Longtime Fulbright partner Michael O’Donnell has joined forces with San Antonio trial lawyer Lauren Valkenaar as a name partner to form Valkenaar O’Donnell PLLC.
O’Donnell was previously partner-in-charge of Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office and practiced at the firm for nearly three decades.
Valkenaar said she and O’Donnell share mutual clients and they’ve enjoyed a good working relationship since she left Fulbright six years ago.
“It is a natural progression,” said Valkenaar, who launched her own litigation firm in the summer of 2024. “Simply put, we do our best work together and have consistently achieved strong results. I am incredibly proud to have my name alongside his.”
O’Donnell focuses his practice on high-stakes, complex commercial litigation, with experience handling business disputes, real property, oil and gas, trusts and estates litigation, and public finance matters.
Valkenaar offered praise for her time at Fulbright, where she started her legal career in 2013 after receiving her law degree from St. Mary’s. She also was a partner at Chasnoff Stribling before starting her own firm.
The seven-lawyer boutique also includes senior associate Megan Sturm, associate Natsumi Covey, senior counsel Rick Rosenblum, and counsel Dylan Fedderman and Melissa Jordan.
Valkenaar noted they will likely be seeking new office space to accommodate the addition of O’Donnell.