David Buckner is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who regularly tries cases and argues appeals in state and federal courts across Florida and around the country. He represents corporations and individuals in matters involving complex commercial and class action litigation, securities and other frauds, business torts, antitrust law, white collar crime, personal injuries, aircraft accidents, professional negligence, products liability, qui tam and First Amendment issues. David has successfully certified, and defended on appeal, numerous classes of plaintiffs seeking redress for violations of Federal securities laws, common law fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair trade practices, breach of contract and the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and unjust enrichment, and has obtained settlements and verdicts after trial on behalf of the members of those classes in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He has obtained tens of millions of dollars more for his individual clients victimized by the misconduct of others.
David earned his B.A. in Political Science with High Honors from Rutgers College, and was selected a Harry S Truman Scholar. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, and his Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. David served as a law clerk for Judge R. Lanier Anderson III of the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Earlier in his career, in his nearly eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney, David investigated and prosecuted cases involving securities fraud, tax fraud, public corruption, money laundering, 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 a number of cases before the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, including 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 and conspiracy to commit espionage. 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.
Selected Memberships
- Florida Bar
- New York Bar
- District of Columbia Bar
- United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
- United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- United States District Court, Northern District of New York
- United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
- Federal Bar Association
- Florida Justice Association
- Cuban American Bar Association
- Dade County Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- Member, Florida Bar Code and Rules of Evidence Committee
- Member, Florida Bar Grievance Committee
Awards and Honors
- Florida Super Lawyers
- Business Litigation, Class Action/Mass Torts
- Personal Injury Plaintiff
- South Florida Legal Guide
- Business Litigation
- Recognized by 2017-2020 The Best Lawyers in America© for:
- Commercial Litigation
- Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Top Attorneys in Florida
- AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Daily Business Review, Most Effective Lawyer of the Year – Aviation (2014)
Education
- B.A. in Political Science (High Honors), Rutgers University
- Harry S Truman Scholar
- Associate, Eagleton Institute of Politics
- M.P.P., Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government
- J.D. (magna cum laude), Harvard Law School
