David M. S. Shaiken focuses his practice on commercial
litigation in state and federal courts, probate and inheritance disputes, and
bankruptcy litigation.
For over 36 years, David has
provided lean, highly strategic advocacy for businesses, fiduciaries,
professionals, and heirs facing critical financial and legal turning points. By
deliberately avoiding the administrative bloat and multi-lawyer overhead of
massive firms, he ensures his clients receive direct, partner-level
representation tailored to right-sized, high-leverage disputes.
Primary Areas of Focus
Commercial & Business
Litigation
The core of David’s practice is
representing closely held businesses, co-owners, partners, LLC members,
professionals, and commercial borrowers in high-stakes state court disputes.
His work spans ownership breakups, critical contract disputes, and business
liability matters.
Partnership Breakups and Business
Divorces
Shareholder Oppression and Freeze-Outs
Fraud, Breach of Contract, and Unfair
Trade Practices (CUTPA)
Breach of Fiduciary Duty and
Business Torts
Asset-Based Loan Transactions (representing
commercial borrowers)
Bankruptcy Litigation, Insolvency
Fraud, and Successor Liability
David maintains an active practice
representing commercial parties, fiduciaries, creditors, and affected
individuals in sophisticated insolvency disputes and adversary proceedings in
bankruptcy court.
Fraud Litigation in Corporate and
Large Individual Bankruptcy Cases
Fraudulent Transfer Defense and
Preference Defense
Defense of Objections to Proofs of
Claims
Please note: This practice is
focused on litigation within the insolvency context; David does not file
bankruptcy petitions for consumer debtors.
Probate, Will &
Inheritance Litigation
David represents heirs,
beneficiaries, and fiduciaries in substantial estate disputes where the
individual financial stake in controversy justifies the dedication of hourly
litigation resources.
Fiduciary Litigation (Prosecuting
and defending claims against executors, trustees, and estate
administrators)
Will Contests (Undue Influence and
Lack of Capacity)
Targeted Trust Disputes
Please note: This practice is
focused on probate and trust litigation. David does not administer probate
estates.
Professional License Defense &
Regulatory Hearings
David represents licensed
professionals facing high-stakes disciplinary actions and enforcement
proceedings before state administrative and regulatory bodies.
Defense of professional license
discipline cases before the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
(DCP) and other state regulatory agencies.
Please note: This administrative
practice is tailored to licensed professionals and does not include
routine consumer or home-improvement contractor disputes.
Commercial Arbitration
Experience
In addition to his work as a
courtroom advocate, David brings deep adjudicative insight to his practice,
having served for more than 20 years as a commercial arbitrator. He utilizes
his extensive experience evaluating evidence and contract disputes from the
finder-of-fact perspective to build sharper, more effective trial strategies
for his litigation clients.
American Arbitration Association
(AAA)
– Member of the National Panel of Arbitrators, presiding over
dozens of complex commercial and consumer disputes.
American Dispute Resolution Center
(ADRC) & NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation)
– Serving as a
designated neutral panelist for private commercial disputes.
Practice Model & Case
Fitting
To deliver the highest level of
personal attention and cost-efficiency, David’s practice is structured around
targeted, focused disputes rather than document-massed, multi-volume
litigations.
Engagement Criteria &
Firm Referrals
To ensure the right fit for our
firm's resources, please note our intake guidelines for specific matters:
Personal Injury: While David
does not personally handle personal injury claims, these cases are
actively reviewed and handled by one of his law partners within the firm.
Out-of-Scope Matters: Our firm
does not handle civil rights litigation, criminal law, consumer disputes, or
consumer/debtor bankruptcy filings.
Document Constraints: We do not
accept mass-document litigations requiring extensive associate-level
review (such as cases exceeding 100 boxes of discovery).
Peer Recognition &
Credentials
David’s commitment to legal
excellence and ethics has been consistently recognized by his peers and the
premier legal directories in the United States:
Super Lawyers – Recognized for
his work in Business Litigation.
Martindale-Hubbell – Holds the
highest possible peer-review ratings (AV-Preeminent) for legal ability and
ethical standards.
Best Lawyers in America –
Peer-selected for inclusion in Commercial Litigation and
Bankruptcy/Creditor Debtor Rights.
FindLaw – Listed as a premier
business litigation resource in Connecticut.
Bar Admissions
State of Connecticut
U.S. District Court, District of
Connecticut
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Education
University of Connecticut School of
Law
, J.D., with honors
Swarthmore College, B.A.
James W. Cooper (Lifetime Fellow); Connecticut Bar Foundation.
