David J. Harris graduated from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1976 after earning his bachelor of science in 1973 from Louisiana State University. He grew up in Memphis attending White Station High School.

Harris is a member of Burch, Porter & Johnson and concentrates his practice in municipal law, alternative dispute resolution, commercial litigation, banking, bankruptcy and creditor’s rights. He represents banks and financial institutions in a variety of matters, and has served as national counsel for one of the nation’s largest hospitality companies. From 2016-1018 he was Germantown City Attorney and was Planning Commission attorney for more than twenty (20) years. Harris is a member of the American Arbitration Association Commercial Dispute Panel and frequently serves as an arbitrator in complex commercial disputes. He is admitted to practice in state and federal trial and appellate courts across Tennessee and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Harris served on the Burch, Porter & Johnson management committee for more than thirty (30) years holding positions of chief manager and chief financial officer. He has been instrumental in the preservation, renovation and expansion of the firm’s historic offices on Court Square in Downtown Memphis. Under his leadership the firm has been among the “go to” contributors to the Law School, Memphis Area Legal Services and the Memphis Bar Association.

Harris is a past president of the University of Memphis Law Alumni Association and has held leadership positions in the Memphis Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Tennessee Bar Foundation and Memphis Bar Foundation. Harris was President of the Memphis Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. He is the recipient of the Sam A. Myar Jr. Award for outstanding service to the legal profession and the community. He is co-author of the Memphis Bar Association’s Guidelines for Professional Courtesy and Conduct.

His community service has included board chair, board member or legal counsel to numerous not-for-profit, education and charitable organizations. His work has been as diverse as revitalization of distressed neighborhoods to volunteer legal counsel and barbeque contest chair for the Memphis in May International Festival. He is a graduate of Leadership Memphis.

For more than 15 years, Harris has been selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and Mid-South Super Lawyers in various practice areas including Bet-the-Company Litigation, Business Litigation, Banking and Finance Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Bankruptcy Litigation, and Insolvency and Reorganization Law. He has been named Lawyer of the Year in several categories and included in the Top 50 Attorneys in Memphis and Top 100 Attorneys in Tennessee. In 2022, Mr. Harris was selected by the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Alumni Chapter as a Pillars of Excellence honoree.