A founding member of the firm, Dave Markowitz is considered by his peers to be among the best trial lawyers in the Northwest. His commanding presence and keen instincts have made him a courtroom icon. Over the last three decades, Dave has shepherded the firm from its beginning as an ambitious two-attorney litigation shop to its present status as one of the premier business litigation firms in the region.

Dave is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America as one of Portland's 2013 “Bet-the-Company" Litigators, and as well as ranking as a "Best Lawyer" in the category of commercial litigation.  Additionally, he is ranked as Portland's "Lawyer of the Year" in the category of real estate.

 

He is a Fellow and former Oregon State chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers, is a fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and was listed as one of the top ten Oregon litigators by the National Law Journal. He is recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top commercial litigators in Oregon and is one of only 60 litigators ranked nationally. Dave is included in  Lawdragon's 500 Leading Litigators in America and 500 Leading Plaintiffs' Lawyers in America. He is also listed as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation and Benchmark Litigation Plaintiff's edition.

In a statewide survey identifying the top five percent of attorneys, Dave is the number one ranked litigator in Oregon by Oregon Super Lawyers. In 2011, he received the "Leadership in Law" honor from the Daily Journal of Commerce. Oregon Business magazine, in their 2007 Power Book, recognized Dave for "Delivering Results," naming him one of 50 Great Leaders in Oregon.

 

In addition to his active trial schedule, Dave shares his craft with lawyers of all levels. He is a frequent lecturer on litigation-related topics for the Oregon State Bar, the Federal Bar Association and the Multnomah Bar Association. He regularly presents a nationally-recognized training seminar on depositions. Trial Guides produced a DVD of this popular deposition course and it has become one of the company's best-selling products. As a follow-up, Trial Guides recently produced Dave's "Mastering the Art of Persuading the Trial Judge" course on DVD and CD.

Dave frequently acts as a mediator and arbitrator to resolve commercial disputes, and he served as a protem judge in Multnomah County for several years. He also is an expert on attorney fees, providing courtroom testimony in legal fee award disputes.

Dave graduated from California State Polytechnic University in 1971, and from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1974, where he was legislation editor of the Pacific Law Journal. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1974 and for eight years thereafter practiced general civil litigation with an established Portland firm. In January, 1983, he and Barrie J. Herbold formed Markowitz & Herbold, the predecessor of Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf.