David Gaffey

DAVID is a partner in Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP’s Business Solutions, Restructuring & Financial Litigation Group. He focuses his practice on bankruptcy and restructuring matters, the purchase and sale of distressed assets, and advising distressed and insolvent companies. He specializes in representing debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, debtor-in-possession financing lenders, trustees and distressed companies in chapter 11 reorganizations, chapter 7 liquidations, out-of-court workouts, involuntary bankruptcies, bankruptcy litigation, and other insolvency and default matters. He has restructuring experience in multiple industries, including health care, manufacturing, commercial printing, energy, mining, aerospace, real estate and retail. He previously clerked for Hon. Kevin R. Huennekens in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond, and he was an attorney in the Disclosure Unit of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the federal agency that handles claims of wrongdoing within the executive branch of the federal government.

In 2023, David received the “Industrial Deal of the Year” award by The M&A Advisor and the “Special Situation M&A Deal of the Year” Turnaround Atlas Award by The Global M&A Network for his work representing the debtor-in-possession financing lender and stalkinghorse bidder in the sale of Masten Space Systems to Astrobotic Technology, Inc. in In re Masten Space Systems, Inc. He is listed in Chambers USA for Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Virginia for 2022-23, The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Bankruptcy for 2022-23, and Virginia Business Magazine as a Bankruptcy/Creditors’ Rights “Legal Elite” for 2021-22. He also has been listed in Virginia Super Lawyers and District of Columbia Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” every year since 2016 and 2017, respectively. In addition, he was listed in IFLR1000 United States as a “Rising Star Partner in U.S. Restructuring & Insolvency” from 2021-22, and he is a member of the 2018 class of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges NexGen Program and now serves on the NextGen Program organizing committee.

David particularly enjoys working with small and family businesses. In college, he worked for the chief economist of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, through which he helped local companies understand economic trends and projections. He recently was elected to the Virginia State Bar Bankruptcy Board of Governors, and in 2020 he was elected president of the Northern Virginia Bankruptcy Bar Association and led the group during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his firm, he chairs the Production Committee and Continuing Legal Education Committee and actively mentors younger attorneys. Outside of work, he represents a pro bono party as a member of the District of Columbia Bankruptcy Pro Bono Panel, and volunteers with the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and March of Dimes.