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David J. Starshak

Associate

David graduated from Kansas State University where he was both a member of the school’s first national-qualifying Trial Team and the head of the university’s judicial system. As the head of the judicial system, David represented victims of sexual harassment, theft, and property damage and advocated for their rights before student and faculty judicial review boards.

After college, David moved to Chicago, where he attended the Chicago-Kent College of Law and earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude. While at Chicago-Kent, David competed nationally on the school’s Moot Court team. A finalist or semi-finalist in all of his prior competitions, David ultimately ended his tenure on one of the top eight teams competing at the National Moot Court Competition in New York City. In 2014, he earned the CALI award in Litigation Technology. David was a Notes and Comments Editor on Chicago-Kent’s Law Review and a Staff Editor on Chicago-Kent’s Seventh Circuit Review. David’s writing has been published in the Seventh Circuit Review and by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

Primary Practice Focus

David Starshak joined Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates in 2013 and dedicates his legal practice to helping injured workers get the compensation and justice they deserve.

In-Depth Look

Before entering law school, David spent several years working as a residential and commercial window cleaner in Kansas City. In 2010, David clerked for the Honorable Bill Taylor at the Cook County Circuit Court. During law school, David worked for the Oyez Project, where he researched and abstracted cutting-edge Supreme Court cases as they were decided by the Court. Prior to joining Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates David worked as a law clerk at Winters, Enright, Salzetta & O’Brien, LLC and at Whiteside & Goldberg, Ltd. David is a certified mediator and has mediated cases involving landlord/tenant disputes, breaches of contract, and faulty used automobiles.

David is an Eagle Scout. He enjoys camping, movies, and playing guitar.

Education

Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2014)
Kansas State University (B.S., 2011)

Admissions

Illinois, 2014
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Professional Associations

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)
American Association for Justice (AAJ)
Chicago Bar Association

Publications and Presentations

David Starshak, Chain Gang: Examining the Seventh Circuit’s “Chain of Distribution Test” When Applying Minimum Sentences for Drug-Related Deaths, in 9 Seventh Circuit Rev. 81 (2013), at http://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/Documents/Academic%20Programs/7CR/v9-1/Starshak.pdf.
Michael Carter and David Starshak, Psyched for Trial: Understanding Trial Psychology, Inside & Outside the Jury Box: Effective Trial Strategies 2014 Edition, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (May 9, 2014).
Deep Dive: New York Times v. United States, www.oyez.org (publication pending).