Richard J. Davis has been an award-winning and sought-after attorney in both the government and private sectors for 50 years.
NEW YORK, NY, November 07, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Richard J. Davis with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Davis celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
An award-winning and sought-after attorney in both the government and private sectors for 50 years, Mr. Davis, of Richard J. Davis, Attorney at Law, established his firm in 2012 in the heart of New York City on Madison Avenue. Today, he focuses his practice on investigative matters, arbitration and mediation, crisis counseling, representing boards of directors and serving as a court-appointed Chapter 11 bankruptcy examiner and trustee, among other special assignments.
Originally clerking for Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York between 1969 and 1970, Mr. Davis assisted the Judge in numerous criminal cases. He later worked for the criminal division as assistant chief appellate attorney and in the corruption unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. From there, he earned the opportunity to serve as an assistant special prosecutor with the Watergate Special Prosecution Force in Washington, D.C., from 1973 to 1975. He also served with the U.S. Department of Treasury as Assistant Secretary (Enforcement of Operations). From August 1971 to January 1981. In this capacity he supervised the Secret Service, Customs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. He was an associate (1976-77) and then partner (1981-2011) of the litigation department at the firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York City.
During his years with Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Mr. Davis gained tremendous expertise in general practice, representing companies, boards of directors and individuals in internal investigations and in grand jury, regulatory and other government investigations. His litigation activity involved a wide range of commercial, bankruptcy-related and other disputes. He also served as an arbitrator. In addition, during the 1980s he represented the Government of Argentina during the international debt crisis.
Perhaps one of the most influential times in Mr. Davis' career was during the Watergate Scandal. As an assistant prosecutor, his responsibilities included serving as chief trial counsel in the trials of Dwight Chapin and Edward Reinecke, serving as chief of the political espionage and the ITT task forces and being responsible for coordinating issues relating to securing documentary evidence and testimony from former President Nixon. Other exciting times in his career included being responsible for overseeing the freeze on Iranian assets and other sanctions imposed as a result of the seizure of hostages during the Carter administration and the participation in the development of the U.S.-Iran Hostage Release Agreements of January 1981.
Heavily involved in numerous community and civic initiatives, Mr. Davis has served on the board of trustees of Goucher College in Baltimore since 2015 and as chair the Legal Aid Society in New York City since 2010. He formerly spent 21 years on the Legal Aid Society's board of directors. He has served on numerous other boards and commissions throughout New York City as well, including roles with the New York City Campaign Finance Board, the Commission to Combat Police Corruption, the Criminal Justice Council of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Task Force on Police-Community Relations and the Citizens Task Force on the Use and Security of Central Park. He is also the former chair of the Randall's Island Sports Foundation. In June 2016, the New York State Bar Association recognized Mr. Davis with a Root/Stimson Award, which is given by the committee in recognition of exemplary community service.
A native of New York, Mr. Davis attended college locally, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in history, with high honors, from the University of Rochester in 1966 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence, magna cum laude, from Columbia University in 1969. He has been licensed to practice law by the New York State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar, and admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Mr. Davis is a member and former chair of the criminal justice council of the New York Bar Association. Also a member of the Citizens Union, he contributed his skills as a member and chair of the board of directors as well as the foundation chair. Furthermore, he maintains membership with the American Bar Association. For more information about Mr. Davis and his career, visit www.rjdavislaw.com.
In 2018, Mr. Davis received a Servant of Justice Award from the Legal Aid Society. Other recognitions include a 2016 New York Law Journal Public Service Award, a 2009 Robert Wagner Jr. Award from the Citizens Union for long-term participation in the civic affairs of New York City, a 2004 Law & Society Award from the New York Lawyers for Public Interest in recognition of public service and a 2000 Ari Halberstam Award from the Jewish Children's Museum in recognition of commitment to justice and the needs of New York and its children. A celebrated Marquis listee, he has been included in more than 40 editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in the East and Who's Who in the World.
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