When Olivia Orlando-Donovan, S’13, arrived on Northeastern’s Boston campus, she imagined herself going to medical school and becoming a doctor. It only took one chemistry course for her to alter this goal and redirect her plan toward law school and an eventual career working as a criminal prosecutor and now private litigator.
After changing her major to psychology, Orlando-Donovan enrolled in two co-op cycles, which allowed her to explore different legal career paths. “My first co-op was at a pretty large regional firm,” she reminisces. “I soon realized that was not the path that I wanted to take to introduce myself to the law and began exploring other options.” Her second co-op in the dual cycle gave Orlando-Donovan a proper introduction to not just being an attorney, but the specific aspect of law she wanted to practice: criminal prosecution. While simultaneously co-oping at both LIFT, Inc. and Havard Law School’s Prison Legal Assistance Project, she decided a legal career in the public sector was the right path.
After graduation, Orlando-Donovan enrolled at Albany Law School in Albany, New York, with the goal of pursuing a career as a prosecutor. She credits her criminology courses at Northeastern for sparking an interest in criminal law. During law school, she interned with both the Albany County and Queens County district attorney’s offices before ultimately accepting a post-graduation offer of employment from the Bronx District Attorney’s office. “I picked the Bronx over other boroughs because it had the most crime per capita in New York state,” she explains. “I knew I’d be really busy, do a lot of good, and get a lot of solid trial experience there.”
After spending nearly four years as an Assistant District Attorney at the Bronx DA’s office, Orlando-Donovan shifted her professional focus to civil litigation at the New York City Law Department, where she represented the City of New York in personal injury and property damage cases. After some time at the Law Department, Orlando-Donovan elected to make the move to private practice. Orlando-Donovan worked for Wilson Elser LLP in its Albany, White Plains, and New York City offices, where she handled a variety of cases, ultimately focusing in on employment defense. She recently transitioned to Ogletree Deakins, where she focuses her practice on the defense and counseling of all aspects of employment and labor issues for a wide variety of clients.
Orlando-Donovan credits her Northeastern experience for helping prepare her for law school and inspiring her to forge a path in the legal field—specifically her course and lab work with Dr. John Foley. “Dr. Foley’s classes and labs were really challenging, which prepared me to juggle multiple assignments and conflicting deadlines all at once,” she recalls.
Her advice to Northeastern students interested in pursuing a career in law? Take all offered pre-law classes and become involved in the many student organizations on campus that allow you to develop critical thinking skills and familiarize yourself with the field. “I took a pre-law writing class that taught me how to write legal briefs, which was helpful in law school because you have to read dozens of cases a week and brief them,” she says. “Become involved with the Northeastern mock trial team to get yourself in a courtroom to learn how a trial goes from start to finish. It will also help you stay active in law school.”
With her ability to navigate an ever-changing field and positive career attitude, Orlando-Donovan is ready to make her mark on her new firm. “I’m very happy with my practice and am proud to be the first attorney in my family,” she says with a smile. “I spend time mentoring college and law students and would love to mentor any Huskies interested in exploring a legal career!”
Fun fact: Orlando-Donovan married fellow 2013 graduate, Thomas Donovan DMSB ‘13, in 2023.
Become involved with the Northeastern mock trial team to get yourself in a courtroom to learn how a trial goes from start to finish. It will also help you stay active in law school.”
Olivia Orlando-Donovan, S’13