Practice areas: International, Business Litigation, Business & Corporate; view more
Licensed in Florida since: 1988
Education: University of Miami School of Law
Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2026 David S. Willig serves as the international, multilingual attorney, notary and mediator heading David S. Willig, Chartered, in Miami, Florida. He focuses on international business litigation, corporate transactions, estate planning, intellectual property and alternative dispute resolution. His practice encompasses trade secrets, noncompete agreements, business formations, limited liability companies, partnership contracts and comprehensive business organizational matters. Additionally, he advises on copyrights, patents, trademarks and broader intellectual property concerns.
Mr. Willig has practiced law in Florida for over two decades and in France for more than 16 years. He is admitted to all federal courts in Florida, has appeared before various state courts and serves in the Paris Bar Association. He has led litigation in Lyon and frequently acts as an adept consultant or witness in cross-border disputes. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, enabling seamless advocacy and consultation for clients whose native language is not English.
In Florida, Mr. Willig holds the title of civil-law notary, enabling him to notarize documents in jurisdictions following civil-law traditions, particularly in Europe and South America. Certified in 1999, this role complements his international practice and ensures precise legal documentation across languages and legal systems. In 2013, he further expanded his credentials by becoming a Certified Circuit Court Mediator for the Florida Supreme Court, offering tailored dispute-resolution services for a diverse clientele.
An academic scholar, Mr. Willig earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1988. His subsequent admissions include The Florida Bar (1988), the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (1989), District of Columbia Bar (1990), the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th (1999) 11th Circuits (1995), the Paris Bar Association (1997) and the United States District Courts for the Middle (2005) and Northern Districts of Florida (2012).
Scoring “Excellent” on Avvo, Mr. Willig is AV Preeminent* peer-review rated through Martindale-Hubbell. His unwavering commitment is to serve as an indispensable legal resource for clients whose endeavors traverse international borders.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
International, Business Litigation, Business/Corporate, Intellectual Property, Estate Planning & ProbateFocus areas
Business Formation and Planning, Business Organizations, Contracts, Copyrights, Estate Planning, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Intellectual Property Law, Limited Liability Companies, Living Wills, Non-Compete Agreements, Partnership, Patents, Power of Attorney, Trade Secret, Trademarks, Trusts, Wills
- 30% International
- 20% Business Litigation
- 20% Business/Corporate
- 20% Intellectual Property
- 10% Estate Planning & Probate
First Admitted: 1988, Florida
Bar / Professional Activity
- Appointee, Overall Economic Development Program Committee, Metropolitan Dade County, Florida, 1990
- Chair, International Law Section, The Florida Bar, 2003
- Attestation de Réussite à l’Examen de Contrôle de Connaissances (French Bar Exam); CRFPA Lyon, France, November 22, 1995
- Congresso Internacional de Direito Publico, Miami, Florida, December 1996, U.S. Coordinator
- National Association of Civil-Law Notaries, Director, 1998 - present
- FIBA, International Basketball Agent, 2013
- Florida Supreme Court, Certified Circuit Court Mediator, 2013
- United States District Court, Northern District of Florida, 2012
- United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, 2005
- United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 1999
- Florida Civil-Law Notary, 1999
- Bar of Paris, France, 1997
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1995
- District of Columbia Bar, 1990
- United States District Court (Trial Bar), Southern District of Florida, 1989
- The Florida Bar, 1988
- Florida International Notary appointment, 1998
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- ECB USA, INC. V. SAVENCIA, S.A, et al, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, December 2024
- ECB USA, INC. V. SAVENCIA, S.A, et al, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, April 2023
- Mastantuono v. Mastantuono, Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, November 2017
- Zerdoun v. Zerdoun, Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, August 2015
- Hebert v. The Middleby Marshall Holdings, LLC, U.S. District Court, Southern Dist. Florida, December 2013
- McDonald v. McDonald, Circuit Court, 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida, (Brevard Co.), June 2013 & Affirmed, 5th DCA, Florida, May 2014
- CDR CREANCES, SAS v. M. Cohen et al, New York Supreme Court, Manhattan, May 2010
- Ginez v. Brunet, Circuit Court, 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida, November 2009
- CDRSA v. M. Cohen, New York Supreme Court, Manhattan, September 2008
- CDRSA v. Macson Express, S.A., Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, April 2008
- McDonald v. McDonald, Circuit Court, 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida, (Brevard Co.), December 2007
- CDRSA v. Macson Express, S.A., Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, October 2006
- McDonald v. McDonald, Circuit Court, 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida (Brevard Co.), July 2006
- Vinten v. Jeantot Marine, et al, U.S. Dist. Ct. – So. Dist. Fla., Feb. 2003
- BordesCannat c.Bordes, Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, Dec. 2002
- 1st all Russian trial where all witnesses testified in the Russian language and we won resounding victory. , 2024
- Blanc v. Blanc, Circuit Court – 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida (Brevard Co.) – Family Division, Oct. 2002
- Fiscalía General de la Nación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia, June 2002
- Central Bank of Brazil Oct. 2001
- International Court of Arbitration (Paris) – International Chamber of Commerce, Sept. 2001
- Diaz c. LeBreton, Tribunal de Grande Instance de Nantes, Aug. 2001
- Real Estate Transaction – Dade Co., FL, July 2000
- Forer v. Forer, Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida (Miami-Dade Co.) – Family Division, June 2000
- Joyaux v. Joyaux, Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida (Miami-Dade Co.) – Family Division, Aug. 1998
- White v. Scott-White, High Court of Justice Family Division – Principal Registry (London), May 1998
- White c. Scott, Tribunal de Grande Instance de Fontainebleau, Dec. 1997
- Schumaker v. Societe Shell des Antilles et de la Guyane Françaises, U.S. Dist. Ct. – So.Dist. Fla. Case No. 96-1166-CIV-LENARD, Sept. 1996
- Adhira v. Adhira, Circuit Court, 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida, (Palm Beach Co.) – Family Division, July 1996
- Our client was accused of mismanagement of an LLC, but we were able to settle the matter on favorable terms. , 2023
- Miami Beach native David S. Willig used his knowledge of the French language and culture to navigate an international skirmish over the titles to several South Florida properties. Read more here - Miami Attorney Procures $1.42 Million Verdict in International Real Estate Dispute., 2018
Special Licenses / Certifications
- Bar of Paris, France, 1997
- Florida Civil-Law Notary, 1998
Pro bono / Community Service
- Miami Council for International Visitors, Past President
Honors
- Award granted at conference in Cartagena, Colombia on a paper detailing the best ways to prepare law students for international practice, Best Paper Award, Inter-American Bar Association, 1989
- First Prize, Best Paper Award, Inter-American Bar Association, XXVII Conference, Cartagena, Colombia, 1989
- Top 100 Verdicts, Florida, 2018, No. 79.
Educational Background
- Brevet in Legal Translation, Institut de Droit Compare, University of Paris II, English (high honors) Brevet in Legal Translation, Institut de Droit Compare, University of Paris II, Spanish (honors), 1985
- University of South Florida, Bachelor of Arts, French Language & Literature, Arts & Letters Honor Society, Dean's List, 1983
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- "Overseas trade is more than mere statistics", South Florida Business Journal, November 1989
- "Traders study cultural nuances to win in international markets", San Francisco Business Times, November 1989
- "Japan's Technological Edge: Myth or Reality?", STATUS Reports, June 1989
- Modern Japanese-American Dictionary of Legal Terminology, Copyright 1990 (unpublished)
- Annals of XXVII Conference, Inter-American Bar Association, 1989
- Comparative Juridical Review, Observations on Comparative Legal Education, Vol. 27, 1990
- Florida Bar Journal, Why We Need Foreign Legal Consultants in Florida, February 1990
- Fundamentals of Evidence, American Society of Industrial Security, Fr. Lauderdale, FL, December 1991
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, International Business Chronicle, April 1992.
- Program Chair & Coordinator, Frontiers of International Law: Emerging International Practice Areas for Florida Lawyers, The Florida Bar, International Section, Miami, FL , June 26, 1992, also lecturer “Pleading and Proving Foreign Law.”
- Program Chair & Coordinator, Expropriated Property in Former Communist Countries with District of Columbia Bar, International Law Section and Inter-American Bar Association, Washington, D.C., September 1992
- Insolvency & Bankruptcy in Central America:Panama and Costa Rica, Turnarounds & Workouts Survey, May 13, 1993
- Program Chair & Coordinator, Expropriated Property in Former Communist Countries, The Florida Bar, International Section & St. Thomas School of Law, Miami, FL, May 1993
- Developments en Droit de Famille en Floride, UIA Congress - San Francisco, 1993
- U.S. Coordinator & Speaker, Congresso Internacional de Direito Publico, Miami, FL, December 1996
- A Internet e a Constituição dos Estados Unidos, August 1996, published in REVISTA CONSULEX, April 1997
- NAFTA e MERCOSUL, Congresso de Direito Comunitario do MERCOSUL, Foz do Iguaçu, April 1997
- The Florida Civil-Law Notary: An Overture to the World; Entracte (Montreal), September 15, 2000
- 4th Florida-Canada Forum, “Le Notaire de Droit Civil en Floride: Un Regard vers le Nord,” September 2002
- Lecturer (Practicum), National Ass’n of Civil Law Notaries (NACLN), Civil Law Notary Training, Huntsville, AL (March 2003); Coral Gables, FL (August 2004)
- A brief article, in Portuguese, about the interplay between the Internet and the Consitution of the United States, Author, A Internet e a Constituição dos Estados Unidos, Congresso Internacional De Direito, Recife, Brazil, 1996
- Bilingual Mediation, Too Often an Afterthought, Florida Law Journal, May 12, 2014
- Speaker, Función Notarial: Una Visión de Futuro en un Marco Internacional, Asociación de Notarios de Puerto Rico and Inter-American Bar Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 2014
- Managing Language Issues in Mediation, Pennsylvania Council of Mediators Report for Memebers, Summer 2014
- Miami-Dade County, Mission to France – Paris & Marseille, 2015
- Les Défis Confrontés par les “Civil-Law Notaries” en Floride, 2nd International Forum of the, Notariat, Petion-ville, Haiti, March 2015
- Mait’ David (Willig) Sur les Ondes des Caraïbes, Courrier des Amériques, November 2015
- 28th International Congress of Notaries, UINL (Union International du Notariat Latin) Practical Case Study, Theme No. 2, Notarial Acts and European Public Order, Paris, France, October 2016
- Conférence Trust & Fiducie, Conference Participant, Ile Maurice/Mauritius, September 2016
- A La Recherche des Héritiers de L’Art Volé – Le Courrier de Floride, July 2018
- FRAMCO (French-American Business Council of West Florida) Webinar – Navigating Probate and Successions: Steps to Secure Your Legacy in the US and France, January 2025
- 2do Encuentro de Dos Sistemas, Union International du Notariat, Panelist, San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 2025
- Florida Bar, International Section, 1993-94, Program Chair, “International Law Update: Emerging Practice Areas for Florida Lawyers.”
- Florida Bar, International Section, 1992-93, Program Chair, “International Law Update: Emerging Practice Areas for Florida Lawyers.”
- Florida Bar, International Section, 1991-92, Program Chair, “Frontiers of International Law: Emerging International Practice Areas for Florida Lawyers.” - “Pleading & Proving Foreign Law”, presented by David S. Willig
- Editor, Comparative Juridical Review, Coral Gables, FL, 1991- 1998, (A bilingual, English-Spanish Law Review, 1961-1998)
Other Outstanding Achievements
- AV-rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2026
