
A 1977 cum laude graduate from Duke University and 1981 Rutgers School of Law-Camden graduate, he served a judicial clerkship with the Hon. Hervey S. Moore, J.S.C. A past president of the New Jersey Association for Justice and a recipient of its highest awards, the Gold Medal for Distinguished Service and the Trial Bar Award, Bruce is also a founding member and past chair of the American Association for Justice's Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group and serves as treasurer of the International Brain Injury Association and the North American Brain Injury Society.
Bruce Stern. Original painting 2019. Collection of the artist.
In 2009, he was elected president of the Melvin Belli Society and has been inducted into the International Society of Barristers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. A long time member of the AAJ Executive Committee and the National Board of Governors, Bruce was recently elected and sworn in as President of the world’s largest trial bar with more than 20,000 members, the first President of the American Association for Justice, hailing from New Jersey in its over 70 year history.
In his remarks at the swearing in ceremony Bruce said that diversity and inclusion “rank highly on the priority list for AAJ Leadership.” He said, “We are 100 percent committed to building and sustaining both a diverse and inclusive organization and as President I will work tirelessly to fulfill that goal as well as recommitting to saving thousands of lives educating high-schoolers in the ongoing fight against distracted driving.”
Who better to teach this vital message than passionate trial lawyers like Mr Bruce Stern!