David East

David East is a litigation attorney at McNaul Ebel. His practice includes representing plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation, product liability, professional malpractice, insurance, business and real estate disputes. Mr. East also has represented clients in criminal matters, and he is presently a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Western District of Washington. He has represented clients in trials and arbitrations.

Mr. East received his B.A. in History from the University of Washington in 1997. After college, he served on the staff of the Judiciary Committee for the United States Senate before attending law school at Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, Mr. East clerked for the Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section) and represented clients in Georgetown's Criminal Justice Clinic. After receiving his J.D. from Georgetown in 2001, Mr. East joined Perkins Coie as an associate in its general litigation department, where he worked on a wide variety of complex civil law matters. Mr. East joined McNaul Ebel as an associate in September 2005.

Mr. East has taken on several significant pro bono matters, including habeas corpus, death penalty, immigration and family law cases. Recently, he was part of the team of attorneys that successfully argued the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld—which halted the president's military tribunal system in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba—before the United States Supreme Court. From 2002 through 2006, Mr. East chaired the Pro Bono/Public Service Committee of the Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.  Additionally, Mr. East has guest lectured at Seattle University School of Law on various topics, including civil procedure, constitutional law, and the law of terrorism.

In 2007, Mr. East was selected by the King County Bar Association as co-recipient of its Outstanding Lawyer Award for his work on the Hamdan case. In 2006, the Washington State Bar Association selected Mr. East as the recipient of the Thomas Neville Award, which is presented to the outstanding young pro bono attorney in the State of Washington. He also received an Award of Distinction from Seattle University School of Law's Access to Justice Institute for his pro bono and public service work, and was selected as a "Rising Star" by Washington Law and Politics.

Representative examples of the cases in which Mr. East has been involved include:

• Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, et al.: Representation of Guantanamo Bay detainee in successful challenge to the president's Military Commission process.
• Defense of law firm in case alleging securities-related malpractice, with alleged damages in excess of $11 million;
• Bradford, et al., v. McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Allied Signal, Inc.: Defense verdict for manufacturer in jury trial involving product liability claims.
• Products Group International v. SonoSite Inc.: Defense verdict for manufacturer in arbitration regarding distribution agreement.
• Campbell v. Abney Mills Corp., et al.: Defense verdict for manufacturer in jury trial involving product liability claims.

In his spare time, Mr. East participates in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and enjoys traveling, cycling, running, skiing, and playing softball.