General Counsel Don Davis Biography

Don Davis

General Counsel

Don Davis began work as the General Counsel of the San Francisco Unified School District on January 10, 2012.   He has a great deal of experience in education law, litigation, transactional law and law office management.  His life’s passions are public service and public education.

Don was born in a small farming community is southeastern Wisconsin.  The second oldest of five children, he graduated from Elkhorn, WI High School.    He attended the University of Southern California, graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism.  He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps at graduation and served for 30 years, initially as an aviator and later as a judge advocate.  He received his law degree at the University of Southern California and has been a member of the State Bar of California for nearly 33 years.  Don’s military law practice included both criminal and civil litigation, environmental and land use, labor, and human resources law.  In addition, Mr. Davis was the managing attorney of five different Marine Corps law offices.  He retired from the Marines as a colonel.

Don joined the Office of General Counsel (OCG) of the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2001.  As the first new hire after a major reorganization and expansion, he supervised the hiring of 32 attorneys and nearly 50 support staff as well as the creation and implementation of an extensive IT support structure.   He was also responsible for central office and Board of Education legal advice and was lead counsel for LAUSD in the Williams v. California class action litigation.  Don was assigned as Chief of Staff of the OGC where he directly supervised 38 attorneys and 45 support staff.  At the same time, he was lead counsel for the District in successful litigation contesting an attempt by the mayor of Los Angeles to take over the school District.  In November of 2006, Superintendent David Brewer appointed Don as LAUSD’s Chief of Staff.  For the next two years Don oversaw the day-to-day operations of the school district, served as the liaison to the Board of Education, and oversaw the creation of the district’s budget.  When Superintendent Brewer left LAUSD in 2008, Don returned to OGC as Deputy General Counsel where he led a major reorganization and reorientation of the office.  The result was bringing extensive amounts of litigation “in house,” resulting in a reduction of outside counsel spending of over 60%. Don also led several major initiatives for the Superintendent including a complete revamping of LAUSD’s certificated employee discipline processes. 

Don is married with four children, two of whom are middle school students.   In his spare time he enjoys running, reading, gardening, cooking and time with family.

Letter from the General Counsel

The Legal Department’s mission is to further the goals outlined in the "Strategic Plan: Beyond the Talk 2.0" and to protect and preserve the legal, ethical, and financial stability of the San Francisco Unified School District by providing informed and effective representation and advice while maintaining the highest standards of professional integrity. Read more here.

About the Legal Department

The Legal Department responds to various issues from real estate matters to employment law matters. The department has six practice areas and performs administrative and investigative functions. Read more here.

Meet the Legal Team

The legal services office has six attorneys and a legal support team. Attorneys assist school principals and administrators on various issues. We promote a collegial atmosphere in which all individuals learn, improve, and strive to become leaders in both legal and civic communities. Read more here.