David is the Chair of the firm's Business Group. His practice focuses on all aspects of legal counseling for businesses including business planning, formation of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, mergers and acquisitions, and the negotiation and drafting of commercial agreements. He has extensive experience in dealing with real estate matters including financings, purchases, sales, exchanges, leasing, and structuring of entities for ownership and development of real property projects. For many years he represented clients in the solid waste industry in connection with planning for the ownership, development, acquisition, and sale of solid waste facilities such as landfills, transfer stations, composting and recycling centers, and hauling operations, purchases and sales of solid waste companies, and transactions involving contaminated property. David began his career as a tax attorney and continues to provide transactional tax planning advice to businesses and individuals and assistance with estate planning and probate matters.
Representative Matters
Represented Cytran Ltd. in connection with the design and implementation of an international tax advantaged business structure for the acquisition, research, development, and commercialization of Russian biomedical products. This included creation of a holding company in an off-shore tax haven jurisdiction with foreign joint ventures and corporations to develop foreign intellectual property rights and domestic corporations to develop United States rights. I created board and employee incentive plans, advisory boards and research, development and licensing arrangements. I assisted the Company in multiple rounds of common and preferred stock and convertible debt financing.
Represented a family limited liability company in connection with the conversion of a downtown Seattle warehouse to office space. We assisted in the agreements for the development, design, and construction of the project, the negotiation and closing of the construction and permanent financing and the long-term leasing of the building. As part of this representation we have dealt with construction disputes, historic rehabilitation tax credits resulting from the renovation, and the succession planning for the family.
Represent Harold LeMay Enterprises, Inc., the largest privately owned solid waste company in the State of Washington, in connection with numerous projects including joint ventures with national firms to handle the long hauling of solid waste from counties in southwest Washington, the development, construction, financing with industrial development revenue bonds, and operation of transfer stations, landfill operations and closure and municipal contracts.
Represent Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., the owner and operator of the Sheraton, Westin, W, Four Points, and St. Regis Hotel chains. We assist the Company in business and real estate matters including development of internet and intranet risk management capabilities, software development agreements, agreements with service providers, and leasing of space, as landlord or tenant, in, for example, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Birmingham, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and, in one instance, on Fifth Avenue in downtown New York at the most prestigious hotel in the country. We also help with designing company-wide hotel policies in connection with such matters as emergency medical treatment, provision of child care services and in-room safes.
Represented the Murrey Companies, a family of privately owned integrated solid waste hauling and recycling companies in Washington. We assisted the Companies in connection with contracts and real estate matters. We also designed and implemented the tax and succession planning for the continued operation and transfer of the Companies between generations. We represented the Companies in their merger with a national publicly held solid waste company.
Professional and Civic Involvement
King County Bar Association (Real Property, Probate and Trust Section)
Washington State Bar Association (Business Law, Real Property, Probate & Trust, and Taxation Law Sections)
Speaker, "Governance Issues in Real Estate Joint Ventures," at Real Estate Joint Ventures Conference, presented by Law Seminars International, February 9, 2009.
Speaker, “Selection of Business Entity,” Washington State Bar Association’s “Business Essentials” Seminar, 2007.
Frequent speaker on business planning, corporate governance, asset protection and estate planning matters.
Honors / Awards / Unique Recognition
Repeatedly recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by Washington by Washington Law & Politics
Recognized as a FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager by Seattle Business Monthly
Education
J.D., University of Washington, 1977
Order of the Coif
B.A., University of Washington, magna cum laude, B.A., 1973.
Phi Beta Kappa
Bar/Court Admissions
Washington State Courts
Personal
When I am not practicing law, I travel with my family whenever we can. On my own, I enjoy playing the guitar, carpentry and home remodeling. I can never find enough things to fix.
