David M. Buckner is a shareholder in the firm's litigation department and an experienced trial and appellate lawyer.

In his nearly eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney (1998-2006), David investigated and prosecuted cases involving securities fraud, tax fraud, public corruption, espionage and other crimes related to national security. He conducted numerous jury trials in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and argued several cases before the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, including one before the en banc court.

David gained national recognition for his role as a prosecutor in United States v. Gerardo Hernandez, et al., also known as the “Cuban spies” case, in which the defendants were convicted of various offenses including conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit espionage, and acting in the United States as agents of a foreign government. David was also one of the prosecutors  in United States v. Miguel Moya, in which a jury foreman was found guilty of taking a bribe to effect the acquittals of two of the most significant cocaine importers in South Florida. In recognition of his outstanding performance as a prosecutor, David received two Director’s Awards for Superior Performance from the United States Department of Justice.

Earlier in his career, David worked in Washington, D.C. in the private practice of law, focusing on white collar criminal defense, First Amendment and antitrust litigation.

David earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1995. That same year, he earned his M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After graduation, David clerked for Judge R. Lanier Anderson III of the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He earned his B.A. in Political Science in 1991, graduating with High Honors from Rutgers College, and was selected a Truman Scholar.

• Complex Commercial Litigation
• Class Action Litigation
• Antitrust
• Securities Fraud

• Florida Bar
• District of Columbia Bar
• United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States District Court, Southern District of Florida

• B.A. in Political Science (High Honors), Rutgers University
• Truman Scholar
• M.P.P., Harvard University
• J.D. (magna cum laude), Harvard Law School
• Law clerk to Judge R. Lanier Anderson, III, United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals