David Tierney

Sacks Tierney P.A.

DAVID C. TIERNEY is a litigator practicing primarily in Commercial Construction Law, as well as a mediator / arbitrator.  He has been a partner in the Phoenix firm of Sacks Tierney P.A. since 1974.  Mr. Tierney received his B.A. degree from Brandeis University and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1965.  He was Clerk to Justice Reardon, Massachusetts Supreme Court; a Peace Corps volunteer (still fluent in Spanish); and former chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Computers in Education.  Mr. Tierney was Chairman of the Board of Trustees for ARCOR (State Prison Industries) and is the current Chairman of Restorative Justice Resource Coalition, Inc., a group which helps probationers do construction work on 501(c)(3) buildings.  Mr. Tierney is the past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Risk Management (self-insurance for Maricopa County); a founder of the Horace Rumpole Inn of Court; a past Chairman of the State Bar Construction Law Section and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section; one of four editors of the Practice Manual for the State Bar Construction Law Section; the Treasurer of Arizona Behavioral Health Corporation, Inc.; and the past Chairman of the Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow (a Head Start related entity).  In October 1998, he received the “Hon Kachina” Award for volunteer service to the Community.  In September 2003, the National Association of Probation Executives presented the William Faches Award to Mr. Tierney.  Mr. Tierney is a former Adjunct Professor at ASU Law School teaching Construction Law and a Life Member of the American Bar Association Fellows.  From 2005 to the present, he has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America listings for Construction Law, Civil Litigation, and Mediation/Arbitration services.  Since 2006, he has been listed as a Top Commercial Litigator in the American Lawyer Magazine list of Top Litigators.  In March, 2011, he was awarded the Judge Learned Hand Award for service to the community.  He was construction litigator of the year in 2014 and 2016. 

Mr. Tierney has mediated or arbitrated over 150 proceedings and has chaired and presented at numerous continuing legal education programs for the Arizona State Bar and for the American Arbitration Association on such topics as Ethics, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act, Construction Bidding Process, and Contractual Requirements on Governmental and Private Jobs.  Mr. Tierney was a member of Valley Leadership Class I.  He has served on the Valley Leadership Board of Directors and has presented in past Valley Leadership programs.