Dave is excited to be a partner in The Coppola Firm and represent clients in personal injury and employment matters.
Dave has been practicing law for over 30 years. Considered a “lawyer’s lawyer,” fellow lawyers frequently seek out his opinion and also ask him to serve as a neutral arbitrator and mediator in a wide variety of disputes.
His first 10 years of practice involved defending doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities in medical malpractice and licensure matters. Doing so, he gained valuable trial experience and earned his reputation as a thorough, detailed and well-organized trial lawyer. Dave thereafter spent 15 ½ years practicing plaintiffs’ personal injury law with a large and established firm. Dave then returned to civil defense and spent 5 ½ years defending insureds in civil litigation.
Dave has served as a faculty member on continuing legal education panels, advising his fellow attorneys on updates in the law and trial practice skills on behalf of the New York State Bar Association, the Bar Association of Erie County, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Western New York Trial Lawyers. He has twice served on the Board of the Western New York Trial Lawyers, first as treasurer and then as a director.
Dave is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell; he has been chosen for Best Lawyers in America since 2001; he has been chosen for New York State Super Lawyers since 2006; and has been included in Buffalo Spree Best Lawyers in Western New York since 2011.
Dave and his bride Kathleen have been married for over 32 years and have three children. As a devout Bruce Springsteen fan, he fits in well with his partners and colleagues at The Coppola Firm.
