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

(Leading lawyers)

David WeinsteinGreenberg Traurig LLP

With a sprawling presence throughout the country, including in key offices in Florida, New York and Chicago, Greenberg Traurig LLP is well-positioned to defend chemicals, manufacturing and energy clients against alleged toxic tort and environmental infractions, irrespective of geographical location. Able to mobilize resources utilizing core environmental and litigation practitioners, as well as frequently drawing upon the expertise of practitioners in other key practice areas, including real estate and construction, the team is particularly effective at handling large-scale multi-pronged matters involving regulatory enforcement actions, criminal and private class actions. The team, which is led out of Tampa by seasoned trial lawyer David Weinstein, is adept and has achieved significant victories over the years, at trial and appeal, in cases involving alleged soil, water, and air pollution. Key to these successes is the firm’s in-depth understanding of the underlying scientific and technical issues and ability to develop expert analyses to best serve their clients’ objectives.

United States > Environment > Environment: transactional

Greenberg Traurig LLP is particularly strong in the real estate sector, where it assists clients with the environmental risks of the acquisition, development, financing and sale of real estate assets. In Miami, Kerri Barsh advises clients on due diligence, environmental assessments and liability matters pertaining to transactions, while in New York Steven Russo deals with the environmental aspects of land use and real estate law. Barsh and Russo head the team longside Christopher Neumann in Denver and David Weinstein in Tampa.

United States > Environment > Environment: litigation

Greenberg Traurig LLP fields a large environmental practice spread out across the US and led by Tampa’s David Weinstein, Denver’s Christopher Neumann, Miami’s Kerri Barsh and Steven Russo in New York. The firm handles litigation, regulatory and transactional environmental matters and on the contentious side, is strong in government enforcement actions and cases pertaining to air, water, emissions, wildlife habitats and wetlands. Weinstein is a veteran trial lawyer with a focus on toxic tort cases; Neumann is a key name for enforcement and investigations; Barsh handles regulatory, permitting, and litigation matters; and Russo is recommended for NEPA and State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) issues, and environmental crimes. Philadelphia’s David Mandelbaum is experienced in water rights, waste management, and Superfund issues.

United States > Environment > Environment: regulatory

The environmental practice group at Greenberg Traurig LLP has a broad geographic spread and is led by Miami’s Kerri Barsh, Tampa’s David Weinstein, Denver’s Christopher Neumann and Steven Russo in New York. It acts for a domestic and international client base on financial, transactional and regulatory matters, as well as litigation, and is well versed in energy, food, water and climate issues. Barsh is recommended for regulatory, permitting, and litigation matters, while Weinstein handles toxic tort and product liability issues. Russo is a name for NEPA matters and brownfield redevelopments, and Neumann handles civil and criminal investigations and enforcement matters. Timothy Swickard left in October 2022.