David M. "Dave" Standish
- Senior Counsel
I help clients turn complex legal and organizational questions into clear, workable decisions. My experience has taught me to look beyond the immediate legal issue and understand the people, approval processes and business objectives that determine whether a strategy will succeed. Clients can expect practical, risk-informed guidance that helps them move forward with confidence.
David is a corporate attorney with more than a decade of experience advising for-profit and nonprofit organizations on governance, strategic transactions and investments. David considers himself a corporate generalist, with significant experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital and private equity investments, business development, technology transfer and intellectual property licensing. He brings a strong analytical foundation to each engagement, distilling complex issues into clear options aligned with the client's objectives and tolerance for risk.
Before joining Warner, David served as senior counsel at Corewell Health, where he provided the full spectrum of corporate legal work — from governance and regulatory compliance to complex transactions, vendor contracting, and day-to-day operational counseling. He provided legal guidance on joint ventures, investments and acquisitions and counseled on corporate approval processes, risk management and organizational change. His work also included enterprise initiatives with significant operational impact, including rebranding, corporate reorganization and operational consolidation, as well as oversight and management of outside counsel.
Earlier in his career, David represented for-profit and nonprofit organizations in venture capital, private equity and general corporate matters. He regularly assisted companies pursuing venture financing and drafted standard venture capital and private equity documents, as well as customized investment and transaction documents.
Having worked as both outside and in-house counsel, David understands the practical demands facing legal and business teams. He anticipates the internal approvals, stakeholder concerns and implementation challenges that can shape a matter, enabling him to deliver advice that is legally sound and workable within the client's organization.
