David Buckner is a decorated trial and appellate lawyer who for more than thirty years has tried cases and handled appeals around the United States. His clients include everyone from individuals and small businesses to major corporations and government at every level. He successfully litigated cases alleging securities and other frauds, business torts, antitrust violations, white collar crimes, catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death, qui tam claims, and First Amendment issues. David certified and defended on appeal numerous classes of plaintiffs seeking to recover for violations of RICO and Federal securities laws, common law fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair trade practices, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. He obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for the members of those classes, and hundreds of millions of dollars more for his individual clients.
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 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 Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Earlier in his career, in his nearly eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney, David prosecuted cases involving securities fraud, tax fraud, public corruption, money laundering, espionage, terrorism, 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 regularly before the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, including the en banc court.
David earned 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, Board of Directors
- Florida Justice Association
- Cuban American Bar Association
- Dade County Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
Awards and Honors
- Florida Super Lawyers
- Business Litigation, Class Action/Mass Torts
- Personal Injury Plaintiff
- South Florida Legal Guide
- Business Litigation
- Recognized by 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)
- Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist (2012)
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
