About David B.
David B. Jaffe graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1978 and completed his J.D. at The University of Chicago Law School in 1981. His legal education was followed immediately by federal clerkships, beginning at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He served as a law clerk to Chief Judge James R. Browning in 1981 and then spent a year clerking for Justice William H. Rehnquist at the Supreme Court of the United States in 1982.
Those early clerkships framed a career that has moved between private practice and in-house roles. After his Supreme Court clerkship he entered private practice and became a partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn in 1984. He later joined Guardian Industries Corp., serving as vice president, general counsel and secretary beginning in 1990. In 2014 he took on the principal role at Jaffe Counsel plc, where he has continued to advise clients on legal and corporate matters. He is admitted to practice in Michigan and before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He has held membership in the Michigan State Bar since 1982 and that membership remains current.
Jaffe’s professional record shows both courtroom and boardroom experience. His appellate credentials stem from his clerkships and federal admissions. His time as in-house counsel included governance, regulatory matters and the day-to-day legal work that corporate general counsels handle. In private practice he has worked on transactional matters and litigation that intersect with corporate governance and compliance.
Colleagues and clients have most often encountered him on matters that require translating complex legal issues for company leaders and boards. He has moved between advising corporate executives, managing litigation strategy and addressing regulatory questions. His resume spans large law firm partnership, senior corporate counsel responsibilities and independent practice.
He now practices through JAFFE COUNSEL PLC, handling corporate legal matters, appellate litigation and advice for corporate boards and senior executives.
