David Selden
David Selden

David A. Selden

Partner

seldend@ballardspahr.com
Tel 602.798.5477
Fax 602.997.3251
Phoenix

David A. Selden is a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the Labor, Employment and Immigration; Construction; and Resort and Hotel Groups. Mr. Selden concentrates his practice in representing management in a wide variety of employment law matters, including discrimination, wrongful discharge, employment contracts, workplace torts, EEOC, ACRD, OSHA, DOL, restrictive covenants, noncompetition, trade secrets, and human resources counseling, investigation, and training. 

Mr. Selden has successfully defended employers in state and federal trial and appellate courts in Arizona and elsewhere, including The Neiman Marcus Group, Safeway, Troy Corp., Scripps-Howard Broadcasting, Century Surety, the City of Mesa, and AdobeAir.

Before entering law school, Mr. Selden worked in Washington, D.C., as a legislative and administrative assistant to several members of Congress from 1971 through 1982. Mr. Selden remains active in legislative and administrative matters. He wrote and was the primary advocate to achieve enactment of the Employment Protection Act, which overhauled Arizona's employment laws in 1996, Arizona's 1997 constructive discharge law, and other laws to limit employment litigation. He has testified before the Arizona Legislature as an expert in employment law matters dozens of times.

Mr. Selden has been interviewed by and quoted in numerous publications on employment law, including The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune, Arizona Daily Star, and The Tucson Citizen.

Representative Matters

The following are published court opinions in which Mr. Selden was counsel of record:

  • Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. v. Napolitano, 544 F.3rd 976 (9th Cir. 2009)
  • Arizona Contractors Association, Inc. v. Candelaria, 534 F. Supp.2nd 1036 (D. Ariz. 2008)
  • Swanson v. The Image Bank, Inc. and Swanstock, Inc., 206 Ariz. 264, 77 P.3d 439 (Ariz. 2003)
  • Caudle v. Bristow Optical Co., 224 F.3d 1014 (9th Cir. 2000)
  • Cooper v. Neiman Marcus Group, 125 F.3d 786 (9th Cir. 1997)
  • Hamilton v. City of Mesa, 185 Ariz. 420, 916 P.2d 1136 (App. 1995)
  • Kelley v. City of Mesa, 873 F. Supp. 320 (D. Ariz. 1994)
  • Devore v. City of Mesa, 783 F. Supp. 452 (D. Ariz. 1991)
  • Gonzales v. City of Mesa, 779 F. Supp. 1050 (D. Ariz. 1991)
  • Sanders v. Circle K Corp., 137 F.R.D. 292 (D. Ariz. 1991)
  • Smith v. Barrango, Inc., 6 I.E.R. Cases (BNA) 475 (D. Ariz. 1990)
  • AT&T Info. Systems v. Arizona Dept. of Economic Security, 154 Ariz. 2, 741 P.2d 703 (App. 1987)

Professional Activities

Adjunct Professor of Law, employment and employment discrimination law

Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Chair, Employee Relations Committee

Recognition & Accomplishments

Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, labor and employment law, 2007-2009

The Best Lawyers in America, labor and employment law, 1995-2010

Recipient, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Volunteer of the Year Award, 2004

Recipient, Phoenix Symphony, Volunteer of the Year Award, 1992

Publications

Co-editor-in-chief, Arizona and Federal Employment Law: An Employer's Guide, second through ninth editions (Arizona Chamber of Commerce, publisher)

Speaking Engagements

Frequent speaker before professional groups, giving more than 20 seminars per year

Board Memberships

Arizona Chamber of Commerce (also past General Counsel)

Phoenix Symphony, board member since 1995, and General Counsel

Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1982, magna cum laude)
Editor, The Tax Lawyer

George Washington University (B.A. 1973; M.A. 1976)

Arizona 1982

U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona 1982

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1983

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2008

U.S. Supreme Court 1985