With more than three decades of experience in lobbying and politics, the law, on the Hill and in the military, David Urban has established trusted relationships with the key players in the nation’s capital and America’s boardrooms, where he continues to offer his unmatched expertise and counsel to those making some of the most consequential decisions of the day.
In addition to his Of Counsel role here at Torridon Law, Mr. Urban also serves as Managing Director at the BGR Group, as a member of the board directors of Virtu Financial, The Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, and SubCom as well as member of the Global Advisory Council for Coinbase and a member of the Advisory Committee for Regent Craft. Mr Urban is a Senior Political Commentator for CNN where he can be seen almost daily on the network’s flag-ship programming.
Mr. Urban has been referred to by The New York Times as a “Prominent Republican/GOP lobbyist,” a “Mover and Shaker” by Campaigns and Elections Magazine, and a “Top Influencer” by Politics Magazine. Corporate Board Member Magazine has named Mr. Urban one of “Washington’s Top 10 Lobbyists”. Roll Call identified “Urban [as] a member of Washington’s community of influential Republican moderates and pragmatists,” and The Hill has repeatedly named Mr. Urban as a “Top Lobbyist” who has “mastered the art of working Capitol Hill’s hallways.” In a profile of Mr. Urban, Philadelphia Magazine said that “when [Urban] talks, Members of Congress listen.” When the Trump Administration was sworn in, Politico named Mr. Urban as one of the 30 most powerful people in “Trump’s Washington” and the New York Times noted that “David Urban is perhaps the best-connected lobbyist in President Trump’s Washington”. Mr. Urban has advised several presidential campaigns and joined the 2016 Trump campaign in its early days working as an in-state advisor for the Pennsylvania and Indiana primaries. After helping secure primary victories in both of those states, Mr. Urban moved to the Republican Convention in Cleveland where he served as the campaign’s senior political liaison at the convention. After the convention, Mr. Urban was named as a Senior Advisor on the campaign, where he directly advised then candidate Trump and was widely credited for leading Team Trump to a historic upset victory in Pennsylvania. In 2020, Mr. Urban again served as an advisor to President Trump and the campaign. Mr. Urban was appointed by the President to be the Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission where he played a leadership role in the commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the World War I Armistice, the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy, and the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The President also appointed Mr. Urban to the Board of Visitors (Trustees) for his alma mater, the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Mr. Urban began his career in Washington as the Chief of Staff for legendary United States Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) where he served for five years as the Senator’s senior advisor. Prior to his time in Washington, Mr. Urban was an attorney in private practice in Philadelphia. An active member of the Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Bar, Mr. Urban is admitted to practice before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Urban began his career, after graduating from West Point, as an artillery officer in the United States Army’s storied 101st Airborne Division. Illustrative of his distinguished record of consistently high performance during his time in uniform, Mr. Urban was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement while engaged in combat operations against Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
Mr. Urban earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Government Administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor degree from the Temple University School of Law, Mr. Urban has also completed the Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme through the Said School of Business at Oxford University as well as the Stratfor Certification in Geopolitical Analysis through the Florida Atlantic University.
Education
• Temple University School of Law, J.D.
• University of Pennsylvania, M.G.A.
• United States Military Academy West Point, B.S.
• Oxford University, Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme
• Florida Atlantic University, Stratfor Certification in Geopolitical Analysis
Bar Admissions
• District of Columbia
• Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
• U.S. Supreme Court
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Contact
T: 202.249.6900
durban@torridonlaw.com