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While it is rare to find a litigator and a dealmaker in the same lawyer, Dave McBride has long thrived in both roles. This, he is convinced, gives him an advantage both at the negotiating table and in the courtroom. His litigation experience gives him an instinctive feel for what is important in a transaction, and he wastes little time on the sorts of provisions that will likely prove irrelevant in a lawsuit. Conversely, his understanding of how transactions come to be structured gives him unusual insights — often not perceived by others — into how they can be attacked or defended in litigation.

Narratives are important to Dave. He thinks deeply, not just about the rules governing a situation, but also about the reasons why the rules were established — and what that might mean to his narrative. Once he understands a rule’s purpose, he can construct a narrative that effectively argues why that purpose is, or is not, served by applying it to his case.

Dave relishes the opportunity to learn other people’s businesses, to master arcane factual material largely unknown to the court or to other lawyers. He considers himself fortunate to have made new law on many occasions in his long career. In litigation, he has articulated new M&A principles — strong precedents that have been widely applied elsewhere. In transactions, he has been instrumental in designing structures and provisions that have broken new ground in the field. In both disciplines, the power of persuasive narratives is a hallmark of Dave’s practice.