Legion has to brag on Dave a bit because he would never do it himself. While not flashy or boastful, Dave has a national reputation in products liability litigation and he is somewhat of a legal legend for those folks “in the know.” Dave’s success in the courtroom and in helping others in their pursuit of resolution is no surprise. Just sitting down and talking to Dave gives his audience a calming sense of well-being. Dave just makes you feel like everything is going to be OK.

EXPERIENCE

Fortunately for parties in need for closure, Dave brings an incredible wealth of experience not only in litigation, but all forms of alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”). Dave is a certified mediator and arbitrator in the State of Georgia. He first became interested in ADR in the early 1990’s and was certified in 1994 after training with another ADR legend: Ed Henning – a founder of Atlanta’s Henning Mediation. Dave has been fully committed to the ADR process since then and he is regularly selected by both plaintiff and defense counsel to mediate personal injury, product liability, commercial and insurance coverage cases.

Not only is Dave closing his third decade as a certified mediator, he is also an arbitrator certified by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). As an attorney, Dave even successfully arbitrated to a binding decision an international commercial case through the ICC in Paris, France. In 2014, he was a visiting professor at the University of National and World Economy, Sophia, Bulgaria, teaching the U.S. Judicial System and Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Law Department. Dave is one of a handful of neutrals with similar international credentials in the Georgia ADR community.

Dave’s commitment to helping parties reach amicable resolution extends well beyond just his personal service as a mediator and arbitrator. As an author and teacher, Dave’s numerous publications have resulted in extensive ADR presentations through the Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education and The Center for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria. He is a member of the Association of Conflict Resolution and has mediated several hundred civil cases to successful conclusion over the past few decades.

Dave is an AV-rated practicing attorney with extensive plaintiff’s civil trial and appellate experience. He is admitted to practice in Georgia and the District of Columbia. Dave graduated from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1981 and summa cum laude from Gettysburg College in 1978. He has been a partner at the products liability boutique law firm Cathey & Strain, LLC for the past twenty-five years. 

Incredibly respected by his peers, Dave has often been selected as a Georgia “Super Lawyer.” His law practice focuses on catastrophic product liability cases, construction/industrial equipment, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer products with particular emphasis on automotive defects/crashworthiness cases. He also handles trucking/motor carrier, railroad, sovereign immunity cases and complex insurance/coverage disputes. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial, contractual, and real estate matters. With over thirty-five years of experience as lead counsel in cases filed in state and federal courts around the entire country, it is difficult to imagine an intricate legal issue that may have an effect on the resolution process Dave has not seen. He has handled all aspects of trial practice including complex discovery, depositions, expert development, motions, hearings, alternative dispute resolution, Daubert challenges, trial preparation, trials and appeals. Perhaps most importantly, Dave is acutely aware of what it takes to get cases across the finish line as he’s tried more cases to verdict than he can readily account.

Choosing the right mediator or arbitrator is possibly just as important to resolution as the presentation of the parties. When choosing the right fit for your ADR event, we want you to not only be happy with your selection, but we want you to also feel good about who’ll be leading you toward resolution. Without question, Dave will provide both counsel and client the feeling of satisfaction, and the blissful relief of closure, or the gratification of knowing that all involved did absolutely everything possible to reach an acceptable end to their dispute. Dave stands at the ready.