MEET DAVID S. WAchen
![Wachen LLC Attorney Bio Portrait.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/142ea6_350da081b0864f7da996430a4d2a6d52~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_74,h_91,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/142ea6_350da081b0864f7da996430a4d2a6d52~mv2.jpg)
DAVID S. WACHEN
Attorney at Law
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Juris Doctor, Law, 1992
Editor, University of Pennsylvania Law Review
Chair, Moot Court Board
Dartmouth College
A.B., Government, 1987
BARS
Maryland
District of Columbia
Virginia
New York
Practice areas
For almost 30 years, David S. Wachen has helped businesses, associations, and individuals achieve business and personal objectives, manage risk, and solve legal problems, often without litigation.
When litigation is unavoidable, however, David brings a formidable arsenal of advocacy tools from many years of zealously and successfully representing clients in state and federal courts in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and New York, as well as numerous other jurisdictions around the country. He also has considerable experience representing clients in arbitration and mediation.
As a former in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 company, David understands the client's perspective first-hand, and applies that understanding in helping his clients achieve their goals in a practical and efficient manner, with due regard for the desire to get back to business and life, and away from courtrooms, lawyers' offices, and legal bills.
The breadth of David’s experience as an attorney spans a wide range of substantive areas, including matters involving business disputes, contract issues, attacks on reputation and speech rights (e.g., defamation, privacy, First Amendment, Media Law), social media and the Internet, intellectual property, employment, business torts, class actions, insurance coverage, and professional liability/discipline. David also helps clients start new businesses by forming limited liability companies (LLCs) and creating operating agreements.
Prior to law school, David was an account executive at an international public relations firm, an experience that gave him a keen appreciation for the communications dimension in legal disputes, and how a thoughtful communications strategy can often avoid, resolve, or diffuse a legal disagreement, as well as help a client achieve his/her/its overall objective.
In addition to managing his own practice through Wachen LLC, David serves as Of Counsel to HCH Legal, LLC, an aviation and business law boutique firm in the Washington, D.C. area.
David also serves as a host of the long-running local television series "Law School for the Public," a thirty-minute weekly exploration of important legal subjects geared toward non-lawyers, produced by volunteers, and sponsored by the Montgomery County Bar Foundation. "Law School for the Public" airs Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Montgomery County Media's channel 21. The show can also be streamed online.
PAST EXPERIENCE
Partner
President
Litigation Counsel
Partner
Associate
Associate
Law Clerk
Account Executive
General Manager
Shulman Rogers
Lakewood Country Club
MCI, Inc.
BakerHostetler LLP
Howrey
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
U.S. District Judge Jay C. Waldman
Burson-Marsteller
Dartmouth Broadcasting
HoNORS AND AWARDS
AV Preeminent rating,
Martindale-Hubbell, peer review for attorneys
Top Rated Lawyer in Washington D.C. area,
American Lawyer, Legal Leaders
Washingtonian Magazine, Top Lawyer
Community Service Award,
Montgomery County, Maryland Bar Foundation
Keynote Speaker,
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association annual meeting