David grew up on the Isle of Palms and went to school in Porter-Gaud and Wando High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina before his love of surfing led him to pursue his career in California. After five years on the West Coast, he decided to return to the University of South Carolina to attend law school, where he was an editor of the Southeastern Environmental Law Journal and did extensive research and reporting on South Carolina’s efforts to preserve its shoreline with the South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Act. This issue and cause remains important to him, and the paper he wrote during this time has served an invaluable purpose in guiding and instructing coastal management officials throughout the state. A revision of this paper was also printed in the South Carolina Young Lawyers Journal. David also served as a clerk for the Law Offices of M. Barron Stanton during his time at law school, which gave him an enormous opportunity to learn practically how to be a skilled, attentive, and detail-oriented attorney.