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ddavenport@cwm-law.com

Representative Experience
Representative Cases
Articles and Presentations
News & Insights

Darius K. Davenport

Darius is Managing Partner of Crenshaw, Ware & Martin and Chairman of the Government and Public Sector and Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice Groups.

His Government and Public Sector practice focuses on providing counsel to political subdivisions and other governmental entities on a wide variety of topics relating to the governance and administration of public agencies to include procurement, economic development, real estate transactions, ethics, freedom of information, and public housing. Darius’ Cybersecurity and Data privacy practice focuses on assisting clients navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of data privacy laws and mitigating cyber risk.

Darius’ practice also includes complex litigation in state and federal courts.

Darius K. Davenport, Sr.

Rated by Super Lawyers

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Practice Areas

Cybersecurity and Data PrivacyPractice Group ChairGovernment and Public SectorPractice Group ChairEmployment LawPractice Group ChairAdmiralty & Maritime Law Commercial Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Government Contracting Litigation Railroad & Transit Law

Business & Industries

Cargo & Shipping Interests

Government & Education Policy

Local, State, & Federal Governments

Redevelopment & Housing Authorities

Railroads & Transit

Small Business & Nonprofits

Special Purpose Authorities

U.S. and International Insurers

Honors & Awards

AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell

Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2024)

CIVIC Leadership Institute, Class of 2021

Cybersecurity Senior Lecturing Fellow, Regent University

Listed inCoVA Biz Magazine, Top Lawyers, 2022

Listed in Virginia Business Legal Elite®, by Virginia Business Magazine, Intellectual Property/Information Technology (2019, 2021)

Listed in Virginia Super Lawyers "Rising Stars", Civil Litigation: Defense, 2015-2017

President's Award, Old Dominion Bar Association

Private Practitioner of the Year, South Hampton Roads Bar Association, 2021-2022

Walter E. Hoffman Community Service Award, Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association, 2013

Education

University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D., 2002

Norfolk State University, B.A., 1999

Military Service

United States Army, Judge Advocate General's Corps, Captain

Bar/Court Admissions

Virginia State Bar

Wisconsin State Bar

United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia

U.S. Supreme Court

Memberships

Defense Research Institute

Housing Authority Defense Attorneys

IR Global (Maritime Law and Data Privacy & Security)

James Kent American Inn of Court (Administrator, 2006-2015)

Local Government Attorneys of Virginia

Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association (Strategic Planning Committee, 2011)

Old Dominion Bar Association (Executive Board)

Old Dominion Bar Association Foundation (President)

Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute

South Hampton Roads Bar Association (Past President)

Virginia Bar Association

Virginia State Bar (Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, Former Member; Study Committee on Future of Law, Technology and the Practice of Law Sub-Committee; Litigation Section Board of Governors)

Community Involvement

City of Suffolk, Wetlands Board (Member; Vice-Chairman, 2016-present)

Community Action Coalition of Virginia (Board Member)

Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore (Board Member)

Hampton Roads Alliance 757 Recovery & Resilience Action Framework (Infrastructure/Connectivity Committee Co-Chair)

Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk Division Board of Directors (Co-chair Governmental Affairs Committee, 2018-2020; Chair-Elect, 2020)

Norfolk Innovation Corridor (Board of Directors)

Old Dominion University School of Cybersecurity (Advisory Board Member)

Representative Experience

Representative Cases

Articles and Presentations

Assist clients by developing incident response plans, legal policies and training programs to manage cybersecurity risks and mitigate liability
Provide counsel to clients regarding cybersecurity and data privacy issues and litigation
Represents local housing authorities in landlord tenant law, tort liability, and a host of other civil matters
Represents railroads in various litigation matters
Represents marine insurers and insureds across the full range of marine insurance disputes
Represents clients across a range of business disputes
Limitation of Liability actions on behalf of vessel owners
Federal and state court litigation in Virginia
Law Career Professional Development
Captain, United States Army, Judge Advocate General Corps (2002-2006)
Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia

Darius has litigated a host of cases in Federal and State Courts.

Panelist, “PHAs and Cybersecurity – Learn from the Experts on How Best to Protect Your Agency”, Housing and Development Lawyers Institute Conference (May 2023)
Panelist, “Cybersecurity Insecurity”, AICPA & CIMA National Employee Benefit Plans Conference (May 2022)
Presenter, “Cybersecurity Table Top for Lawyers,” South Hampton Roads Bar Association (April 2022)
Presenter, “Cybersecurity: Identifying and Responding to Current Threats for Local Governments,” Virginia Local Government Management Association Winter Conference (February 2022)
Presenter, “Cybersecurity Urgency for Plan Sponsors: Lessons Learned,” 51st Annual Virginia Accounting & Auditing Virtual Conference (November 2021)
Presenter, “Cyber Security: Ransomware and Terrorist Payments,” Actuarial Benefits & Design Company 31st Annual Client Symposium (October 2021)
Presenter, “Double the Trouble: Increasing the pressure to pay cyber extortion,” Virginia Municipal League Conference (September 2021)
Co-Presenter, Into the Breach: Practical Guidance on Cybersecurity Incidents,” Virginia Bar Association Summer Meeting 2021
“Why Paying a Ransom Has Powerful Unseen Cost,” for the Virginia Lawyer Magazine (June 2021)
“Top Three Technology Tips for Lawyers for 2020“, for the Virginia Lawyer Magazine (February 2020)
Faculty, “Cybersecurity for Virginia Lawyers”, Lawline CLE (October 26, 2018); Listed as one of Lawline’s Top Virginia Faculty (October 2019)
“Hacking at Sea, The Maritime Industry’s Vulnerability to Cyberattack ”, for the Defense, Defense Research Institute, Co-author (October 2019)
Presenter, “Cyber Crime”, Virginia Cyber Alliance Professional Workshop Series, Old Dominion University (June 21, 2019)
Co-presenter, Gone Phishing: Cybersecurity for Local Governments, Local Government Attorney Association 2019 Spring Conference (April 4, 2019)
Co-presenter, Cyber-Ethics: How Not To Let Your Computer Get You Disbarred, Twenty-First Annual Bench/Bar Conference, Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association (April 1, 2019)
Future of Law Practice, 2019 Report of The Virginia State Bar’s Special Committee on the Future of Law Practice, Darius K. Davenport, contributing author, Chapter 2.8.
Presenter, “Cybersecurity for Public Housing Agencies,” Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials 2018 Legal and Policy Seminar (November 2018)
“Hackers and Why They Hack – and Why You Need to Know”, For the Defense, Defense Research Institute, Co-author (October 2018)
“Mitigating the Cost of Data Breach”, Data and Security Dispatch, Defense Research Institute (DRI), Volume 4 Issue 2 (October 04, 2018)
Panelist, “Public Housing Executive Legal Case Study Panel Discussion,” HADA Seminar, Colorado Springs Marriott (September 26, 2018)
Presenter, “Cybersecurity Liability in the Public Sector,” HADA Seminar, Colorado Springs Marriott (September 25, 2018)
Panelist, “Cyberattacks: No Business is Immune”, Cox Business Executive Discussion Series (September 2018)
Expert Column, “Make sure your cybersecurity team includes a breach lawyer”, Inside Business Journal (August 3, 2018)
Co-presenter, “Anatomy of a Cyber Breach and Response for Maritime Lawyers and Their Clients”, Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute’s (SEALI) Annual Seminar (June 2018)
Presenter, “Cybersecurity and Data Privacy in Today’s Legal Practice”, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, 2018 Annual Convention (March 2018)
Presenter, Recent Developments in Community Security, Housing Authority Insurance Group Fall Collaborative (2017)
“Cyber Incident Reporting and the Department of Defense”, Data and Security Dispatch, Defense Research Institute (DRI), Volume 3 Issue 2 (November 21, 2017)
Co-presenter, “Cybersecurity and Business Resiliency”, CWM/mode5 Presentation (2017)
Presenter, “Cybersecurity and Data Privacy for Law Firms”, Old Dominion Bar Association Annual Meeting (2017)
Co-presenter, “Planning is Not a Luxury: Motivating Early Career Planning Through the Coach Approach”, National Association for Law Placement (2014)
Co-presenter, “Increasing the Effectiveness, Clarity, Productivity, and Value of Your Organization through Strategic Planning”, presented at National Association of Law Placement Conference
Presenter, “Office Management Boot Camp”, presented at National Association of Law Placement Conference

News and Updates

Virginia Business Announces 25th Edition “Legal Elite”

Posted on December 12, 2024

…...

CWM Attorneys Recognized by Virginia Super Lawyers®

Posted on April 29, 2024

Crenshaw, Ware & Martin, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that five of its lawyers have been selected for inclusion in the 2024 list of Virginia Super Lawyers® and Virginia Rising…...

Virginia Changes The Game On NIL

Posted on April 23, 2024

TRANSACTIONS FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES On April 18, 2024, Virginia governor Youngkin signed into law a statute governing Name Image and Likeness (NIL) payments to student-athletes, the first of its kind in the…...

CoVaBIZ Magazine "Behind the Scenes" Interview with Darius Davenport

Posted on January 8, 2024

COVABIZ Magazine is a leading business periodical in coastal Virginia, and the February edition features an “Up Front Q&A” session with Crenshaw Ware and Martin PLC’s Managing Partner Darius Davenport. …...

Virginia Business Announces 24th Edition “Legal Elite”

Posted on December 5, 2023

…...

Securities and Exchange Commission Final Rule on Cybersecurity

Posted on October 18, 2023

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently published a final rule, effective September 5, 2023, applicable to publicly traded companies on Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure.[1] The…...

CWM Attorneys Recognized by Virginia Super Lawyers®

Posted on April 28, 2023

Crenshaw, Ware & Martin, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that four of its lawyers have been selected for inclusion in the 2023 list of Virginia Super Lawyers®. Through a selection…...

CWM Attorneys Recognized by Coastal Virginia Magazine’s Top Lawyers of Coastal Virginia 2023

Posted on January 27, 2023

James L. Chapman, IV. Darius K. Davenport, Sr. Donald C. Schultz W. Ryan Snow Douglas E. Penner We are pleased to announce that five CWM attorneys, James L. Chapman, IV, Darius K. Davenport, Sr., Donald…...

Virginia Business Announces 23rd Edition “Legal Elite”

Posted on December 1, 2022

…...

26th Annual Mayflower Marathon

Posted on November 30, 2022

The 26th Annual Mayflower Marathon took place November 18– 20, 2022. The CWM family was excited to continue their tradition of volunteering for this annual event in support of our…...