David Day is one of the Asia Pacific Region’s leading international legal practitioners, with special emphasis on Asia and based in Hawaii.
As a U.S. business lawyer, Mr. Day has been on the ground extensively throughout Asia in deal-structuring and negotiations and is currently involved in a variety of commercial projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, China and Japan.
In addition to cross-border work representing nationals and firms from these countries along with American firms operating in each other’s markets, Mr. Day continues to handle various commercial, corporate, international business and complex litigation matters in Hawaii, on the U.S. Mainland, throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands Regions (a more specific delineation of legal expertise can be found here.). His extensive experience includes wide variety of fields, including high technology, software and telecommunications. Mr. Day’s clients have included Fortune 500 firms, Asian foreign governments, as well as, technology, securities, industrial/manufacturing, construction, airline, resort, tourism, software, real estate development, mining, entertainment, and education firms. He has represented the interests of the Japanese government in Washington. The client mix has ranged from individual entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies.
Mr. Day is also a frequent speaker on legal, international business, foreign policy and geopolitical topics at conferences and symposiums throughout the Asia-Pacific Region including the U.S. Mainland, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. He is also a frequent speaker and faculty leader on international business and legal topics at executive and MBA-level courses and symposiums throughout the Asia/Pacific Region.
The Global Risk Mitigation Foundation is an organization that enhances and protects all stages of international and domestic projects and organizations by assessing viability and feasibility, together with associated country and regional risks. It utilizes global experts in widely diverse fields providing comprehensive risk analyses and risk management in a whole host of fields and focus areas: sensitive technology, anti-corruption, geopolitics, organized crime, counter-terrorism, legal, education, cultural, construction, disaster, logistics/sustainment, and financial integrity. Mr. David Day serves as the Foundation’s Chairman of the Board.
The Vietnam Trade piece
In 1997, as a private citizen, Mr. Day brokered the very first public discussions on the subject of a possible Bilateral Trade Agreement between Ministers of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and senior officials of the U.S. State and Commerce Departments (within 3 months of these first discussions which David initiated, the United States produced the very first rough draft of a trade agreement and transmitted it to Hanoi—it was ultimately put into effect some 3 years later).
The Philippines
Mr. Day is the only American to receive a commendation from the Filipino NGO, for his contribution to the development of democracy and freedom in the Philippines. This engagement with the Philippines continued throughout most of his career and, beginning in the early 2000s, David worked on Abu Sayaaf-blocking, counter-terrorism/humanitarian projects in Jolo, Sulu, and on Mindanao. That engagement continues even in current projects which are both humanitarian and counter-terrorism in nature.
Vietnam: Anti-corruption & Business Integrity
In 2006, Mr. Day was asked by the both U.S. State Department and the U.S Embassy in Hanoi to serve as a principal spokesperson with the Vietnamese for programs and discussions on ways to cut back corruption.
Following this initial foray in Vietnam on this highly sensitive topic, in the Fall of 2008, David then proceeded to conduct the pioneer training of Vietnamese executives in anti-corruption, business ethics and good-governance in Ho Chi Minh City as a part of Hawaii’s Shidler College of Business Vietnam ExecMBA program. He has continued these much-needed and highly-effective anti-corruption and business integrity trainings in Vietnam with the latest renditions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the Fall of 2012.
Anti-corruption training for Vietnamese govt officials and SOE executives. Hanoi, Vietnam
Indonesia: Trade & Business Development
Mr. Day has been one of Hawaii’s key leaders from the private sector in the negotiation and development of the State of Hawaii’s Sister-State relationship with the island and province of Bali, Indonesia.
Mr. Day is also a Founding Director and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Indonesia Chamber of Commerce (HICHAM) which focuses on the development of trade between Indonesian firms and the Hawaii business community.