Bio

David Shafer is a Member in the Business Department at McDonald Hopkins and part of the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group. His practice is focused on counseling clients on mergers and acquisitions, purchase and sale of private businesses, commercial financing, private offerings of debt and equity securities, venture capital and private equity transactions, and general governance issues. Dave also regularly provides counsel to companies and investors in venture capital and angel investment transactions, from a wide range of industries at various stages of growth. His experience includes acting as outside general counsel to clients at all phases of their business lifecycle on matters related to customer and vendor contracts, securities and tax compliance, and employee incentive offerings. In addition to his M&A practice, Dave is an experienced data privacy and cybersecurity attorney. He counsels clients on matters related to compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations, as well as industry standards and emerging regulatory requirements. He is also experienced in developing internal policies and procedures for clients, and providing incident response guidance following a data breach. Dave works with a broad range of clients and is well versed working with those in highly regulated industries such as government contracting. He has experience drafting acquisition agreements, commercial loan agreements, joint venture agreements, mentor-protégé agreements, subcontract agreements, and private investment documents. Additionally, he assists clients in soliciting, negotiating, and obtaining Small Business Administration (SBA) loans from SBA-approved lenders, as well as helping clients obtain financing through the SBA disaster assistance loan program. Dave earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Baltimore Law Review and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. Prior to the start of his legal career Dave was a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving for six years and deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Following his service, Dave worked as a senior consultant in the cybersecurity field.