David B. Weinstein > Greenberg Traurig LLP > Tampa, United States > Lawyer Profile

Greenberg Traurig LLP
101 EAST KENNEDY BOULEVARD, SUITE 1900
TAMPA, FL 33602
FLORDIA
United States

Work Department

Litigation

Position

Managing Shareholder of GT’s Tampa Office

Career

David Weinstein is the Managing Shareholder of GT’s Tampa office. With over 30 years of experience, David is a “go to” litigator and strategist for high-stakes and complex civil and white-collar litigation, including business, environmental, toxic tort, real estate, land use, health care, and other challenging matters. An accomplished litigator who takes pride in his courtroom advocacy, David also works to help clients find practical and effective out-of-court approaches to their legal issues whenever appropriate. Drawing on his business experience and acumen, David handles a wide variety of matters and enjoys assisting clients with overcoming their most difficult challenges. In the civil context, he represents clients in class actions, mass torts, and other complex litigation. He also represents organizations and individuals in federal and state white-collar criminal investigations. In addition, David assists clients with developing and implementing crisis management, public relations, and other external and internal communications strategies for both civil actions and government investigations. He has significant “first-chair” trial experience in jury and non-jury trials, as well as arbitrations. David also serves as the Chair of the firm’s Environmental and Toxic Tort Litigation Practice.

David’s versatility and skills are exemplified by his recognition in multiple categories by the most prestigious legal rating services. Both Chambers and Partners USA Guide and The Best Lawyers in America list David in three distinct categories: Commercial Litigation, White-Collar Criminal Defense, and Environmental Law. In 2022, The Legal 500 United States recognized him as one of only seven “Leading Lawyers” nationally in “Litigation – Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense: Toxic Tort.” Who’s Who Legal describes him as “a distinguished litigator and a well-known name for civil and white-collar disputes,” and Benchmark Litigation recognizes David as a “Litigation Star.” David is recognized as one of “Florida’s Legal Elite” by Florida Trend magazine—which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2010. And Florida Super Lawyers has rated David as one of Florida’s “Top 100” lawyers seven times.

David has a long record of service to the legal profession and the community, which include: Member, Board of Directors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay; Former Member, Board of Trustees, Straz Center for the Performing Arts; Member, Former Chair and current Co-Chair, Environmental Enforcement and Crimes Committee, ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources; and Co-Chair, Criminal Litigation and Enforcement Subcommittee, ABA Environmental Litigation Committee. He is also a member emeritus of the Herbert G. Goldburg-Ronald K. Cacciatore Criminal Law American Inn of Court and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. A Fourth-Degree Black Belt, David served as the senior instructor of Tampa Moo Duk Kwan, a not-for-profit martial arts club.

David was recently recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as a member of their “Power 100” and in Florida Trend’s “People to Know in Tampa/Hillsborough County.”

Concentrations
Environmental and toxic tort litigation
White collar criminal defense
Business litigation
Real estate and land use litigation
Mass torts
Class actions
Trial and appellate practice

Capabilities
Litigation
Trial Practice
Appeals & Legal Issues

Admission to Practice
New York
District of Columbia
Florida
Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico

Languages

English

Education

  • J.D., University of Florida Levin College of Law, 1986
    • Member, Trial Competition Team
    • Member, Florida Blue Key
    • Member, Omicron Delta Kappa
  • B.S.B.A., University of Florida, 1981

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Environment > Environment: transactional

Greenberg Traurig LLP regularly advises developers, investors, and lenders on the full range of environmentally-related real estate and corporate transactions, including environmental due diligence and negotiating environmental terms in transaction documents. Miami-based Kerri Barsh, who co-heads the firm’s environmental practice with Tampa-based David Weinstein, is a key contact, advising on a range of environmental regulatory, permitting and litigation matters, including transactional support and due diligence, energy and infrastructure projects, climate change issues and hazardous materials’ contamination. From Denver, fellow co-head Christopher Neumann is known for his extensive transactional experience in the oil and gas, mining, and hazardous waste sectors. Steven Russo chairs the firm’s environmental practice in New York, and is an expert in environmental law and litigation, environmental permitting, land use and real estate law. Philadelphia’s Paul McIntyre and Houston’s Christopher L Bell are also recommended.

United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort

(Leading lawyers)

David WeinsteinGreenberg Traurig LLP

Led from Tampa by David Weinstein and drawing upon environmental regulatory and litigation experts spread throughout the country, Greenberg Traurig LLP is well-positioned to help clients fend off multi-plaintiff civil litigation suits, as well as regulatory enforcement actions, irrespective of geographical location. The firm is particularly adept at handling MDLs, regularly working the case up and also representing the client at the trial stage, if necessary. Based in Chicago, seasoned trial lawyer Francis Citera is ‘an excellent legal strategist’, who excels in handling environmental/toxic tort MDLs/class actions, where he is noted for his ability to achieve favorable results at the motions stage, often obtaining summary judgments and outright dismissals prior to trial. Tampa-based Christopher Torres is also recommended and regularly helps to dismiss or limit claims relating to environmental and toxic torts at the motions stage, through the decertification of a class as well as the exclusion of expert witnesses.

United States > Environment > Environment: regulatory

National companies turn to the environmental practice at Greenberg Traurig LLP for aid with manufacturing, energy, food, water, ESG, transportation and resources issues, from compliance and rulemaking right through to litigation. Leadership of the group is shared between David Weinstein who, operating from Tampa, is a name to note in toxic tort defence and product liability and Christopher Neumann, of the Denver office, who specialises in oil and gas, mining, hazardous waste and environmental incidents. Over in Miami, Kerri Barsh , is known by public and private clients alike for her experience with compliance and enforcement matters like permitting, product liability and infrastructure projects, whilst the New York-based Steven Russo‘s practice encompasses toxic tort litigation, permitting, energy and real estate law.

United States > Environment > Environment: litigation

The environmental team at Greenberg Traurig LLP assists a spread of industrial and commercials clients, including those from within the chemical, mining, manufacturing sectors, in relation to air, water and land contamination, waste management issues, hazardous waste and natural resources claims. The deep bench includes the likes of David Weinstein, who, based in Tampa, specializes in toxic tort defense and Clean Air Act mandates, Denver’s Christopher Neumann, who is known by clients in the oil and gas, mining and construction industries for his ability to handle environmental incidents and response and the Miami-based Kerri Barsh , who deals with climate change and contamination matters. In New York, Steven Russo handles toxic tort litigation, environmental crimes and the environmental aspects of land use law, while David G. Mandelbaum  regularly represents clients facing challenges related to water rights, and waste management from Philadelphia. Will Wagner joined the firm in California from Arnold & Porter.