Donald B. Hawkins

Don was born and raised in Southern California, and he has also spent substantial parts of his life in the Pacific Northwest, South Florida, and the Midwest. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound with honors in English in 1993, Don attended graduate school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, where he earned his Master’s in English literature in 1996. He has taught English composition and literature at the University of Miami, Miami-Dade Community College, and Community College of Denver.

Don graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2005, where he pursued his passion for social justice by serving in the law school’s esteemed poverty law clinical program, the Neighborhood Law Project. Through this experience, Don developed a passion for expanding access to justice for indigent clients. After he graduated from law school, Don continued to serve low-income clients as a staff attorney for Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, where he provided pro bono legal representation in Social Security disability hearings, unemployment compensation appeals, and family law cases. Don has also represented low-income victims of domestic violence in family law and civil protection order cases, as a staff attorney for Bringing Justice Home, a domestic violence nonprofit in Fort Collins, CO. Finally, he has served as a court-appointed attorney in child welfare cases in Adams County, either representing the child’s best interest as guardian ad litem, youth clients as counsel for youth, or a parent as respondent parent’s counsel.

Don’s legal advocacy focuses on empowering his clients to make the best decisions for themselves through providing them with candid and comprehensive legal advice. Further, he always advocates vigorously for his clients to make sure their voices are heard. Don’s past experiences representing clients in Social Security Disability appeals informs the way he represents clients in personal injury and worker’s compensation cases at Mintz Law Firm. His passion for access to justice drives his commitment to the firm’s mission to vigorously protect their clients’ rights against insurance companies and other corporations.

When Don is not working, he enjoys taking long walks with his brilliant wife, Candace, and their two dogs, Hank and Luna. He and Candace also love going out to hear live music and see theatre. Finally, Don has a passion for reading literature and social histories, watching great cinema, following L.A. sports teams (sorry!), and listening to the Grateful Dead.