Donnelly grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park. She then earned her law degree from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) and spent many years litigating complex construction disputes, representing owners, general contractors, developers, and trade contractors. Donnelly later transitioned to handling construction transactions and to advising clients on course of construction issues and other business and risk management matters.

Representative clients include publicly traded biotech companies and medical device manufacturers, institutions of higher learning, foreign energy companies, large international and national contractors, and SF Bay Area and DC Metro Area based contractors and developers. 

As a former board member of the San Francisco Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), Donnelly has worked to advance educational and networking opportunities for women in the construction industry.

She is currently a member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction, the Construction Lawyers Society of America, and the Integrated Project Delivery Alliance.

Beyond her legal practice, Donnelly is an avid equestrian who competes in show jumping as an amateur at the highest national level. This passion extends to her pro bono work, where she represents a nonprofit equine program serving disenfranchised communities and a non-profit therapeutic riding program on construction and real estate matters.