I am originally from Keene, New Hampshire- the 'Live Free or Die State.'
I moved to Spokane in 2011 and immediately fell in love with Eastern Washington. I am proud to call Spokane my home.
I am an avid outdoorsman and enjoy taking full advantage of all the Inland Northwest has to offer. When I am not in the office, I spend most of my time active outdoors. I find that spending as much time as possible in nature helps me stay sharp in the office and in the courtroom. A close friend of mine once described her time in the woods as an opportunity to 'iron out' her mind- I couldn't agree more.
Outside of the classrooms of Gonzaga, my legal career began during the late summer and fall of 2013. During that time, I practiced as Rule 9 Licensed Legal Intern under the Spokane County Public Defender's Office. As a licensed intern, I represented clients in Spokane County's Drug Court. Spokane County's drug court was one of the first drug courts in the country. I truly loved my time with this program and remain inspired by the help drug courts afford our struggling brothers and sisters.
In September of 2013, I was selected to spend a month at Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College as an intern. While interning at TLC, I was afforded the opportunity to study trial law with some of the nation's top trial lawyers. It was an unforgettable experience that taught me more about courtroom advocacy than I could have ever learned elsewhere.
In the winter and spring of 2013-2014, I carried a full misdemeanor caseload for the Spokane County Public Defender's Office. I am proud of my time serving in the trenches of Gideon's Army and thoroughly enjoyed fighting for those unable to afford private representation.
I sat for the bar exam in Washington State in the Summer of 2014 and was admitted to the Washington State Bar that September. Unfortunately, at that time the County Public Defender's office was not hiring. Fortunately, I was able to find work with a small Spokane law firm representing injured people against insurance companies.
Eager to get back to full time criminal defense work, on April 20, 2016, I followed my passion for defense work and set out on my own by founding Donahue Law.
In the summer of 2016, I returned to Trial Lawyers College for their Graduate Program. This program was an intensive two week course that allowed me to hone my skills and help me defend Ms. Donna Perry. Ms. Perry was charged with three counts of premeditated murder. A mentor and I took Ms. Perry's case to jury trial in the summer of 2017. That same summer, I expanded my practice into the state of Idaho.
In 2018 I was awarded the Judy Clarke Scholarship to attend the National Criminal Defense College's two week program in Georgia. This program significantly strengthened my skills as a litigator by helping me build on the trial tools I had developed both in and out of the courtroom.
Inspired by Denver's successful decriminalization efforts, in late 2019, I became an outspoken psychedelic advocate. At that time, I began volunteering for state and local political efforts. While my anti-drug war roots run deep, my willingness to come out of the psychedelic closet in a more public way was motivated by my lived experiences, belief in cognitive liberty, and knowledge of the therapeutic value of molecules such as psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, DMT, and mescaline.
In early 2021, I became one of the initial members of the Psychedelic Bar Association (PBA). The PBA is an association of accomplished attorneys dedicated to solving the novel legal and policy issues impacting the emerging psychedelics sector. I am a proud member of the PBA's Legalization and Regulation Committee.
On April 19, 2022, I founded Terrapin Legal. Terrapin Legal is a Spokane based law firm representing ethical clients in the emerging legal psychedelic ecosystem. To learn more about the mechanics of Terrapin, click here.
Outside of my work with Terrapin, I continue to maintain an active criminal defense practice through Donahue Law. In addition to working on legal psychedelics, I deeply enjoy helping folks who find themselves accused of breaking the law. If you are interested in participating in the legal psychedelic ecosystem or your path has led you to some turbulent times and the long arm of the law is reaching your way- don't hesitate to call and set up a free consultation! I would love to get to know you and see if I can help you out!
Metta -
-Pat Donahue
A member of the University of Washington's Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry's Public Advisory Board, John is extremely active in the emerging psychedelics ecosystem and began working with Terrapin Legal as an Of Counsel attorney in January of 2023.
John has been active with the Counsel for the Protection of Sacred Plants administered by the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. John also serves as an advisor to the Port Townsend Psychedelica Society as well as the Psychedelic Medicine Alliance of Washington. John is a Founding Member of the national Psychedelic Bar Association, and serves on its Religious Use and Ethics committees. Not surprisingly, John is considered one of the top 200 Psychedelic lawyers worldwide. Most recently, John is credited with encouraging the creation of a Social Opportunity Program in Washington State's proposed Psilocybin Services Wellness and Opportunity Act. This program aims to establish an equitable, inclusive and accessible psilocybin ecosystem in Washington State. More than mere lip service, the Social Opportunity Program is intended to help remedy harms resulting from historical injustice and the targeted enforcement of drug-related laws on poor and marginalized communities. Specifically, this program will promote the licensing of folks with a traditional or indigenous history with natural medicines as well as individuals from distressed areas.
John is also a member and supporter of the Sacred Garden Community as well as the Cannabis Alliance. Needless to say, John's connection to drug policy reform and the psychedelics community run deep.
In addition to his background in cannabis and psychedelics, John is a seasoned and successful international and domestic litigator, mediator, negotiator, and appellate advocate and has a special talent for helping partners in diverse businesses navigate business breakups. Due to his extensive experience, John has developed many methods for preventing litigation, making dispute resolution more cost-effective, and reducing lawsuit length and expense. If litigation is necessary, John is known for his tenacity, as well as his power to explain complex legal concepts to clients, judges, and juries.
For many years, John has taught law, ethics, negotiation, and litigation techniques to professionals from around the world. He has produced over 300 legal education seminars and served as head of compliance education for Microsoft and the Information Technology Compliance Institute. For four years, John also worked as the Asia Pacific training officer for 1,000 lawyers in fifteen offices of what was then the world's largest law firm.
Before starting his career as a commercial litigator, John prosecuted hundreds of defendants as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, NY.
John spends his free time playing tennis, studying comparative religion, going to the movies, playing with his granddaughter, and hanging out with his dog Lucy.
Taylor was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, and received a B.A. from the University of North Florida in Environmental Business and Leadership. After her undergraduate studies, Taylor worked as a wilderness therapist, guide, instructor, medic, and naturalist in remote regions of the world. This career path led to skills such as leadership development, feedback systems, wilderness survival, cultural awareness, remote emergency medicine, and environmental and scientific interpretation.
While working in Alaska, Taylor developed an understanding of the mycelial web beneath the forest floor and its connection to healthy forest ecology and climate change. After spending several seasons educating clients on mycelial connections and ethnobotany, Taylor decided to pursue an environmental law degree. While at the University of Idaho College of Law, Taylor pursued courses in environmental law, Native American law, and eventually, psychedelic law and policy.
In the later half of law school, Taylor began orienting her studies toward supporting the psychedelic movement. She began writing articles on entheogenic religions, cultural aspects of psychedelic law, psychedelic tax law, and psychedelic legislation. Taylor was selected to be a member of the University’s Moot Court team, and also received an award for her advocacy in International Law and Indigenous water injustice. While in her 3L year, Taylor assisted in drafting Voter Initiative 1886 with Donahue Law, which would have legalized the therapeutic use of psilocybin in the state of Washington.
Taylor graduated with her J.D. in May 2022 and works with Terrapin Legal to create decriminalization measures, advise psychedelic businesses and churches, and support the psychedelic ecosystem. She is a member of the Psychedelic Bar Association, an active Professional Ski Patroller, an EMT, an environmentalist, an artist, and a volunteer with psychedelic harm reduction programs.
Taylor has synthesized her interests and experiences into a legal approach that focuses on integrating scientific and cultural knowledge into novel solutions that overcome legal barriers. She hopes to continue influencing the psychedelic legalization movement in a creative, aligned, cross-disciplined, and holistic manner.
Terrapin proudly represents ethical individuals and organizations in the rapidly emerging field of legal psychedelics. If you have a vision of how to make the world a better place and are interested in participating in the psychedelic ecosystem, please reach out!
Our office is located in beautiful Spokane Washington.
901 N. Adams Street
Spokane, Wa.
99201
(509) 824-6366
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