Donald P. Sullivan

Donald P. Sullivan is a principal in the San Francisco, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Donald has more than 20 years of experience defending and counseling employers, as well as fiduciaries, sponsors, and insurers of employee benefit plans, in state and federal courts and before state and federal agencies, including the United States Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and California’s Industrial Relations and California Civil Rights Department. 

In his employee benefits practice, Donald regularly advises and represents both pension and welfare benefit plans and their fiduciaries in class action and single-participant litigation. With respect to pension plans, Donald defends plans and fiduciaries against lawsuits alleging imprudent investments in employer securities, imprudent selection of investment options, excessive administrative fees, and entitlement to benefits. With respect to welfare plans, Donald defends plans, fiduciaries, and insurers of insured benefit plans in both ERISA and non-ERISA actions seeking the payment of short and long-term disability, life and medical benefits. Donald also frequently represents employee benefit plans and their fiduciaries in investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor.

In his employment practice, Donald defends clients in cases alleging violations of the California Labor Code related to the payment of wages, as well as in lawsuits alleging discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age and disability in violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and federal statutes, including Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA. He has extensive experience defending both single-plaintiff and class action ERISA and California wage and hour lawsuits. Integral to Donald’s practice are the privacy protections afforded to individuals under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Donald’s interest and commitment to the employment and employee benefits practice has very deep roots. In college, he worked for the Office of Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining for Washington, D.C. He worked for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission while in law school. After law school, he began representing employers and management in employment and labor disputes, while developing a sub-specialty in employee benefits, ERISA, and healthcare. Donald was a law clerk for the Honorable Everett A. Martin, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, 1996-1997. Before joining Jackson Lewis, Donald practiced in the Chambers USA awarding-wining labor and employment group of a national Philadelphia-based law firm.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law” (2021-present) and “Employment Law – Management” (2022-present)
• California Super Lawyers®, “Super Lawyer” (2017-2020)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• For the past several years, Donald has provided pro bono employment counseling to the Center for Justice and Accountability, which prosecutes dictators for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and human rights abuses.