A partner in the Litigation Department at Paul, Weiss, David Kessler is a former federal prosecutor and experienced trial and appellate lawyer. He frequently handles significant matters that have both civil and criminal dimensions, including those involving state attorneys general and the federal government. His wide-ranging practice involves representing clients in a variety of white collar matters, complex business litigation, national security matters, cybersecurity matters, internal investigations and regulatory enforcement proceedings. Clients trust Kessler both to develop long-term legal strategies, as well as to handle front-line litigation in front of judges and juries.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management | 2026 | Litigation, Investigations, White Collar |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | White Collar, Litigation, Investigations, National Security |
| The Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management | 2025 | Litigation, Investigations, White Collar |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers | 2025 | Litigation, Cybersecurity, National Security |
During his seven-and-a-half-year tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, David served as director of the office’s Cybercrime Task Force and as a senior member of the National Security and Cybercrime Section, handling some of the office’s most significant and high-profile criminal investigations and prosecutions. David was a principal architect of the government’s investigation and prosecution of Huawei Technologies Co. and its CFO, cases that involved allegations of financial fraud against four international financial institutions, intellectual property crimes, money laundering and sanctions violations, as well as a two-year extradition litigation in Canada, among other matters. He received the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence and the FinCEN Director’s Law Enforcement Award related to the Huawei investigation.