Donald Temple

Donald M. Temple is presently the Principal of Donald M. Temple. P.C., and practices civil and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on police misconduct and race discrimination.

He received an LL.M. in international and constitutional law from Georgetown University Law Center in 1982, J.D. from the University of Santa Clara in 1978 and B.A. from Howard University in 1975. He also studied at the Rene Cassin International Institute for Human Rights in Strasbourg, France in 1977. He is admitted to practice law before state and federal courts in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts in the States of Maryland and Michigan, the Third, Fourth and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court.

Temple received acclaim in 1997 for coining the term “consumer racism” and securing an unprecedented million dollar verdict in the United States District Court for Southern Maryland against Eddie Bauer. He has litigated as a small practitioner against large private law firms and government offices in cases involving large cities and/or counties, and corporations and secured either meaningful settlements or jury verdicts. He has also secured significant appellate and trial rulings on major civil rights issues in D.C. and the Fourth Circuit. Over the last several years he has secured jury verdicts against Amtrak, the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission and the District of Columbia Government (Police Department). He has also settled several important cases against the District of Columbia and Montgomery County Governments, Hunts and Williams Law Firm (Age Discrimination and contract claim) among others. Temple has secured a recent judgment reversing District of Columbia police stops based upon anonymous tips. He currently has several appellate cases pending in which he is challenging the constitutionality and legality of several D.C. Government practices. The D.C. City Paper called him a “silver tongued lawyer” because of his ability to argue different types of cases successfully.

Over the last thirty years, Temple has served in numerous leadership positions in the District of Columbia. Most notable is his longstanding summer law school program, the Charles Hamilton Houston Legal Education Institute(CHH). This seven(7) week program, now in its 30th year, has helped to prepare over 500 law students for law school across the country. Temple is also former Chairman of the District of Columbia Civilian Complaint Review Board; former President of D.C. Chapter National Conference of Black Lawyers, former Board Member of Washington Bar Association, founder and former president of Concerned Black Men (Washington DC Chapter), former President of Charlotte E. Ray Inn of Court, Co-founder and former President of Congressional Black Associates, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Capitol Commitment, a non-profit telecommunications corporation, and founder and alumni member of Ubiquity Social Fellowship at Howard University.

He presently serves as Chairman of the Congress Heights Community Development Corporation and on the Boards of Directors for Archbishop Carroll High School, the Columbia Heights Youth Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program.

Temple is a member of the Washington Bar Association, life member of the National Bar Association, alumni member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, graduate of the 1989 Leadership Washington Class and former American Council of Young Political Leaders Delegate to Hungary and Yugoslavia. He is a frequent public speaker and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including 48 Hours, Phil Donahue, Cross Fire, CNN Burden of Proof, Court TV, The View, America's Black Forum, CNN News, BET News and BET Talk.

Temple’s many commendations include National Bar Association’s Cora T. Walker Award, the prestigious National Bar Association's Gertrude E. Rush Award, Howard University Community Service Award, the Washington Bar Association’s Ollie Mae Cooper Award,and most recently, honored as one of Thurgood Marshall Center Trust’s Phenomenal Men 2009.

Temple Law Notes blog is his way of connecting and staying in contact with legal colleagues, sharing legal tips and growing the Temple Law brain trust.