David focuses his practice primarily on the defense of claims in complex and mass tort litigation, practicing in federal and state courts across the country. As a member of the firm’s Complex Litigation Strategic Counseling Practice, he employs early strategic planning and disciplined pre-trial practice to drive better outcomes for his clients, leveraging advanced eDiscovery methodologies, including CAL/TAR 2.0, and emerging legal technologies across the technology, telecommunications, consumer products, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing sectors. He has also become a trusted adviser on enterprise AI governance, AI-related discovery issues, and the ethical use of AI in the law.
David’s experience includes managing large litigation teams — as many as 40 attorneys at a time — across class actions, MDLs, and other mass tort proceedings, with experience spanning depositions, dispositive motion practice, and trial. He has served as a strategic liaison on multiple joint defense groups, developing approaches and mechanisms with other nationally recognized defense counsel to further his clients’ interests and defenses, and has handled several hundred matters through various stages of litigation, from pre-suit through trial and appeal.
David began his legal career after nearly 25 years working in other industries, including energy, professional and college sports, secondary education, retail, agriculture, food and beverage, public safety and defense, government relations, and public policy — from coaching college football and teaching environmental science to serving as a firefighter and working for a major international energy company. That practitioner-level experience informs his legal practice when representing clients in industries where he previously worked.
David also brings substantial knowledge of environmental and energy law. During law school, he was a legal intern with the Georgia Office of the Attorney General’s Environmental Section, handling a myriad of matters involving the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act, Shore Protection Act, Clean Water Act, and NPDES permitting issues, and he served as vice president of the Environmental Law Society at Georgia State University College of Law.
Before earning his law degree from Georgia State University College of Law, David served seven years in the U.S. Army as an infantryman. His service included combat in the Iraq Campaign in 2005-2006, where he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, multiple Army Commendation Medals, and other honors for meritorious service. He was awarded the Georgia Commendation Medal in 2007 for Distinguished and Selfless Service as a member of the Georgia Army National Guard. Outside of his legal work, David is an avid traveler, a Cincinnati and Boston sports fan, and a language learner.
Beyond his client work, David serves on the firm’s Associates Committee and maintains an active pro bono practice focused on veterans’ issues, including benefits appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and military discharge-upgrade appeals, work that draws on his own Army service and his leadership in the Federal Bar Association’s Veterans and Military Law Section.
Representative Matters
Represented a national manufacturer in the defense of PFAS-based claims in the AFFF MDL in the District Court of South Carolina.
Represents a global technology company in an MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and a JCCP pending in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, involving personal-injury claims tied to a consumer technology product.
Represents national consumer-product manufacturer in product-liability class action pending in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Georgia, involving personal-injury and wrongful-death claims tied to a consumer product.
Represented national consumer-product retailer in product-liability class action pending in the U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Missouri, involving personal-injury and wrongful-death claims tied to a consumer product.
Represents a national automotive-services company in a putative consumer-protection class action pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Represents a regional healthcare system in a data-privacy class action pending in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, arising from a cybersecurity incident, asserting claims under state medical-information, consumer-protection, and privacy statutes.
Represented a global consumer-products manufacturer in a putative consumer-protection class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Represents a national food manufacturer in a putative consumer-protection class action pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Represented a political entity in defense of 1st Amendment claims involving political gerrymandering and redistricting maps in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Represented a consumer-product manufacturer in a commercial contract dispute with a national retailer over amounts due under a supply and distribution agreement.
Represented a national telecommunications carrier in commercial litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, brought by a partner business alleging billing and contract disputes.
Represents a global consumer-products manufacturer in a product-liability action pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Represented a national home-security and alarm-monitoring company in a product-liability and wrongful-death matter.
Represented a national auto-parts retailer in a trade-secret and unfair competition dispute.
Represented a national property management company in a federal investigation involving the disbursement of funds related to a multibillion-dollar federal program and a pass-through state agency.
Represented a municipality in a § 1983 case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, successfully dismissing the case on 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) grounds.
Represented a property management company in a successful de novo appeal in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia in a landlord-tenant dispute.
Presentations
AI Issues in the Courts, 2026 Missouri Appellate Forum, June 26, 2026.
From Early Case Assessment to AI Governance: Modernizing Litigation Strategy with AI, Update of the Law CLE, June 9, 2026 (with Jamie Brown).
Publications
EPA Announces PFAS Regulation: Compliance applies to public water systems and state/local agencies, Claims and Litigation Management Magazine, May 2, 2024.