David Weinstein

Managing Shareholder of GT's Tampa Office

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

• 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