StakeHolder #3

The Jahi McMath family lawyer, Christopher Dolan, has been fighting for years in the California court system in order to bring justice to the McMath family.

Christopher Dolan 

    Christopher Dolan is a middle-aged white man from Connecticut. He received his masters and undergraduate degree from Boston University, and then furthered his education at Georgetown University Law School. He grew up in his father's law office, watching him battle it out in court. That influence has led Dolan to his current state and he is now a trail lawyer in San Fransisco, California. He lives in San Rafael with his wife and two children, ages 3 and 7. 

    Dolan has a square shaped head with a small face. He has a large forehead that recedes into a thinning head of light brown hair. He has blue eyes and is often seen clean-shaven. He always wears suits that have some sort of pinstripe or checkered pattern on them. 

   In interviews, Dolan speaks with a gruff tone. He has a lot of passion for Jahi and her story. He sympathizes with family and took the case after thinking about his own children. He wants to bring justice for Jahi and peace to her family. His mannerisms are very serious. When he speaks he appeals to the emotions. His words are like bullets that pierce your heart. This case has also affected his life in numerous ways. He has received death threats, been called a liar, and has even been accused of preying on the hopes of a family in denial. 

Robinson, Clyde "Courtroom" 01-18-10 via Flickr
Creative Commons 2.0 Generic 

“If it was my daughter, I’d do everything I’m doing for this family,” Dolan said Tuesday during a two-hour interview with this newspaper.[NH Register] “The one thing the family was going to know at the end of the day is that the family had somebody who fought for them.”-Howard Mintz 

"The fact that the state refuses to recognize the mountain of evidence that Jahi McMath does not meet brain death criteria is the most grave of injustices."-Christopher Dolan

"I think we have a good opportunity to have this overturned. I want to try and get this woman and her child home."-Christopher Dolan 


Christopher Dolan, like Nailah Winkfield, speaks without any factual evidence but rather he speaks on his beliefs. He wants to fight for Jahi, and approaches the case in a very emotional way in the sense that he uses the emotional aspect of the case to try and overturn the evidence. 

His beliefs go against the hospital's. The hospital has determined Jahi to be brain-dead, however, Dolan argues instead that the hospital is actually violating Jahi's rights.