Davis M. Walsh Partner

Davis M. Walsh is a trial lawyer who focuses on high-stakes litigation for public and private companies, along with advising clients on the legal and litigation risks surrounding the adoption of artificial intelligence. Davis is known for taking on cases that are critical to clients — from bet-the-company product liability trials to complex mass tort litigation — and for bringing the kind of creative, jury-focused strategy that wins them.

With deep experience in technically demanding litigation, Davis focuses on cases involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, infectious disease, engineering issues, and emerging technology. His command of expert witness strategy — both developing strong witnesses for clients and dismantling the opposition’s — has made him a go-to counsel in cases where science matters as much as the law.

Davis served as trial counsel in matters across the country, including a high-profile eight-week medical device trial in Washington state. He regularly manages large, complex dockets for national and multinational clients, including coordinating cross-border e-discovery strategies and handling voluminous document productions in domestic and international matters. Davis views discovery not as a compliance exercise but as a critical opportunity to build a client’s case — interviewing key witnesses, identifying the documents that matter, and shaping the narrative before trial.

Davis advises clients on the legal and litigation risks surrounding artificial intelligence, including product liability exposure for AI-enabled products and the evolving regulatory landscape for AI. He has spoken on AI in trial practice at national conferences and is a thought leader in this space, writing on topics like whether social media and AI platforms can be held liable as defective products.

Davis is the lead editor of Infectious Disease Litigation: Science, Law and Procedure, published by the American Bar Association, and serves on the ABA’s Book Publishing Board. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences, including the American Conference Institute’s Drug and Medical Device Litigation Conference, and a sought-after commentator in legal media.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Davis clerked for the Honorable Tommy E. Miller, Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, and served in the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness under Governor Timothy M. Kaine and as the Legislative Aide to state Senator R. Creigh Deeds.