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Over 100 Years Of Service

Donovan & O Connor Reaches 100 Year Milestone!

On Behalf of | Jun 3, 2013 | Firm News

Founded in 1913 by Walter J. Donovan, Donovan & O’Connor is celebrating 100 years of serving our community. Atty. Donovan, a Berkshire County native, returned to the area after graduating from Cornell Law School in 1912, working at General Electric until he was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1913. After admission to the bar, Atty. Donovan began his practice of law in the former armory building in Adams, Massachusetts and, in 1914, moved his practice to the Mausert Block, where it remained until 1970. Described as a detail-oriented task master deeply concerned for the well-being of his clients, Atty. Donovan laid the foundation for the caring atmosphere of perfectionism that remains at the firm to this day.

In 1954, Mr. Donovan was later joined by J. Norman O’Connor, Sr., Boston Law School graduate who had worked as a clerk for the Supreme Judicial Court. Atty. O’Connor saw the firm through numerous changes, expanding the firm through the addition of new attorneys, moving the firm from the Mausert Block and keeping pace with the shifting landscape in the practice of law. Known for a brilliant mind in both law a mischief (the pranks on one overnight trip included planting Kool-Aid planted in the showerheads), Atty. O’Connor created an environment of teamwork and humor.

Both men continued working late in life, Atty. Donovan until 1976 and Atty. O’Connor, Sr., until 1998. Since its founding, the firm has continued to expand both in number and location, now boasting 17 attorneys in 3 offices, Pittsfield and North Adams, Massachusetts and Bennington, Vermont. Although the firm has continued to expand, it continues to provide a personal touch to its clients, never forgetting that it is the clients that are at the heart of the legal profession. Donovan & O’Connor is among the oldest and largest firms in Berkshire County and Southern Vermont and handles a comprehensive variety of legal matters, including business law, trusts and estate law, family law, and litigation of all types including serious personal injury matters. Its attorneys practice in both the state and federal courts and are admitted to the practice of law in Massachusetts, Vermont and New York. In addition to the practice of law, the attorneys at Donovan & O’Connor, LLP, are engaged in the community; working on many boards and volunteering their time to numerous local non-profits.

Donovan & O’Connor kicked off its centennial celebration with the Berkshire Chamber ‘Good News’ Breakfast (http://www.iberkshires.com/story/43578/Berkshires-Fiber-Network-Means-Growth-Innovation.html), an iBerkshires article (http://www.iberkshires.com/story/43607/Donovan-O-Connor-Celebrates-100th-Anniversary.html), and has sponsored events around the area, including the Berkshire Humane Race (http://humanerace.org/).

There are more events and announcements coming!