BIOGRAPHY PROFILE
JOHN PATRICK DOLAN
CALIFORNIA DESERT TRIAL ACADEMY
COLLEGE OF LAW
Conversations with F. Lee Bailey and Gerry Spence about a void in
legal education sparked a desire in John Patrick Dolan to do something about
it. That void is a lack of training in courtroom and lawyering skills to prepare
law students to become strong trial attorneys.
John decided to do his part by founding a law school designed to
do just that.
California Desert Trial Academy College of Law, (CDTA) was
launched when the first class matriculated in September of 2012. Some thought
John was crazy to build a law school in the desert, but not the students who began
as 1L’s that fall. To them, this was a chance to fulfill a dream that they did
not think was possible.
Other pillars of the legal community joined in to be part of what
the State Bar of California has called “one of the top faculties of all
California law schools”. The professors are distinguished attorneys and judges
who work and practice in the local courts.
In May of 2016, CDTA held its first graduation and 11 students
received their Juris Doctorates. The second class graduated in May of 2017.
The State Bar of California has approved CDTA for a first-ever
hybrid Distance Learning option and in the fall of 2017, students who live too
far to easily travel to CDTA during the week can take classes in real time
using the “Zoom” platform.
As Dean, John is intimately involved in all aspects of the law school
and supported primarily by his bride of 46 years, and the school’s registrar,
Irene “The Queen”. Irene is the backbone of the school and handles everything
from admissions to final exams and graduation. They are a tremendous team, as
they have been in all their endeavors since they met while students at California
State, Fullerton.
John has developed a program for his students and recent graduates
that he sees as the legal version of a medical residency program. He has taken
several students under his wing to mentor them and prepare them for life as a
trial lawyer. Just as he could sit 2nd chair with Terry Giles in
trials while he was a student, he does the same for those serious about
becoming criminal defense attorneys. The Coachella Valley has a close knit
legal community and other attorneys are following suit by offering similar
mentorships to students in other areas of law. These students are often finding
themselves with job offers and John believes that they will hit the ground
running after passing the bar as strong advocates in and out of the courtroom.
CDTA houses a low cost legal clinic, providing assistance to those
in need while providing law students, with supervising lawyers, a chance to work
on cases.
The law school boasts a beautiful campus, in which all classes
take place in stately courtrooms. The school shares space with the offices of
Dolan Law Offices, John’s thriving law practice.
John’s daughter, attorney Andrea Dolan Bouchard, has an office
next to his. His wife, Irene, has the office next to hers. John describes his
life as “great” and feels lucky to have a wonderful family and the ability to
do what he loves. Things fell into place the way they were meant to, but not
without a lot of hard work and people who believed in him who pushed him to
excel.
CHILDHOOD
John was born March 25, 1949 to a stay at home Mom and a Dad who served
in the Marines in WWII. Ray Dolan Jr. was one of the first off the boat at Iwo
Jima in 1945 but never spoke about the details of his military service until
quite late in his life.
Family was always key with the Dolans and John’s grandfather, Ray
Dolan Sr., lived across the alley from the family when John was young.
Ray Dolan Jr. was a great athlete and SoCal Jr. Tennis Champion.
He instilled in John a strong work ethic, starting out in the family bar
business and later becoming an optometrist to better the family’s situation.
John enjoyed his childhood in Huntington Beach, CA. He describes it as a “closed universe” and
life consisted of family, school and the beach. John was the oldest of three
children, the other two girls.
His grandfather owned several bars and liquor stores in Huntington
Beach and the vicinity. John’s grandfather ran the main bar from 6am to 6pm daily
and then his uncle, also named John, took over from 4pm to closing.
Those bars, some of them set up to run the local gambling
business, created a backdrop for a cast of characters whose names, and regular
barstools, John remembers to this day.
There was Jack Robertson, who owned the men’s store; Leo Farwell
who had the flower shop, Walter Deal was the painter, Lucille Ott & Peggy
Higgins had their regular seats.
The Rex Hotel was above Grandfather’s bar. You could cross the
alley and go to the Paddock and the Capri and hit all three bars and never have
to go out on the street.
Growing up, John and his grandfather’s son with his second wife,
Jimmy, would spend their summers heading to Grandfather’s bar for a free
breakfast and then to the beach. Jimmy was only six months younger than John
but John was his uncle. The boys developed their entrepreneurial skills by
collecting bottles for pennies and spending their cash at the Penny Arcade on the
pier where they listened to rock and roll music for the first time.
John’s comedic timing was honed by listening to his Uncle Sonny, a
stand-up comedian. Uncle Sonny would often play recordings of Jonathon Winters
and Shelley Berman, whose routines John would memorize, often to hilarious
effect but sometimes earning him a trip to the principal’s office.
John’s idyllic life was shaken up a bit when the family moved out
of Huntington Beach for a couple of years so that his Dad could attend
optometry school. This was a difficult time for the family as his Dad struggled
to support them all while attending school and starting his new profession.
The family eventually moved back to Huntington Beach and life got
easier for the Dolans. John developed his love of rock and roll and wanted to
be a drummer. His Dad told him if he could save up half of the money for his
first drum set, Dad would pitch in for the rest. John would practice in his
room and play along with his records until he wore the records out.
HIGH SCHOOL
In his junior year in at Huntington Beach High (HBHS), John played
drums for his surf band, “The Wild Ones”. He had a blast and was able to earn
some serious pocket money. The family lived outside of the school district for
HBHS, so he lived with his grandfather as his legal guardian in order to
attend. John fondly remembers this time of “free reign” with his permissive
grandfather.
John’s speech teacher, Roger Morin, heard him reciting one of his
memorized comedy sketches at school and dropped a brochure for “The American
Legion Speech Contest” on his desk
Morin told John that if he would enter the contest, he would help
him prepare for it.
John wrote the speech, went to the contest and won. After he
advanced through regionals, Richard Morin suggested John do more competitions.
The two categories of speech were oratorical interpretation where one would memorize
other’s speeches and original oratory.
Toward end of his junior year, John went to the State High School
Speech Championships and was 3rd in the state in oratorical
interpretation. The next year he did original oratory, which was considered
much cooler. This introduction to competitive speech became the catalyst for
his future work on the debate team and eventually, his career in law.
During his senior year, English teacher Hal Stevens asked John where
he was going to go to school and John said he thought the local community
college, Orange Coast, like everyone else. Stevens told him to at least apply
to Cal State Fullerton. This had not been on John’s radar but he did score
highly on SAT’s and other standardized tests, so he applied and was accepted.
COLLEGE
At Cal State Fullerton, John wanted to be on the speech team and
was required to be on the debate team to do so. Dr. Lucy Keele was the debate
coach. His other influential coaches were Dr. Lee Granell and former minister Dr.
George Enell.
Glen Barnett was his partner. He was a real character and a nice
guy. Though they weren’t so great as a team, they soon improved. John’s coaches
put him with new partner Rick Nicholas to go to Chicago for the Freshman
Nationals. John and Rick placed third in the competition and had a great time
doing so.
John continued to compete in debate throughout college. He lived
in the Delta Chi fraternity house, attended classes and went to debate
competitions on the weekends.
The following year, John was put with Terry Giles as debate
partner. They were a strong debate team together. After Terry left, John began
partnering with Patti Peoples.
Patti was a fantastic researcher. John says that Patti “did all of
the hard work and research” while allowing John to excel in the oratory. The
two went to the Nationals twice and competed at many schools including Harvard,
Northwestern and the University of Kansas. John ranked in the Top 10
individually in both his junior and senior years.
John discovered that if you chose your Political Science classes
around the debate topics, you could wind up knowing more than your professor by
the end of the year. This strategy helped to keep his grade point average up.
John’s confidence built as he found that he could go toe to toe
with really smart people, although he describes fellow debater and close friend
Bill Kopeny’s intelligence as scary. The experience was very cool. Many of the
debaters went on to be highly successful attorneys and business people. David
Kenner was a debater from USC, now a top criminal defense lawyer in LA.
College was shrouded in a bit of a dark cloud as this was the
Vietnam war era. The lottery was on and this was the generation that was scared
to death that you wouldn’t finish college and would end up getting drafted.
John’s first date with soon to be wife Irene, was scheduled on a
day he had a debate competition in Santa Barbara. After advancing through
several rounds and with multiple apologetic calls to Irene regarding the delay,
the couple had a wonderful time together.
While dating, Irene would enjoy watching John play at local
watering holes such as The Safari Outpost, The Pirates Cavern and the Brook on
Brookhurst with the well-known piano player Greg Topper.
John was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity in college. He was a
member of the pledge class in Spring of 1968, was voted Pledge Class President
then President of the fraternity. They were known as the best fraternity
academically and pretty good athletically.
Anxious to spend the rest of his life with Irene, John told his
Dad that he wanted to marry her. His dad told him to wait until after he
graduated from college. So, he did. June 4th was his graduation and
June 5th he got married.
LAW SCHOOL
John’s Dad encouraged him to go to law school. As he really didn’t
know what he wanted to do, he took this advice. John applied to Harvard Law and
was placed on the waiting list. He chose Western State College of Law and
entered in the fall of 1972.
John attributes his easy success in law school to his debate
experience as he was accustomed to seeing both sides of a story. This
experience gave him an edge over others struggling to learn how to develop
critical thinking skills and to analyze both sides of a story. In addition to running the Monorail at Disneyland for a while,
John worked full time at Merrill Lynch as a stockbroker to support himself
through law school.
However, John’s greatest work experience in law school came during
his last year and a half as he began working with Terry Giles as a law clerk.
John sat second chair with Terry on seven or eight trials, mostly murder
trials. That’s when he knew he wanted to be a trial lawyer.
LAW
PRACTICE ORANGE COUNTY
Upon passing the bar, John went to work with Terry. He told Terry
to give him the “worst of the worst” cases just to get the trial practice.
After that, John went out on his own with two former D.A.s. The firm
was called Dolan, Bailey & Reopele. John brought in most of the business
through his contacts in the bar business and his success with passing out
business cards everywhere he went. Always an integral part of his local community, John was President
of The Newport Harbor Bar Association 1985.
John had several other partners before venturing out with Judy
Sanders, another debater, from Oregon. Judy was a great research lawyer. John
was still the great talker. They worked together for over a decade and had
offices in several locations in Orange County.
John had his own firm in the Brea area until John and Irene
decided to move to the desert in 2004. After 26 years of practice in Orange
County, it was time for a new chapter.
SPEAKING
AND SEMINARS
Another important aspect of John’s career involves professional
speaking. While still practicing law, John joined seminar promotor Career Track
in 1983. This was the time that the seminar industry for personal and
professional growth was becoming quite popular.
Career Track was a company that licensed management books such as
“The One Minute Manager” and turned them into seminars. The speaker’s job was to present the seminar
but also to sell the tapes and books.
John wrote “Negotiate Like the Pros” and travelled extensively putting
on seminars on negotiation. This also fit in well with John and Irene’s plan to
see the world while still young.
John’s speaking took them to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
France, Spain, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, New Zealand, Australia,
Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Canada.
In 1996, John was speaking about 100 days a year with Career Track
and privately about 35 days a year.
That same year, John was awarded the National Speaker’s
Association (NSA) Council of Peers Award for Excellence Hall of Fame Award.
This award honors professional speakers who have reached the top echelon of
speaking excellence and professionalism.
Inductees are evaluated by their peers through a rigorous and
demanding process. Each candidate must excel in the categories of message,
presentation and delivery, professionalism, experience and collateral material.
This auspicious award has also been given to such greats as Zig Zeigler, Norman
Vincent Peale, Larry Winget, Jeanne Robertson, Dale Irvin and others. John’s speaking engagements have included clients such as the
American Bar Association, Price Waterhouse, IBM and Prudential Insurance.
John and Irene founded LawTalk MCLE, a continuing legal education
company. As an approved MCLE provider in California, LawTalk has presented over
200 seminars for attorneys and continues as a leader in legal continuing
education.
KARATE
From 1992 to 2004, John went through all the levels of Shotokan
karate to Black Belt. What started as a request from daughter A.J. to accompany
her to Karate lessons after watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, resulted
in John achieving the highest level of Black Belt. John’s theory has always been that if he was
going to start something, he was going to complete it.
For the Black Belt test, Irene came to the center in Santa
Barbara. Those who pass have their names read out from the lowest score that
passes up to the highest. John started to get nervous not hearing his name, but
it was the last name called, meaning he had the highest score. At 55 years old,
he was the oldest guy.
Many lessons learned though Shotokan Karate training have been
applicable to trial practice. Persistence, remaining calm in the face of
attack, resilience, the power of organization and focus are some primary
examples. John loved pushing himself way beyond what he thought were his
limits and continues to do so today.
LAW
PRACTICE RIVERSIDE COUNTY
John became a Certified Criminal Law Specialist in 2004, the same
year he moved his family, and his practice, to La Quinta.
At first, John travelled Sunday to Thursday to Orange County. He eventually
built up business in Riverside County and became a member of the Desert
Conflict Panel. He continues to work as
a conflict lawyer in addition to his private practice. As one of the few Death Penalty Certified lawyers in the area,
John is generally given most of the death penalty cases and high-profile murder
cases.
John is a graduate of Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer’s College This
week-long workshop was intense but highly effective in strengthening John’s
trial skills.
John has tried over 200 jury trials. 49 murder cases. 9 death
penalty with one pending. One of the two is a high profile, triple homicide
that occurred in Pinyon Pines, California. John has appeared on several
episodes of 48 Hours, where the case has been featured. The private practice of law is thriving at Dolan Law Offices. Most
of the business is word of mouth referrals, many of them coming from clients
who encourage others accused of serious crimes to call John.
He holds a highly distinguished status in the area as the go-to
lawyer for criminal offenses, particularly serious felonies with life
exposures. He is known for his compassion and empathy for his client’s
situation as much as his is for his legal prowess, persistence and powerfully
effective trial skills.
The office frequently receives phone calls from men and women
accused of crimes who saw John in court, perhaps while seated in shackles in
the jury box, and they witnessed the respectful way he treated his clients.
Sometimes they have expressed that their own lawyer doesn’t bother addressing
them at all, much less with the level of respect that they see in John’s
interaction.
These clients want John to represent them so that they too can
face the most difficult situation in their lives with an advocate by their side
who treats them as they should be treated, with respect, dignity and
compassion.
John’s reputation in the local legal community is one of high
regard. Opposing counsel, fellow defense lawyers, bench officers, court
personnel, deputies and investigators all receive the same level of respect and
fairness from John. That level of civility, understanding, flexibility and care is a
rare quality that places John in a unique position. He has earned the respect
of his legal fellows and is most often given the same in return.
In a world where effective advocacy, and often a client’s liberty,
depends upon counsel’s ability to negotiate with respectful opponents, this
quality is paramount.
PERSONAL
John is first and foremost a family man. He lives by his father’s
creed of family first, then community, then profession. The love and respect
that John and Irene have for each other is legendary.
Their daughter Andrea, known as A.J. to friends and family, was
born on August 19, 1983 after quite possibly being conceived in Hawaii during
Hurricane Eva. A.J. grew up going to court with John, doing her homework in the
law office and by the time she was in high school, she could practically handle
the office on her own.
A.J. surprised no one when she chose to go to law school herself
and was sworn in as a lawyer in 2012. John surprised no one when he handed her
a file at the end of her swearing in ceremony and told her she had a case two
courtrooms away and they were waiting for her to appear immediately!
Since that day, A.J. has developed her own reputation as a
formidable force and a tremendous attorney. She has her own unique style but
appears to have inherited the family gene for extreme compassion and preparedness.
A.J. practices both criminal law and family law and finds herself with a
commendable practice only five years into it.
A.J. is married to a wonderful husband Phil and has twin boys,
Remy and Rowan. Juggling all of this does not seem to faze the level-headed A.J.
and John and Irene are thrilled with their roles as grandparents to these
special young boys and as father in law to Phil.
COMMUNITY
John has always contributed to his community and enjoys giving
back in any way that he can.
He is currently a member, and past president, of the Indio Rotary.
He sits on the board of directors of The ABC Recovery Center and is the past
Chairman of the Board of the local chapter of the Red Cross.
He inspired a local high school outreach program called Project
180 for the students of Amistad High School, the continuing education high
school after reading how a group of prison inmates beat the Harvard Debate
Team. It sparked a desire to help our local disadvantaged youth to know that their
circumstances do not define them.
These students meet weekly with community leaders who tell them
their stories and provide encouragement, hope and knowledge about the vast
number of opportunities which await these students upon graduation. The students were formed into a mock trial team and participated
in the Riverside County mock trial competition. John and other local attorneys
worked with the students to prepare them and they did an exceptional job. For
some of them, they had never spoken before a group before, some had never worn
a suit and tie or professional dress.
A graduation ceremony held at CDTA topped off the exciting year
for the students and their familied have expressed tremendous gratitude for the
life changing experience their loved ones have had.
John finds time to act as the legal analyst for KMIR News, the
local NBC affiliate. He appears weekly to discuss legal news and help viewers
to understand precedent setting cases and developments in local matters. In addition, John has appeared on Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Court TV
and CNN when asked to commentate on legal issues.
CDTA has been outfitted with a television studio and John is
looking forward to broadcasting live from the studio to affiliates beginning in
the fall.
MEMBERSHIPS
& PUBLICATIONS
John is a life member of The National Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers. (NACDL) as well as a life member of California Attorneys for
Criminal Justice. (CACJ)
He is an active member of the State Bar of California, the Desert
Bar Association as well as the American Bar Association.
John’s other memberships include the California Public Defenders
Association and the National College for DUI Defense.
John is member of the Warren Slaughter Inn of Court here in the
Coachella Valley and enjoys introducing his law students to this wonderful
organization in their second year of law school.
As an author, John has written or contributed to 12 books, including the classic, Negotiate Like the Pros.
LICENSED
TO PRACTICE
John is licensed to practice in California and numerous Federal
Jurisdictions. He is licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of The
United States, originally sponsored by friend and fellow defense attorney, F.
Lee Bailey.
When not participating in the above family, legal and community
activities, you can usually find John at any number of local rock concerts. The
beach boy drummer still reigns in the heart of John Patrick Dolan.
