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The way David K. Orensten sees it, his career in law was born, has grown, and continues to evolve though a series of moments where he leaned into the yes that allowed him to work hard, to create and nurture relationships, and to pay it forward.
When Orensten was sixteen, his family moved, and he found himself entering a brand-new high school as a junior. During school registration, he signed up for a debate class—and without realizing it, set himself on a trajectory that would change the course of his life. His teacher, who ultimately became a mentor and trusted confidante, recognized his untapped talent and began nurturing an inherent talent for advocacy. And, unbeknownst to Orensten, his class attendance automatically enlisted him on the debate team.
This is one of the moments Orensten now, with the benefit of hindsight, reflects on as an example of the “What If” moments. Any opportunity that comes up, the lawyer and strategist plays out the scenario. In this case, what if he chose to go all in?
He leaned into the yes—and, with hard work and discipline, made it to nationals. Then, while at Indiana University (IU) for undergrad, his speech communications professor, after watching him present during class, compelled him to join IU’s speech and debate team. Orensten would ultimately compete in tendifferent categories throughout college, making it to the national finals in rhetorical criticism and semi-finals in persuasive speaking. It was here where he was approached by a coach from The Ohio State University (OSU) and was offered an opportunity to serve as a coach for their speech and debate team. It was another what if moment, and one that Orensten views as perhaps the most impactful of his life. He said yes to OSU, pivoting from his plan of a full time role in corporate retail and deferred attendance at another law school; coached OSU’s speech and debate team to myriad successes and achievements across the overall team and among individual finalists, while he was a student at The Ohio State Moritz School of Law (thereby providing him free tuition); and managed to meet his now-wife, Sommer L. Sheely, a well-respected litigator and partner at Bricker Graydon. Hard work, indeed.
This same value of mentorship and cultivating relationships led him to another defining moment, when sleep-deprived and juggling a caseload across time zones in both the U.S. and Japan, he was approached by a recruiter who essentially asked him, would you be interested in an in-house litigation role with a Fortune 20 healthcare company located five minutes from your home? What if he chose to go in-house? He’d gain in-house experience and could explore returning to the firm or private practice elsewhere. It might also provide his REM cycle a chance to recover. He said yes.
Over nearly fifteen years at Cardinal Health, Orensten worked on virtually every kind of lawsuit and complex governmental investigation the organization dealt with. The lawyer took on complex commercial disputes, product liability, international arbitration, IP litigation, opioid litigation, wrongful death accidents, and more; he took on a secondary role building out the eDiscovery program, too.
In 2017, Orensten attended an Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation event in Columbus, Ohio, and found himself compelled by an attorney from Starbucks; particularly, it was the company’s mission and the way the general counsel talked about the company that deeply resonated with Orensten. He sent the lawyer an email just to tell her how much he’d enjoyed her presentation.
Starbucks seemed like a unique and amazing company and, four years later, he had the opportunity to seize the moment when the pandemic presented another “What If”: Starbucks was searching for a remote partner (Starbucks intentionally refers to all employees as “partners”), and the listing read like Orensten’s résumé.
“It was ‘What If’ time again,” Orensten recalls. “It was a completely different industry, an iconic customer-facing global brand, and a chance to work for an organization for which so many people have a direct personal connection—often synonymous with providing joy and community to inspire and nurture the human spirit.” (He cites his dad, for instance, who enjoys a quad espresso with a side of hot water daily—at a minimum.)
That leap paid off. At Starbucks, Orensten has proven himself invaluable for his blend of practicality and big-picture vision. “What makes Dave stand out is his ability to thoughtfully and practically guide us through the most complex IP litigation, while at the same time seeing how each decision connects to Starbucks’ larger business. He’s a trusted partner in every sense,” says Rich Miller, partner at Ballard Spahr.
What has served Orensten well at Starbucks is the same thing that’s served him well in previous roles. One colleague described him as “a unicorn,” given his practical know how, an ability to translate complicated legal concepts into the language of C-Suite executives, and a blend of litigation experience with eDiscovery skills that consistently leads to optimal business outcomes even under pressure and tight deadlines. Another industry peer told the lawyer that he is the same person whether he is talking to one person, a small group or presenting to large groups in the thousands. What you see is what you get with Orensten, and that authenticity speaks volumes.
One thing, among many, the organization has provided the lawyer is a profound belief in creating moments of joy and kindness.
“I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of nice people in my career, and I’d like to think that I, myself, am a pretty nice person. When I got to Starbucks, I immediately decided I must be the least nice person here,” Orensten says, laughing. “The culture here is so focused on creating positive moments for customers and fellow partners; it was something I saw in the interview process that continues to this day.”
Despite the lawyer’s misgivings, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of humans and canines willing to speak on behalf of Orensten’s character. During the pandemic, he, his wife, and their two boys began fostering dogs (along with their own “foster fail”) through Stop the Suffering, a local animal rescue in Columbus, Ohio. Working from home allowed the couple to take a more active role, and they’ve fostered over sixty dogs since.
“It’s been gratifying to even have some of our neighbors adopt dogs we’ve fostered. We get to see some of the dogs we’ve fostered around the neighborhood. I hope it’s taught our two boys about empathy, philanthropy, and responsibility—all in the name of setting them up to learn how to embrace their own what ifs one day,” he says.
