UT Tyler Announces First University Attorney Michael Donley

TYLER — Michael Donley has been named The University of Texas at Tyler’s first legal attorney, effective May 1, President Rodney H. Mabry announced. Donley comes to UT Tyler from Loewinsohn Flegle Deary, a significant Dallas litigation firm. In this newly developed role, he will handle contracts and also be a part of UT Tyler’s top leadership team. “As our university has expanded in size and complexity, so has our need for legal advice on the ground here in Tyler,” President Mabry said. “These needs are in such diverse areas as writing contracts, buying land, building schools, protecting intellectual property rights and simply understanding rules and regulations.”

Donley previously worked at the Bickel & Brewer Law Firm in Dallas, a firm devoted to high-profile commercial disputes, according to a UTT news release. He also held a two-year appointment as inspector general for the Texas Education Agency. “I am excited to join the incredibly talented team at The University of Texas at Tyler as university counsel. I am thankful for the opportunity to put my energy and passions for law and education to work in support of the university,” Donley said.

Donley holds degrees from the University of Nebraska and Harvard Law School as well as a master of business administration from Oxford University. He served in the U.S. Air Force 1992 – 1996 as a security specialist with duty assignments including protecting Priority A resources like senior personnel and nuclear materials. In that role, he became a hostage negotiation team member with numerous international assignments. Donley was also senior editor and editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. “He is certainly well qualified. His experiences with contracts, writing and evaluating business plans, working in Austin with the Texas Education Agency and his strong academic background make him the ideal choice to develop UT Tyler’s first legal office,” President Mabry added.