Background
David was born in Houma, Louisiana and grew up in Sugar Land, Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Finance in 1998, and, after college, worked as an investment banker in New York. He went to law school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated in 2008. Since then, he has lived and worked in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A Trial Lawyer
David is a trial lawyer and business litigator. He focuses on providing clients with practical and strategic advice to resolve their disputes, both in and out of court. Sometimes, to get the best result for a client, a dispute has to go to trial. Sometimes not. Either way, David’s goal is to provide clients with sound advice and cost-effective solutions to resolve their dispute in a way that makes sense for them or their business.
Cases
David has represented clients in disputes involving contracts, real estate, corporate M&A transactions, trade secret theft, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and securities and investments, among other things. He has tried cases and argued appeals in state and federal courts and handled arbitrations with AAA, FINRA, and the ICC.
Below are some examples of cases David has handled for clients:
– Winning a jury verdict in North Carolina state court for yoga studio-client and recovering damages from a general
contractor that failed to complete retail construction project.
– Securing an arbitration award for an inventor and business owner-client and recovering damages from a foreign manufacturer for trade secret theft and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
– Obtaining a jury verdict in North Carolina federal court awarding damages for individual-client wrongfully terminated by his employer shortly after buying his family business.
– Winning a bench trial in North Carolina state court enforcing a real estate firm-client’s lease and real property rights and successfully defending the decision on appeal.
– Successfully defending a telecommunications company in a books and records inspection trial brought by dissident directors of the company in Delaware Chancery Court.
– Successfully defending a broker-dealer in arbitration against claims of securities fraud in connection with sales of collateralized loan obligations.
– Representing an auto parts maker to resolve product defect and warranty claims in North Carolina federal court and international arbitration.
– Winning a permanent injunction in New York federal court, stopping a rogue arbitration against a commercial bank and its broker-dealer affiliate, upheld on appeal by the Second Circuit.
– Successfully defending a broker-dealer in arbitration against claims of securities fraud in connection with auction rate securities and interest rate swaps contracts.
– Representing a clean energy company in North Carolina business court pursuing trade secret misappropriation and unfair trade practices claims against a competitor.
– Successfully enforcing commercial real estate loan guarantees for an investment bank-client in North Carolina federal court after securing dismissal of novel debt collection counterclaims.
Pro Bono and Community Involvement
David also maintains an active pro bono practice and stays involved in the Charlotte community. As a volunteer lawyer with the Council for Children’s Rights, he’s represented children in high-conflict custody disputes between parents. As a member of the Federal Bar Association’s Leadership Council, he helped design the Pro Se Settlement Assistance Program adopted by the Western District of North Carolina federal court, and, through the Program, assists clients who cannot afford an attorney with settlement advice at mediation. For the last several years, David has served on the Board of Directors for House of Mercy, a charitable organization that provides a home and medical care for residents living with HIV/AIDS.
Practice Areas Summary
Bar and Court Admissions
Education
