Law firm conducting independent review of Old Dominion University shooting

John Buzbee, The Virginian-Pilot on Apr 7, 2026

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NORFOLK, Va. — A globe-spanning law firm is leading the independent review of the March deadly shooting inside Old Dominion University’s Constant Hall.

“Our current reality is that true healing requires real answers,” university President Brian Hemphill said in a message addressed to the campus community.

Cooley LLP was selected to conduct the independent review of the shooting as well as campus safety and security measures. Cooley, a California-based firm, employs over 1,400 lawyers across offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Its nearest office is in Northern Virginia.

The team leading the review is led by a pair of partners in the firm — a former federal prosecutor and a trial lawyer with a focus on business executives and sports law. Rebekah Donaleski was a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York for a decade. She was one of the defense attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey. The other partner, Michael Sheetz, represented the chair of the NCAA executive committee through a case involving child sexual abuse at Penn State.

Donaleski and Sheetz wrote in a 2024 University Business column they believed outside council for universities was an increasingly necessary component to institutions avoiding the heightened scrutiny that comes as they are pushed further into politics and culture wars. Colleges can benefit from independent reviews, much like how many corporations already do, they wrote. The column was linked in a bio for Sheetz provided by the university.

Hemphill said the review would span the spring semester into the summer. He said the process would not be rushed. ODU’s administrators are to “be guided” by the review’s findings and recommendations. Details of the review would not be shared until it was deemed completed, a university spokesperson said previously.

The March 12 shooting at ODU resulted in the death of ROTC professor Brandon Shah. At least three others were injured before students in the class subdued the gunman, a student enrolled at ODU, with deadly force.

“This is not merely a procedural step,” Hemphill’s message said. “It is a moral imperative to ensure the safety and security of every member of our campus community remains first and foremost.”