David Ahlstrom joined SS+D in March 2009 as an associate in the Litigation Department after more than five years experience with a large international law firm.  His practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation, including contract, business torts, intellectual property, ERISA, antitrust, bankruptcy, and insurance coverage litigation.

David’s practice has involved numerous complex and high-profile matters, including representing the University of Southern California and a developer in a multi-million dollar antitrust and racketeering lawsuit against another developer.  He also represented the Harlem Globetrotters in an intellectual property action brought by Meadowlark Lemon, Curly Neal, and other former players.  Other cases have involved the representation of Allstate, AIG, Travelers, and other major insurance carriers in complex coverage, environmental, bad-faith, and class action matters, and representing UnitedHealth Group entities in arbitration, administrative, and judicial actions involving various health care disputes.  Many of David’s matters involved new or unsettled questions of law that required substantial innovation and creativity to achieve the clients’ objectives.

David received his B.A. in English and a minor in Economics summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 2000.  He also graduated from the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State and earned distinction for his honors thesis, Microsoft: Beauty or Beast of the Marketplace.  David received his J.D. magna cum laude with Pro Bono Distinction from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 2003.  While in law school, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Arizona State Law Journal, as a judicial extern for the Honorable Roslyn O. Silver, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, and as a legislative legal intern for the Arizona Legislative Council.

Prior to beginning undergradute work, David worked in sales and marketing, including holding positions as a Sales Manager for a national car rental company and as the National Promotional Director for the company that operates the Fourth of July Parade at the National Mall in Washington, DC, and similar events throughout Europe.

David has been actively involved as a community volunteer by, among other things, using his Spanish-language skills to assist juveniles who have been detained by U.S. immigration authorities to return home or to establish residency in the United States based on immigration laws permitting naturalization for qualifying juveniles.  He has also been involved in addressing legal issues facing the homeless by providing legal advice to the homeless at clinics held at homeless shelters and serving as a member of the committee that founded the Regional Homeless Court to assist homeless individuals in their transition out of homelessness.

David most enjoys being identified as the husband of a gifted concert pianist, Kristina—whose musical career brought him to Ohio—and as the father of an exuberant five-year old daughter, Madalyn.  David’s hobbies include golf and competitive shooting.

David is admitted to practice law in Arizona as well as Ohio and he is a member of the American Bar Association, Arizona Bar Association, the Maricopa County Bar Association, the Dayton Bar Association, and the Ohio State Bar Association.