DAVID SILVA defends companies and their directors, officers, and employees in complex criminal and civil investigations, environmental government enforcement actions, and white collar matters. David frequently represents clients in issues arising out of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), as well as the False Claims Act, financial reporting misstatements, regulatory fraud, environmental violations, and employee misconduct. David has considerable experience representing clients in the pharmaceutical, energy, hospitality, and technology industries, as well as cross-sector matters involving environmental impact and remediation concerns.
David has led over 100 multinational investigations throughout Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, and has presented findings to various federal and state agencies, including the DOJ, SEC, FBI, and EPA, as well as foreign government regulators, including the German Office of the Federal Prosecutor (Bundesanwaltschaft) and the Mexican Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS). Having lived abroad in France, Spain, Taiwan, and China, David is multilingual and often conducts investigations in both Spanish and French. He is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and frequently advises clients on compliance, ethics, and data privacy matters. He has also successfully defended over a dozen cases in federal and state courts as lead counsel. David also currently serves as an adjunct lecturer at SMU Dedman School of Law, teaching a semester-long upper-level course on Internal Investigations.
David has been recognized by Legal 500 Latin America for his Compliance and Investigations experience (2024–2025). He was named to the Latinvex 2025 “Latin America’s Rising Legal Stars” list and to the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s 2023 “40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” list. He was also recognized by the national Latino Leaders publication as a 2021 “Latino Lawyers to Keep on the Watch,” and by D Magazine as one of Dallas’s 2022 “Best Lawyers Under 40.”
David earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he was the Associate Marden Competition Editor of the Moot Court Board. Prior to law school, he graduated magna cum laude from New York University with a B.A. in International Relations, Romance Languages (Spanish and French), and a minor in East Asian Studies (Mandarin).
David currently serves as the Dallas chair of Sidley’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.