Who was David Rivkin? All about the "superstar attorney" as Donald Trump pays tribute on Truth Social

Well-known attorney and political writer David Rivkin, 68, passed away on December 27, 2024. According to a report by the National Law Journal, he was working at the law firm BakerHostetler for a long time, and a spokesperson for the company stated that David was struggling with some illness, which eventually led to his demise.

David had been previously employed at places such as Hunton & Williams, and was featured on various TV shows on networks like Fox News and BBC.

While social media platforms were flooded with tributes from various personalities, Donald Trump also took to Truth Social to express his grief over David Rivkin's demise. He described Rivkin as a "Superstar Attorney" as he wrote:

"He was a great lawyer, scholar, and defender of mine. Our hearts and prayers are with his incredible wife, Diana, and family. He will be greatly missed."

The news of David's death was first revealed by BakerHostetler's chairman, Paul Schmidt, in a statement shared with The National Law Journal on Friday, saying that David's association and contribution to the company's "litigation and appellate practices" were always valued by the clients. Schmidt further stated:

"David was recognized as a keen and brilliant commentator on Supreme Court and constitutional issues reflected by his many contributed essays for the Wall Street Journal, often co-authored with other partners."

Partner for BakerHostetler Andrew M. Grossman also shared a tribute on X (formerly Twitter), where he added a photo of Rivkin and wrote:

"Goodbye to my mentor, colleague, friend, and brother in the law David Rivkin. A giant of the profession, patriot, and happy warrior for freedom."

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David Rivkin also wrote some books alongside his work in the world of law

According to David's bio on his self-titled website, he was associated with high-profile cases throughout his career. He also had a good experience with litigation, specifically in problems related to national security.

David Rivkin's list of clients also included the Republic of Croatia, which he had represented for a long time, followed by the 26 states that challenged the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

He was also an expert in handling enforcement proceedings before government agencies on problems that emerged due to various multilateral and unilateral Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and more.

David's website stated that he served in the federal government briefly and was an Associate Executive Director and General Counsel of the President's Council on Competitiveness at the White House.

Rivkin had once been the Associate General Counsel for the US Department of Energy, where he took over the duties of solving the problems of electricity, global climate change, natural gas, and more.

He was also a legal advisor for former Vice President George H.W. Bush. Apart from that, he even helped develop and implement Bush's deregulatory initiatives, including reviewing the existing federal regulatory structures and applying new cost-effective standards to new regulations.

David Rivkin was responsible for the appellate litigation in various Second Circuit and Supreme Court cases. He was part of a legal team representing a former JPM managing director in London, whose cooperation was requested to investigate trading loss for the bank worth billions of dollars.

David's expertise as an attorney was also addressed through various articles and book chapters over the years. He made guest appearances on multiple NPR, CBS, ABC, and more shows.