David advises startups, entrepreneurs and emerging companies in formation, investment, M&A and general business matters.
Prior to founding Accelerate Legal, David was an attorney in the Corporate & Securities Group of Baker & McKenzie LLP, where he practiced in their San Francisco, Palo Alto and Hanoi, Vietnam offices. Prior to his legal career, David was a senior business executive with Intagio, a VC-backed company that provided unique financial and marketing solutions for companies in media, travel and hospitality verticals. He was also the founder and Managing Partner of Centaur Consulting, a boutique HR consulting firm headquartered in New York City that served global telecommunications companies.
David graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law with a J.D., cum laude, where he was a member of the U.S.F. Law Review and received the Agnes O’Brien Smith Memorial scholarship. David was awarded CALI Awards for Excellence in Corporate Taxation, International Economic Relations, Legal Ethics, and Legal Research & Writing. His B.A. in Social & Global Studies with a concentration in Economics is from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
David teaches Startups & Venture Capital to law students at the University of San Francisco School of Law, a capstone course that integrates corporate, tax, securities, intellectual property and other topics into a practicum exploring the legal issues facing startup businesses. His pro bono service includes work for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights’ Legal Services for Entrepreneurs program, where he advises low-income and immigrant entrepreneurs on setting up and protecting their businesses.
Along with his wife Erin and son Connell, David is a resident of the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. When not working he is riding his bike, cooking, playing video games or out and about with his family. David grew up overseas, is fluent in Spanish, and has worked at various times in Asia, Europe and Latin America.
