David A. Pasley

David Pasley is a business litigation attorney who counsels and advocates for clients in a variety of business disputes, including breach of contract issues, trademark disputes, unfair trade practices and other business-related claims. He also has experience with employment litigation and has counseled and represented employers in cases involving claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful termination and other employment-related issues.

David joined Smith Anderson in 2018 after graduating with high honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2017 and clerking for Judge Thomas Schroeder of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Prior to law school, David taught Eighth Grade English for two years in Orangeburg, South Carolina. David was born and raised in Raleigh and is excited to be part of the growing and thriving professional community here.

Recognition

• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America, Commercial Litigation (2023-2025)
• Articles Editor, North Carolina Law Review, 2017
• 2015 Gressman-Pollitt Award for Best Overall Oral Advocacy

Clerkships

• Honorable Thomas D. Schroeder, United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

Education

• University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D., with high honors, 2017
  • Order of the Coif
• University of North Carolina, B.A., Philosophy, with distinction, 2012

Bar & Court Admissions

• North Carolina Bar Association
  • Member, Litigation, Business Law
  • Member, Young Lawyers Division
    • Member of LINK (Leadership, Information, Networking, and Knowledge) Committee – coordinates with local high schools to present information about entering into, and succeeding in, the legal profession to students
  • Wake County Bar Association
  • North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys

• Represented a company in successfully protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights.
• Represented multiple corporations in defending claims of false advertising.
• Represented owner of commercial real estate in action brought to enforce property rights.
• Represented a private individual in dispute with the United States involving tax refund.
• Represented a company in defending claim arising out of breach of contract claim involving medical devices.
• Represented various employers in defending against sex, gender, and disability discrimination claims, as well as claims of wrongful termination and/or retaliation.
• Represented an electric aerospace company in dispute with prototype airframe supplier that claimed exclusive rights to participate in aircraft development and manufacturing program and sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. We filed counterclaims, obtained a temporary restraining order requiring return of our client’s intellectual property, and obtained a declaratory judgment establishing that our client properly terminated the underlying contract and the supplier had no further right to participate in the program. The matter was ultimately resolved without any payment by our client.