David R. Hazouri

Partner

305-567-9400 phone

David R. Hazouri is a partner with the firm. As a commercial litigator of some twenty-one years, David has assisted his clients in navigating a wide variety of complex commercial disputes in both state and federal court. His work on regulatory and land use matters has also allowed him to advocate before local and state administrative boards and governmental bodies. Complimenting his practice, David has developed a deep proficiency in all matters of investigative discovery involving computer-based information. In 2006, David established his own eDiscovery consulting firm and later worked as a Managing Director for a global legal process outsourcing company. He has taught bar-certified courses on eDiscovery to law students, attorneys, and judges and is currently a Certified X1 Social Media Examiner.

Representative Matters

Settled a business dispute between billion-dollar entities over ownership rights to website development concept and underlying code.
Represented a developer in cross-use land rights dispute with a neighboring television station and national media mogul.
Appellate counsel for multi-million dollar claim involving adverse party’s loss or destruction (spoliation) of electronically stored evidence.
Represented the U.S. Litigation Trustee and Plan Administrator for international language software company, in a suit against Big Four accounting firm seeking damages of over $300 million dollars for improper accounting practices related to management’s fraudulent revenue recognition.
Defended the subsidiary of a Fortune 100 company with respect to the enforceability of investor interests in assigned whole life insurance policies.
Defended one of the nation’s largest homebuilders in class action claims for defective stucco siding.
Defended a prominent financial institution in two separate class actions involving allegations of aiding and abetting, breach of fiduciary duty and violation of the Bank Secrecy Act.
Defended a specialty products manufacturer against trade secret and unfair competition claims brought by name brand skin care products company.
Defended a super-abrasives start-up company against claims brought by the division of a multinational conglomerate alleging unfair competition, FUDTPA violations, and trade secret misappropriations.
Obtained recommended reversal by the administrative hearing officer of the county clerk’s bid award concerning an RFP for lucrative debt collection services contract.
Represented the subsidiary of a Fortune 100 company in obtaining city commission review and rejection of an unfavorable recommendation from the city manager regarding an RFP for a lucrative public red-light camera contract.

Published Works and Lectures

Rafool, LLC partner, David R. Hazouri, has begun contributing his eDiscovery insights to Family Lawyer Magazine. His first article will likely appear in the October 2019 print version and will discuss document requests and production protocol for electronically stored evidence in family law cases. In addition, Mr. Hazouri is currently participating in a task force set up within the EDDE committee of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar to study and recommend broader statewide adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure discovery regime concerning voluntary production and mandatory meet and confer requirements.

Lecturer, Florida Continuing Judicial Education Course, Effective Courtroom Management of Computerized Discovery, Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence, Committee of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar, September 2016 (Broward Judiciary) and April 2016 (Tampa Judiciary)
Speaker, Panelist, Florida Bar President’s Vision 2015 Panel on Technology in Legal Education, Mid-Year Florida Bar Convention, 2014
Presenter, eDiscovery Issues in Bankruptcy Practice, Southern District Bankruptcy Bar Association Conference, 2014
Presenter, eDiscovery Best Practices for Litigators, Certified CLE Courses for multiple South Florida law firms, 2006-2012
Guest Lecturer, eDiscovery Vendor Selection, University of Miami School of Law, 2008
Author, Questions You Should Ask When Selecting An E-Discovery Vendor, Florida Bar Practicing Resource Institute, March 24, 2016

Membership

Florida Bar, Business Law Section, Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence Committee.
Dade County Bar Association.

Education

Juris Doctorate, University of Miami School of Law, 1995, Cum Laude, Dean’s Honor Scholarship
Post-Baccalaureate, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1990
Bachelor of Arts, English, Duke University, Durham, NC, 1986

Bar Admissions

Florida
New York

Court Admissions

United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

Speaking Engagements

Partner David Hazouri, Esq. spoke on two E-Discovery panels in March 2019, including at the 7th Annual University of Law E-Discovery Conference held in Gainesville, Florida and by special arrangement before the Chief and Associate Judges of the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida at their annual retreat in Hutchinson Island, Florida. Mr. Hazouri is currently scheduled to lecture on E-Discovery at the Broward Bar Convention on June 12, 2019 and conduct a four-hour multi-session E-Discovery CLE Seminar at this year’s Annual Florida Bar Convention in Boca Raton, Florida, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on June 28, 2019. Mr. Hazouri has also recently co-authored an article concerning issues surrounding the use of social media by Florida’s state court judges that will be published in the July/August Florida Bar Journal.

Partner David Hazouri curated and MC’d a half-day, four hour CLE seminar on June 28, 2019 during this year’s Florida Bar’s Summer Bar Convention at the Boca Raton Hotel and Resort. The topics including eDiscovery responses to cyber-attacks, bitcoin and blockchain transactions, and the commercial adoption of social media chat rooms and instant messaging formats. In addition to practitioners and experts in the field, the sessions included several members of the state and local federal judiciary.

Partner David Hazouri’s co-authored article, entitled “Face-Off on Facebook: Judges and Lawyers as Social Media ‘Friends’ in a Post-Herssein World,” was recently published as the lead contribution in the July/August 2019 edition of The Florida Bar Journal. The article discusses the impact of the Florida Supreme Court’s decision in Law Offices of Herssein & Herssein, P.A. on judicial participation on social media platforms. Mr. Hazouri’s co-authors included (Ret) Judge Ralph Artigliere, Judge Meenu Sasser, Professor William Hamilton (UF Law) and Professor Jan. Jacobowitz (UM Law).