[3][4][5] Donovan is known for starting the Rapid Intervention Community Court (RICC) in Chittenden County,[6] a criminal justice program made available to non-violent offenders whose crimes have been driven by addiction or mental illness.

During his first month in office, Attorney General Donovan joined sixteen other states in an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

[9] His campaign that year was centered on the prescription drug abuse epidemic throughout Vermont, and resulted in a very narrow primary defeat.

He also detailed the advantages he had in dealing with the criminal justice system as the son of an attorney, which might not have been available to a similarly situated teenager living in poverty with fewer personal, professional, and political connections.

[16] He described this incident as instructive, stating that it guided him to a sense of empathy and obligation to help others navigate the criminal justice system and receive a second chance when circumstances warrant.

[13] He left to become an associate at the Burlington law firm of Jarvis & Kaplan, where he focused on criminal defense, civil litigation, and family matters.

[13] In 2010, Donovan started the Rapid Intervention Community Court ("RICC"), an award-winning criminal justice program made available to non-violent offenders whose crimes have been driven by addiction or mental illness.

[22] During the last weeks of the primary, a super PAC with unknown donors ran advertisements for the incumbent narrated by former Governor Howard Dean.

[29] While his office prosecuted many violent felonies, he also worked to reduce recidivism and, where appropriate, utilized a collaborative approach to addressing criminality.

In February 2015, Donovan announced a traffic-ticket amnesty program to allow persons with suspended licenses to pay each unpaid traffic ticket for $20 in a one-day trial.

[35] The following month, he announced that he would resign as Attorney General effective June 20 to become Director of Public Policy and U.S. State Strategies at Roblox Corporation.

His efforts include advocating for medical treatment on demand for drug addiction, alternatives to incarceration and vigorous enforcement coupled with meaningful intervention and effective prevention strategies.

He advocated for passage of "ban the box" legislation to prevent employers from inquiring about criminal history on initial job applications.