Donald A. Lepp serves as Of Counsel to Barrow | Grimm, P.C. A successful trial lawyer with more than three decades of experience, Don is trusted with difficult, fact-intensive matters in state, federal, appellate, administrative, and tribal courts. His practice includes business and commercial disputes, employment claims, construction litigation, insurance matters, energy and oil-and-gas disputes, environmental and administrative litigation, and complex appeals.
Don’s career has not been confined to one side of the courtroom. He has successfully represented plaintiffs while also extensively defending individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and financial institutions. He previously served as managing attorney of a prominent Oklahoma banking and litigation boutique. That breadth is one of his defining strengths: he understands how claims are developed, defended, valued, and tried from both perspectives.
Don evaluates risk, masters complicated factual records, works effectively with experts, anticipates the opposing party’s strategy, and prepares significant matters for trial. He has obtained millions of dollars in settlements on behalf of plaintiffs while also successfully defending clients against substantial claims.
Don served as lead counsel for more than 700 Oklahomans whose homes and property were damaged by induced earthquakes. The cases extended across northern and central Oklahoma, including Alfalfa, Major, Grant, Osage, and Pawnee Counties and the Stillwater area. The litigation required coordinating hundreds of individual claims and developing extensive technical and scientific evidence.
Don has a jury verdict in an Oklahoma case involving the nonconsensual recording and dissemination of intimate material. The matter resolved before punitive damages were submitted to the jury. Don does not shy away from difficult cases and is prepared to try them when the circumstances require.
Don also has substantial experience litigating claims under the National Environmental Policy Act. In the Hayes litigation, he obtained two federal district-court rulings finding that environmental reviews conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs violated NEPA. Hayes II resulted in a remand requiring site-specific environmental review and, most recently, an award under the Equal Access to Justice Act.
In a recent Osage Nation Trial Court case, Don successfully challenged the termination of a longtime Nation employee. The court found that the Nation had failed to provide the due-process protections required by its employment policies and ordered the employee reinstated with partial back pay. Don has also handled complex appeals before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth and Federal Circuits.
Don earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as an Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. He earned his B.B.A. in Economics from the University of Oklahoma and served in the United States Navy Reserve. Don serves on the board of Tulsa’s Family Safety Center.
Don is also a writer and co-host of The Adoption Chain, a podcast exploring adoption, identity, family secrets, and belonging. Outside his professional work, he enjoys playing guitar, golf, and spending time with his wife, three grown children, and grandchildren.
vCard
Business Litigation
Business Services
Labor & Employment
Construction Litigation/Surety Law
Energy/Oil & Gas Law
B.B.A. in Economics from Oklahoma University 1990
J.D. University of Michigan Law School 1993
Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma
10th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Osage, Cherokee, and Creek Tribal Courts.
