Department of State Attorney-Adviser David Stute Rejoins Pillsbury as Special Counsel in Washington, DC

“David’s exceptional background, including his recent service as an Attorney-Adviser at the U.S. Department of State, brings invaluable insight into complex national security, treaty negotiations, and international proceedings,” said Deborah Baum, Global Head of Litigation at Pillsbury. “Our clients will benefit immensely from his deep expertise, which includes major commercial arbitral institutions, investor-State tribunals, and international courts.”

Stute has represented sovereigns, corporate clients and high-net-worth individuals in cross-border disputes, spanning U.S. trial and appellate courts, investor–State tribunals, all major commercial arbitral institutions, the International Court of Justice, and the Iran–U.S. Claims Tribunal. 

While serving in the U.S. Department of State Office of the Legal Adviser, David advised the executive branch on United Nations affairs, national security, treaty negotiations, and proceedings in international fora. He was part of the core team that defeated the $15 billion NAFTA legacy claim against the U.S. arising from the Keystone XL pipeline project and served as the lead attorney on the International Court of Justice in the Office of United Nations Affairs. He also advised State Department leadership and worked with the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, and other agencies on U.S. and international litigation, complex treaty negotiations, nuclear liability, as well as other matters. 

Stute was previously an associate at Pillsbury, where he participated in over half a dozen investor-State arbitrations as well as international commercial arbitrations under ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICDR, LCIA, and ICC rules, as well as in enforcement proceedings before U.S. courts.

“I am elated to rejoin Pillsbury and its tremendous cross-border litigation team,” Stute said. “I hope to bring to bear, on behalf of the firm’s clients, my decades of international experience on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. I am particularly eager to help grow the firm’s cross-border and treaty disputes practices, and to further deepen our focus on clients in Europe, including its German-speaking markets.”

Pillsbury’s International Arbitration team is made up of lawyers with decades of experience adjudicating disputes administered by international arbitral institutions worldwide. Our lawyers have appeared before all major arbitration forums, including the ICC, LCIA, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, HKIAC, DIAC, DIFC, Swiss Chamber of Commerce, ICDR, ICSID, SIAC, JCAA and AAA, in all major arbitration centers, and we have conducted arbitrations under UNCITRAL Rules and on an ad hoc basis. They also have significant experience in resolving investor-State disputes and a wide variety of claims both internationally and in the U.S. through arbitration and other forms of ADR.