Education
J.D., magna cum laude, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 1993
B.A., University of Minnesota, 1986

David D. Cassell is the managing member of Clark Hill’s Lansing office, and focuses his practice in the areas of environmental law and litigation, insurance law, real estate law, construction law and litigation, commercial litigation, and health care law.

David is experienced in a wide range of environmental matters, including regulatory compliance, permitting, enforcement, multiple-party cost recovery and contribution litigation, and CERCLA PRP group participation. He has technical expertise in the evaluation of environmental site assessment data and remediation alternatives at contaminated facilities, and in creation and evaluation of risk-based analysis of contaminated sites. On behalf of clients, David regularly retains and supervises environmental consultants, and conducts and/or supervises attorneys in all phases of environmental litigation, including discovery, drafting and arguing motions, trial and settlement negotiations. He presently manages litigation and/or technical oversight activities involving more than 20 facilities in Michigan, New York, New Jersey, California and Florida.  David represents insurers in regulatory matters before the Office of Financial and Insurance Services and in litigation arising out of regulatory determinations.  David also represents insurers in regulatory compliance with National Association of Insurance Commissioners and in transactions regarding regulatory approval.

With respect to real estate law, David directs real estate transfers and complex litigation related to real property disputes, including zoning and land use issues, wetlands disputes, and riparian rights matters. Additionally, he has extensive experience in evaluating and conducting commercial transactions for numerous buyers, sellers, lessors and lessees, and in the transfer of contaminated property.

David has also been involved in a wide range of construction matters, including drafting contractor agreements; securing performance, payment, and release-of-lien bonds; perfecting and foreclosing on construction liens; and litigating claims for and against contractors, including payment claims, construction defect claims, warranty claims, and delay claims.

Regarding bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, David has extensive experience drafting and negotiating all aspects of contracts securing commercial obligations. He has conducted all phases of collection litigation, including lien and mortgage foreclosures, and represented creditors in adversary proceedings in bankruptcy court challenging all facets of debtors’ bankruptcy filings and Chapter 11 and 13 plans.

In addition, David practices in the area of health care and privacy law. With the recent advent of HIPAA, David has been conducting HIPAA compliance analysis and advising health care professionals who handle Protected Health Information regarding HIPAA privacy requirements, compliance strategies, and liability management.

A frequent speaker and prolific author, David also held the position of Adjunct Professor of Law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School from 1993-1998. From 1996-1998, he was the Managing Editor of the Michigan Underground Storage Tank Report.  While attending law school, he was the Assistant Editor of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review and earned seven American Jurisprudence Awards.