David Francis (cyclist)

Francis earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law.[3] He was the first in his family to receive a bachelor's and doctorate degree.

He is a former member of the United States Cycling Team (1989–1991) and was part of the next generation of American cyclists (after the success of Greg LeMond and Andrew Hampsten) to compete in professional cycling, a sport traditionally dominated by Europeans. His teammates included Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Bobby Julich and Jonathan Vaughters. He was originally coached by Bob Bills, but in 1990 USA Cycling Team Director Chris Carmichael hired former European professional rider, Rene Wenzel, to replace him. Francis traveled and raced internationally as a member of the United States Cycling Team for three years before leaving the team in 1991 to serve a two-year service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He feels great pride for representing his country in cycling and credits his time on the US National Cycling Team as a great teacher of personal responsibility, hard work and setting and achieving goals.

Francis is the proud father of 4 boys; Samuel, Ethan, Aidan and Henry. He loves to be close with them and spend time with them. He is married to Brooke Olson from Seattle, Washington. Prior to his marriage to Brooke, Francis and his first wife, Emily Webster, divorced. Like most Mormons, Francis married young and inside of his faith. After 18 years of marriage it became apparent to Francis that an intimate, marital connection was not possible with Emily. Heartbroken and ashamed of the problems in his marriage and afraid to speak openly with anyone inside his network of family and friends, all of whom were devout Mormon, Francis turned to alcohol to escape the pain and confusion he was feeling and used drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism, to "keep moving forward on the broken path I was on." This resulted in more problems for Francis both personally and professionally. After a long journey through what Francis calls "the underworld" a "place where confusion, pain and hopelessness reign, but also a place where all things are possible" he has moved on and is focused on enjoying those individuals who are closest to him in his life, his physical fitness and his love for the mountains and mountaineering. Francis has been writing and recording his experiences from his journey through "the underworld" and hopes to share those experiences with others.[4]

Francis became interested in the law and becoming a lawyer after his older sister, Suzie, was killed in a motor vehicle accident when she was 19. The poor manner in which the insurance company dealt with Francis' family after the loss of Suzie, left an impression on Francis that has stayed with him to this day. After graduating from law school, he accepted a job with Mainor Harris Lawyers, working directly with Richard Harris, one of its founders. After working directly with Harris, Francis later worked for Alverson Taylor and then Beckley Singleton, both large insurance defense firms in Las Vegas.[3] Francis saw his time working for large insurance defense firms as an education into how insurance companies operate and treat victims of injury they are contractually obligated to compensate. He founded the David Francis Law Firm,[5] a civil trial law firm that specialized in personal injury law in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2007. Francis enjoyed success as a top civil litigator and trial attorney in Las Vegas. In 2009 he became the first trial lawyer in Las Vegas to receive a jury award in a medical malpractice case in over 10 years when the jury awarded his client $3.6 million dollars. Francis grew the David Francis Law Firm to over 35 staff and 6 attorneys. It was at this time that Francis' personal problems started to affect his professional career. Francis' use of alcohol as a coping mechanism began to show its affects. Francis was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. He also failed to properly supervise his office manager who stole over $1,000,000.00 from Francis' firm and improperly notarized the settlement of an out of state client. These actions resulted in a 3 year 6 month suspension, which has since expired.[6]

As of 2020 Francis resides in Salt Lake City, Utah and is the founder and owner of WAV Software Designs and Blu Sky Consultants. He also works as the Director of Claims at Salt Lake City, Utah personal injury firm, LifeLaw.[7][8] Francis is also a member of the HEAL non-profit organization that is seeking to reduce the air pollution and "inversion" that plagues Salt Lake City's winter skies.