Relentless. Tenacious. Experienced.
David leads the Real Estate Litigation practice group at Bernstein Shur—a team of passionate and persistent lawyers solely dedicated to the specialized niche of real estate litigation. For more than 42 years, he has represented property owners, developers, entrepreneurs, lenders, tenants, title insurers, and individuals in high-stakes real estate disputes across Maine and northern New England.
Real estate litigation demands attorneys with a thorough understanding of both the law and the industry, and David has spent his career immersed in the complexities of both. Clients turn to him because he understands what disputes mean to the people involved—and he has the practical perspective, industry knowledge, and decades of courtroom experience that few litigators can match. David grew up in a real estate family and has owned commercial real estate for most of his career.
Over the course of his career, David has handled more than 200 trials, contested hearings, and appeals. He is the author of the American Bar Association’s nationally acclaimed Real Estate Litigation Handbook and co-author of The Trial Lawyer’s Guide to Success and Happiness. He is widely recognized as a national leader in the field.
You win or lose cases based on momentum. We seize the initiative, and we never let go.
What he's great at
David represents clients in complex real estate, business, and constitutional law disputes, with a particular focus on real estate litigation involving:
- Boundary and easement disputes
- Road, water, and beach access issues
- Title defects and encumbrances
- Purchase and sale agreement litigation
- Partition and co-ownership disputes
- Mortgage priority and lien conflicts
- Enforcement of restrictive covenants
- Commercial lease disputes
- Land use-related litigation
- Business disputes involving real estate assets
How he delivers
Clients turn to David because he knows real estate at a level that goes beyond the courtroom. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked as a title searcher, and he comes from a family of builders and developers, and is a developer himself. That background gives him a practical understanding of the issues that often sit beneath a dispute, which allows him to identify the pressure points in a case quickly and chart the strongest path forward.
Why you'll enjoy working with him
David is candid, accessible, and clear about what matters. Clients appreciate his ability to bring focus and perspective to difficult situations, helping them navigate disputes confidently.
David also leads a real estate litigation team that is deeply collaborative. The group brings together attorneys from different backgrounds with an entrepreneurial mindset who know the subject matter, respect one another’s judgment, and understand instinctively that every detail matters when property rights or business interests are on the line.
Who he is off the clock
Throughout his career, David has remained deeply committed to the legal profession and public service. He has taught trial advocacy and real estate litigation programs for Maine attorneys, served in leadership roles within the American Bar Association and internationally as the former President of the Real Estate Commission of the Union of International Advocates, and devoted significant time to advancing access to justice through his work with the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Maine Homeless Legal Clinic.
Outside of law and real estate, David serves on the board of the Maine Jewish Museum and is Vice President of the Maine Orchid Society. He is the former Council Chair of Freeport, Maine.