David had several offers when he was looking to make a career move in 2004. He chose Levy & Craig because the firm offers his clients an edge few other firms can.

“The advantage of working with Levy & Craig is that clients work directly with an experienced attorney, often a shareholder,” he said. “That means they receive a much more efficient and expeditious product.”

Just how expeditious? David offers an example. “I was retained on a Friday and closed a large commercial loan on Monday,” he said.

David, whose specialty is real estate finance, has more than 24 years of legal experience. His clients include Union Bank, First National Bank of Kansas, Bank of the West, Citizens Bank and Trust Company and BankLiberty.

David represents financial institutions and borrowers in virtually every phase of the banking relationship, from complex loan documentation and security interest perfection, through acquisitions, collections, workouts and bankruptcy. Documented transactions include real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, bank stock loans and acquisitions, asset-based lending, cash flow lending involving detailed financial covenants, tax credits, tax-exempt bonds and loans involving non-traditional collateral. He also has extensive experience in matters relating to the issuance, documentation, collection and denial of payments of letters of credit, as well as issues relating to negotiable instruments.

Before joining Levy & Craig, he practiced at other local law firms and owned his own firm for three years. Prior to that, David was an attorney for the Resolution Trust Corporation, where he was responsible for a
$1 billion portfolio of tax-exempt bonds in a multistate area.

Of all his career opportunities, David said serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Howard F. Sachs, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, was perhaps the most valuable. A coveted position among young attorneys, the two-year stint gave him inside knowledge few attorneys possess.

“Serving under a judge is a huge advantage because you see what judges are looking for, the arguments that appeal to them and how to work with a judge’s staff,” he said.

CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
> Served as local counsel for two public-private partnership deals, each
   totaling between $200 and $300 million, which will provide housing for
   servicemen and servicewomen on the Ft. Riley and Ft. Leavenworth
   Army bases
> Has handled loan closings totaling hundreds of millions of dollars
> Represented numerous real estate developers in multifamily, retail,
   office and industrial projects
> Responsible for handling the legal work on a tax-exempt bond portfolio
   of $1 billion dollars

ACTIVITIES
> American Bar Association, since 1985
       > Member, Business Law Section
       > Member, Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section
       > Member, Affordable Housing Subsection
       > Past chair, Publications Subcommittee, Public Finance
          Committee of the Section of Urban, State and Local
          Government Law
> The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, since 1985
       > Board of Directors
       > Co-chair, Continuing Legal Education
       > Member, Business Law Committee
       > Member, Bar Headquarters Task Force
       > Member, Audit Committee
       > Member and past chair, Real Estate Committee
       > Past chair, Forms Subcommittee
> Past president, Workout Professionals Association
> Affiliate Member and Sponsor, Certified Commercial Investment
   Member (CCIM)
> Director, past president (2002), Commercial Brokers Association
> Director, past president, Committee for County Progress, 2002-Current
> Member, Missouri Bankers Association, Bank Counsel Section,
   since 2002

PUBLISHED WORKS/PRESENTATIONS
> Contributing author, Missouri Commercial Law, Missouri Bar, 2007
> Contributing author, Missouri Farm Law, Missouri Bar, 2006
> Reviewer, Missouri Specialized Business Entities, Missouri Bar, 2006
> Reviewer, Missouri Secured Transactions, Missouri Bar, 2005
> Reviewer, Missouri Corporate Organization and Operation,
   Missouri Bar, 2005
> Contributing author, Lender Liability Law and Litigation, Matthew
   Bender publisher, 1996-2004
> Contributing author, ABA Uniform Commercial Code Article 9
   Forms Handbook, 2001
> Contributing author, The Missouri Partnership and Corporate Forms
   Handbook, sixth edition, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2000
> Contributing author, Missouri Civil Actions, second edition,
   Missouri Bar, 2000
> Contributing author and reviewer, Missouri Real Estate Practice,
   fourth edition, Missouri Bar, 2006 and 2002 supplements
> Co-author, Revising the Uniform Commercial Code, Articles 8 and 9,
   Missouri Banking Affairs, 12, 1995
> Author, “Computerized Litigation Support and the Indigent: Discovery
   or Disaster?,” Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 143, 1982
> Lectures include banking, real estate, corporate and municipal finance,
   litigation and problems facing financial institutions

EDUCATION
> J.D., Columbia Law School, New York, N.Y., 1983
       > Honors: Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
       > Executive editor, Columbia Human Rights Law Review
> B.A., Computer Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan., 1980
       > Honors: With Distinction
       > Phi Beta Kappa
       > Phi Kappa Phi
       > Mortar Board
       > Upsilon Pi Epsilon
       > Owl Society
       > Lambda Sigma
       > National Merit Scholar

BAR ADMISSIONS
> Missouri, 1983
> Kansas, 1997
> U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, 1985

HONORS
> Best of the Bar, Kansas City Business Journal, 2006 – 2008
> Outstanding Continuing Legal Education Contributor Award,
   Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, 2002
> President’s Award, Association of Women Lawyers, 2000