David Rosen

Co-Founder and CEO at Catylex

Insights & ideas

David Rosen frames contract drafting as fundamentally analogous to coding, arguing that highly structured derivatives documentation, with its layered definitions incorporated by reference, functions like modular code where changes propagate through referenced components [1]. He contends that contract data, though commonly labeled "unstructured," is actually among the most highly structured data in business, since lawyers work to make agreements unambiguous and repeatable, but that this discipline evolved without the benefit of computers, leaving the legal field reliant on a guild of trained drafters rather than systematic tools [1]. He notes a key difference from software: contracts lack a compiler that catches errors early, so mistakes only surface much later, sometimes catastrophically, as seen when flawed contract language emerged during the credit crisis [1]. At Catylex, he applies this thinking by translating contract syntax into machine-readable formats to extract and structure data, while acknowledging that accurate extraction does not resolve deeper ambiguities in drafting versus business intent [1]. He predicts contracts will eventually be negotiated and generated automatically rather than manually drafted [1].

Experience

1. 
   Co-Founder and CEO

   CatylexSep 2018 to Present
2. Manager and Senior Counsel, Counterparty Relations and Fund Client Legal Teams

   Bridgewater AssociatesNov 2012 to Aug 2018
3. Executive Director and Counsel

   UBSApr 2011 to Nov 2012
4. Director and Counsel

   Credit SuisseMay 2004 to Apr 2011
5. Associate

   Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPAug 2001 to May 2004
6. Database Developer

   Independent ConsultantDec 1997 to Aug 1998

Education

• Columbia Law School · JD1998 - 2001
• Central European University · MA, Political Science1995 - 1997
• American University · BA, History and International Relations1991 - 1995

Media & appearances

• 22 - The David Rosen Episode - YouTube

  David Rosen discusses how his early background as a database developer influenced his approach to law and contract work, drawing parallels between coding and contract drafting as systematic, structured activities. He explains how Catylex uses AI to extract and structure contract data by translating contract syntax into machine-readable formats, and predicts that contracts will eventually be negotiated and generated automatically rather than drafted by lawyers.

This page shows public professional information only, each fact cited. Is this you? Corrections or removal within 24 hours, no questions asked.