Donna M.D. Thomas

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Partner
Goodell Devries

Donna M. Thomas leads the intellectual property and advertising law practice at Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann LLP in Baltimore, bringing more than 30 years of legal expertise to complex business transactions and litigation.

Thomas joined the firm in 2022 after a 25-year tenure as partner at Astrachan Gunst Thomas, P.C., where she focused on business law, intellectual property rights and advertising regulations. Her practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, trademark protection, copyright licensing and intellectual property litigation.

A graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law, Thomas earned her law degree magna cum laude in 1993. She holds bar admissions in Maryland and before the Supreme Court of the United States.

What’s the most important thing you do in your job?

Counseling clients on important strategic decisions is the most meaningful thing I do in my job. From day-to-day decisions such as contract negotiations, legal claims and employment matters, to more momentous matters such as strategic partnership, corporate governance, restructuring, acquisitions and business sales, I act as a sounding board for my clients and provide guidance and advice to help them make the best decisions for their company.

What is one aspect of your profession you would like to change?

The judicial system is too time-consuming, expensive and drawn out. In many instances, it is simply too costly and protracted to make it worthwhile for a business to pursue a valid claim or defend a rightful position. I generally counsel clients to avoid litigation and attempt to reasonably resolve claims and disputes so that they can keep their focus on their business, have control over the results, and not waste resources, time and money on litigation.

If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?

I would probably have a position in finance or banking. My undergraduate degree is in finance and management and before I became a lawyer I was a commercial banker lending to middle market companies. My finance and banking background have been invaluable in my legal practice because I understand the financial aspects of deal structures, financing and investment, including matters such as cash flow, valuation, capitalization tables, waterfalls and closing or settlement statements.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Business Law Power List for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.