George Allan Davidson (born April 6, 1942) is an attorney and the former head of the Litigation Department of the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

law firm

Hughes Hubbard & Reed Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP ( a.k.a. "Hughes Hubbard" or "HHR") is a multinational law firm headquartered in New York City with offices in the United States, France, and Japan. The firm's history dates back to the late 19th century, when it co ...

, having taking the position of Of Counsel upon retirement. He currently serves as an arbitrator in domestic and international cases. Davidson is also the former President of the Legal Aid Society, a position he held from 1987 to 1989. Davidson was also a Director of the Legal Aid Society from 1978 to 1992 and a member of its President's Council from 1990 to 2006. A respected

litigator - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

, Davidson has been involved in many landmark cases, including his 2000 victory before the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale ''Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale'', 530 U.S. 640 (2000), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court, decided on June 28, 2000, that held that the constitutional right to freedom of association allowed the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to ...

, where Davidson represented the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

. Davidson graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1964 and graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University School of Law in 1967. After graduating from

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

, from 1967 to 1968, Davidson served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

to the Hon. Paul R. Hays of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate juri ...

. Davidson is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Life Member of the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

, and a Trustee of the

William Nelson Cromwell William Nelson Cromwell (January 17, 1854 – July 19, 1948) was an American attorney active in promotion of the Panama Canal and other major ventures especially in cooperation with Philippe Bunau-Varilla. Life and career He was born and rai ...

Foundation. He served as Chair of the Federal Defenders of New York and chair of the Board of Directors of the New York City-based non-profit organization

Greenwich House Greenwich House is a West Village settlement house in New York City. History Greenwich House was founded on Thanksgiving Day in 1902 by city planner and social worker Mary K. Simkhovitch in a building at 26 Jones Street in Manhattan's West Vi ...

, Inc.

References

1942 births Living people New York (state) lawyers Columbia Law School alumni Brown University alumni {{US-law-bio-stub