David Willingham

Partner, King & Spalding

David Willingham focuses on white-collar criminal defense and complex litigation matters. He has represented numerous individuals and entities facing governmental investigations and other complex litigation issues in both state and federal courts around the country. David has deep experience in dealing with high-profile cases, having prosecuted and defended many matters of public interest, including those involving health care fraud, financial fraud and money laundering charges. He has handled numerous parallel investigations with the SEC and other regulatory bodies, as well as numerous successful appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to entering private practice, David was the Deputy Chief of the Major Frauds Section of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. In that capacity, he spent two years supervising the subsection responsible for all health-care-fraud-related prosecutions within the district.

David has been designated as a leader by Chambers USA, Martindale-Hubbell, and other publications. Five times, from 2016-2019 and 2021, David was honored as one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers by the state’s leading legal publication. David is also a nationally recognized speaker, often speaking at events around the country on issues facing litigators and judicial officers.

David is also a respected member of the legal community. He previously served as the president of the Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles, and the co-chair of the Lawyer Representatives for the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.

In the past, David has also served as co-chair of the ABA’s National Committee on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the ABA’s Securities Fraud Committee, and the ABA’s Financial Institution Fraud Committee.


Appearances