Donna Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
Donna is nationally recognized for her high-profile, bet-the-company work on
behalf of companies facing litigation and government enforcement actions, with
a focus on both the consumer financial services and privacy and data security
spaces. Donna’s extensive crisis and risk management experience, coupled
with her broad subject matter knowledge and precedent-setting litigation
experience, makes her highly valued by in-house counsel, the C-level suite
and boards in pre-emptively mitigating risk, and navigating those risks that
become full-blown exposure. She has successfully represented her client base,
which includes banks, mortgage servicers, auto finance companies, retailers and
other financial services providers, as well as clients in other regulated industries,
in a range of matters, from advice and counseling, to class and individual
litigation, to government enforcement and regulatory actions.
Co-leading Manatt’s privacy and data security practice and a partner in
its financial services litigation and enforcement practice, Donna is also recognized
by professional publications for her leadership. Most recently, she was selected
as one of the Top 20 Cyber/Artificial Intelligence Lawyers and one of the
Top 100 Women Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal, and one of the
Most Influential Women Lawyers in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business
Journal. Donna also serves as a member of Manatt’s Board of Directors and the
firm’s Compensation Committee.
Donna is a frequent author, speaks on cutting-edge legal matters and is
regularly quoted by various media, including The Wall Street Journal, USA
Today and the Daily Journal. She is also a member of the LGBT Bar.
After law school, she clerked to the late Honorable David R. Thompson of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Diego, as well as to the
late Honorable Stanley S. Brotman of the U.S. District Court for the District of
New Jersey.
Professional Affiliations
- Fellow of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, The International Association of Privacy Professionals