Vonnie Clay Dones III
Principal Attorney Vonnie C. Dones III is the founder of Legalcleanup.com. Dones is a former criminal prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and was responsible for prosecuting and managing thousands of misdemeanor and felony cases. Dones’ caseload was approximately 2,600 cases. Dones also worked as a Staff Attorney for the Earl Carl Institute at Thurgood Marshall College of Law representing juveniles in juvenile court adjudication matters throughout Harris County and surrounding counties. Dones provided legal representation to children who were in multiple systems including the criminal justice system, disparate educational systems, the mental health system, and foster care system. Dones also expunged and sealed criminal records for juveniles and adults and supervised student attorneys while working for the institute. Prior to that, Dones, as a legal assistant, assisted the Director of the City of Cleveland’s Office of Fair Housing & Consumer Affairs (FHCA) in representing and protecting Clevelanders from consumer scams, fraudulent business practices, and unfair and unequal treatment in housing. Dones provided consumer protection in the following areas: Unfair and deceptive sales practices, fraud, new home construction, debt collection defense, landlord-tenant disputes, breach of contract, warranty disputes, refunds, home solicitations, home repairs and renovations, and contract cancellation.
His experience with the city exposed him to countless complex and unique fraudulent business practices and inequities faced by consumers, which he now draws upon to help his clients resolve their legal issues. Dones is admitted to practice law in the federal and state courts of New Jersey and in the state courts of New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Dones has handled hundreds of civil action, expungement, and/or record sealing cases throughout New York, New Jersey, Texas, and DC.
Before receiving his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Dones was signed as a recording artist with Violator / Def Jam Recordings / Polygram Records. He worked with Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, and the late Chris Lighty, in which he now draws upon to help his clients in entertainment law. He signed an artist and label deal with Chris Lighty CEO / Founder of Violator Entertainment, who has signed and managed artists such as Sean “Diddy” Combs, Warren G, L.L. Cool J, Soulja Boy, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, Nas, 50 Cent and more. He was also signed as an artist with Marley Marl at the House of Hitz in Manhattan, New York. Marley is often described by many as the “inventor of sampling.”
Dones has worked in marketing, advertising, and promotion with entertainment artists such as Soulja Boy, Teirra Mari, Roscoe Dash, Trina, and more. He is the founder of a marketing and entertainment promotions and booking agency, which has been endorsed by Rick Ross, T.I., Meagan Good, Kevin Hart, Tom Arnold, Jay Mohr, Henry Cho, Whitney Cummings, Chris Delia, Bun B, Young Jeezy, John Witherspoon, Lupe Fiasco, Vince Young, T-Pain, Paul Rodriguez, Keri Hilson, Trey Songz, Mario, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Mos Def, and more. Dones has over 20 years of experience in the music industry.