David Lender is co-head of the firm's 160-lawyer Complex Commercial Litigation practice group. Over the past several years, he has successfully tried numerous cases, in both federal and state courts. Among his wins, he was co-lead counsel and won a complete defense jury verdict for ESPN in New York Supreme Court in a $231 million lawsuit brought by Modi Entertainment Network. He also was co-lead counsel and won a $416.88 million jury verdict for Exxon Mobil Corporation against Saudi Basic Industries Corporation in Delaware Superior Court, successfully asserting claims for breach of contract and usurpation under Saudi Arabian law. The award was one of the largest jury verdicts in the United States in 2003. He also successfully defended Sotheby’s in a consignor litigation in the District of New Mexico, again serving as co-lead counsel. Mr. Lender also has successfully represented General Electric, Panasonic, StubHub, WL Ross and Nuance Communications in various litigations involving patent and other commercial disputes.
Mr. Lender is a recognized expert, author and frequent lecturer on electronic discovery issues. He is the co-author of the leading treatise on the subject, entitled Electronic Discovery: Law and Practice, originally published by Aspen Publishers in 2003, author of Privilege Issues in the Age of Electronic Discovery, originally published by BNA in 2008, and head of the firm's E-Discovery Task Force.
Mr. Lender was recognized by Chambers USA - America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in 2010 and 2011, noted for his experience in patent and IP law issues, e-discovery and class action disputes and described by clients as "great at distilling the complex aspects of cases into a clear strategy for winning."
Mr. Lender received his J.D. degree with High Honors, Order of the Coif from the Duke University School of Law in 1993, and his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Duke University in 1990.
Bar Admissions
New York State; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal, Second, Third and Fourth Circuits; U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; U.S. Tax Court