Colleagues and friends are remembering Palm Beach Gardens trial attorney Adam Doner, 61, who died of cancer Sunday evening.

Doner obtained numerous seven-figure verdicts for his clients in personal injury, wrongful death, products liability and medical malpractice cases. He was a founding partner at personal injury firm Gordon & Doner, now Gordon & Partners.

Doner's illness came on suddenly this summer, according to Miramar attorney Rick Freedman, who said the litigator died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family and close friends. The pair met 43 years ago at the University of Florida, where they became Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity brothers and instant best friends.

"He told me that he was not feeling well when we were away in Denver for a wedding," Freedman said.

Doner had just wrapped up an action-packed summer of traveling and seeing friends, which included golf trips with his children and an August reunion in Orlando, where he saw more than 100 of his fraternity brothers.

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'No regrets'

Freedman recalled Doner always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else in making forward-looking decisions—like the time when he moved from Miami to Boca Raton to start a law firm from the ground up, armed with "his gift of gab."

"He never looked back. He always had a plan going forward, and if it didn't work out, he had another plan," Freedman said. "That's why he was so successful, because he was always so driven for the next day, the next adventure."

Doner was spontaneous, Freedman said, and not the type to spend weeks or months agonizing over a decision.

"He was able to not have any regrets," Freedman said. "If he wanted to go on an African safari for two weeks, he did it, and it didn't take him more than a day to send the payment to the travel company. And he was good to go. Boom."

Doner had been scheduled to close on a condo in Downtown Miami on Monday—a move he'd decided to make after about nine hours of deliberation, according to Freedman.

His 36-year career was studded with accolades, including recognition from the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, who crowned him an expert in personal injury for five consecutive years. He was also named as an Elite Trial Lawyer by The National Law Journal and admitted to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, reserved for less than 1% of lawyers in the U.S.

Doner was also a philanthropist who gave to dozens of causes, including the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties, which provides mentors for children; the Forever Frosty Foundation, which helps teenagers with mental health issues; and the Palm Beach Habilitation Center, which supports adults with disabilities.

"Adam never said no to anybody," Freedman said.

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'A full cup of justice'

Above all, Doner lived to serve his clients, the way Aventura lawyer and fraternity brother Jeffrey R. Sonn tells it.

"Adam loved his clients and always advocated that all he wanted for his clients was 'a full cup of justice,'" Sonn said. "He will be sorely missed."

Doner's former law partner Robert Gordon said his courtroom successes stemmed from his natural affinity for people.

"He was a people person," Gordon said. "He was someone who was very warm and generous, and he enjoyed having a good time. He lived life to the fullest."

The only thing Doner loved more than playing golf and traveling, Gordon said, was doing both at the same time. In the past few months, Doner had visited Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Paris.

A mock-up of T-shirts for the Adam Doner Memorial Golf Tournament. Courtesy photo. A mock-up of T-shirts for the Adam Doner Memorial Golf Tournament. Courtesy photo.

Three South Florida golf tournaments have already been renamed in Doner's memory. One of them will feature T-shirts with Doner's face and one of his favorite sayings, "rat bastard," which was his go-to response to anything negative.

"It was just his way of pushing it off and moving on," Freedman said.

Speaking to National Trial Lawyers.org for a profile piece, Doner had reflected on his love for intellectual challenge and debate, particularly when it helped an injured person prevail against a corporation or insurance company.

"I believe in the importance of what I am doing," he had said. "And I also love the thrill of winning, for myself and for my clients."

Cases involving parents who'd lost a child appeared to resonate most with Doner, who said, "I think this is because I am a father myself. In these cases, I have the opportunity to give parents a sense of justice and to give them an acknowledgment that the wrongdoing they suffered has been recognized."

Doner was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1983. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Nova Southeastern University.

He is survived by his two children, Brandon and Eden, who are holding a private service.

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