Donald Morgan, who currently serves as corporation counsel for Indianapolis and Marion County, will join Taft Law as senior counsel on Nov. 2, 2020. His return to private practice will focus primarily on appellate advocacy, municipal and public-sector litigation, and advising public-sector clients.

“Donnie’s experience in the municipal world combined with his civil litigation and appellate advocacy experience make him a great asset to Taft’s municipal and litigation teams and our clients,” said Chou-il Lee, partner and head of Taft’s Indianapolis Municipal group. “His addition results in Taft’s municipal team having a depth and breadth of experience second to none in Indiana, and cementing Taft’s position as the ‘go-to’ firm for public-sector issues.”

Morgan has experience at all levels of the federal and Indiana judicial systems, including work on appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Indiana Supreme Court. He joins Taft after four-and-half years in leadership roles at the Office of Corporation Counsel. As chief litigation counsel, he served as lead counsel for parties and amici in thirty appeals while maintaining a trial-court practice focused on constitutional questions and other issues presenting important policy implications for the city and county.

Most recently, he has served in Mayor Joe Hogsett’s cabinet as corporation counsel, where he advises elected officials, agencies, boards, and commissions on issues ranging from economic development and tax increment finance (TIF) policy to pandemic response and police reform. He also serves on the board of directors for both the Indiana Municipal Lawyers Association and the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, where he chairs the foundation’s fellows committee.

“Taft offers a unique opportunity to combine my appellate and litigation experience with a robust public-sector practice,” said Morgan. “I look forward to working with Taft’s 600+ attorneys to offer the best client service in the Midwest.”

During the pandemic, Taft has maintained its strategic approach to recruiting exceptional legal talent who embody key traits that are crucial to providing strong legal services to clients. By way of example, Taft recently announced a new partner hire in Indianapolis and strengthened its transactional, merger and acquisition, and tax capabilities with the addition of three partners in July in its Cincinnati office. Since March 1, Taft has hired 15 attorneys, with an additional 17 offers extended and accepted by first-year associates, who will start in January.

Morgan is a graduate of Indiana University with highest distinction and an order of the coif graduate of Berkeley Law School. During law school, he served as a judicial extern for Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and later for Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Before his time in public service, Morgan was a business litigator and appellate advocate at an AmLaw 100 firm.