David L. Greenspan Partner

David Greenspan is a trial lawyer whose practice focuses on proactive counseling and aggressive litigation of employee mobility disputes and complex employment matters. David works with his clients to identify and resolve issues before they become adversarial in nature. David also serves his clients as a zealous advocate in litigation, arbitration and other administrative proceedings.

David is an experienced litigator with first-chair trial experience. David regularly represents employers in state and federal courts and administrative agencies throughout the country. He has also litigated many employee mobility cases. On the plaintiff side, he has obtained injunctions that prohibited people from competing against firm clients. On the defense side, he has effectively represented employers who have hired employees with non-compete or confidentiality agreements.

David regularly counsels corporate clients on a wide range of labor and employment topics including the protection of corporate assets through the use of employee agreements and corporate policies, wage and hour matters, compliance with Title VII, the ADA, the FMLA, the WARN Act and USERRA. David has also developed an area of interest in executive employment agreements. In this regard, he has worked with “c-suite” executives in various industries, former corporate general counsel, prominent elected federal officials no longer in office, and several high-profile sports personalities, including one Hall of Fame NBA coach.

David is a well-regarded public speaker who has conducted myriad presentations and training seminars throughout the country as a presenter for private employers, municipalities, educational academies, and trade associations. David regularly speaks on topics including: protection of corporate assets; prevention of illegal discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace; the complexities and intersection of the ADA, FMLA and related state laws; and general management relations topics.

David is the firm’s pro bono partner and is instrumental in McGuireWoods’ commitment to developing and sustaining pro bono programs that have been recognized nationally for innovation and impact. He serves as a co-chair of the Virginia Bar Association’s Pro Bono Council and is the board secretary for Legal Services of Northern Virginia, one of the largest legal aid organizations in the commonwealth. David also is a faculty member for the Virginia State Bar Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course and was selected as a Virginia Law Foundation fellow (class of 2021).

Experience

Successfully obtained summary judgment on behalf of a leading manufacturer of beverage canning machines in an Equal Pay Act and Title VII employment discrimination claim in federal court in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Lee v. Belvac Production Machinery, Inc. (W.D. Va. 2020). 

Represent international transportation logistics provider in cross-border commercial dispute seeking to obtain injunctive and monetary relief regarding alleged misappropriation of intellectual property and violations of post­ employment restrictions. Venn Corporation v. Brendan Cox and Traffic Tech, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45742 (E.D. Va. 2016)

Representation of protective security services company prevailing on summary Judgment in a dispute over a contractor's daily rate and the application of the Virginia Minimum Wage Act. Castillo-Guzman v. Triple Canopy, Inc., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26664 (E.D. Va. 2016);

Successfully obtain summary Judgment on complicated application of the American with Disabilities Act to an explosive detection dog handler in providing security services in Iraq.  Ruddell v. Triple Canopy, Inc. Civ. No. 1 15-cv-01331 (E.D. Va. 2016)

Representation of global aerospace, defense, information and services company seeking to obtain injunctive and monetary relief concerning allegations of conspiracy to misappropriate trade secrets.

Representation of a client obtaining summary judgment as to the claims of a former nurse that she was not accommodated and ultimately terminated for her failure to be able to satisfy a lifting restriction set forth in a written Job description. Griffin v. Prince William Health System, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45427 (E.D. Va. 2010)

Representation of a private client obtaining demurrer as his former employer's efforts to enforce post-employment restrictions. Strategic Enterprise Solutions v. Ikuma, 77 Va. Cir. 179 (Fairfax County, Va. 2008)

Representation of defendants in a week-long Jury trial where the plaintiff sued her former employer and individual former colleague for defamation related to statements made during the course of a government security background investigation.  The jury returned a complete defense verdict for both defendants.  Butler v. N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc., (Fairfax County, Va. 2007)

Representation of client prevailing on summary judgment in a leading USERRA case in the 4th Circuit holding that the employer did not violate USERRA when it changed the employee's hours and duties after her return from military service, and ultimately terminated her for misconduct within the "for cause" protected period. Francis v. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8159 (E.D. Va. 2005), aff'd, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 15578 (4th Cir. 2006).

  • The George Washington University Law School, JD, with Honors, Notes Editor, Public Contract Law Journal, Dean's Fellow, 2000
  • University of Maryland, BA, magna cum laude, 1997

Board of Directors, Legal Services of Northern Virginia

Member (Legal Advisor), Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police

Member, Virginia Bar Association

Member, Fairfax County Bar Association

  • Speaker, "Top Ten Employment Issues for the Construction Industry," Construction Industry Challenges 2023, May 24, 2023
  • Speaker, Handling Internal and External Investigations Amid the Pandemic, May 26, 2020
  • Co-Presenter, "Attorney Fees in Virginia," Virginia Continuing Legal Education Program, August 23, 2018
  • Co-Presenter, "Drugs, Stress and Leave, Recent ADA Developments," Virginia Continuing Legal Education Program, May 3, 2018
  • Presenter, Conducting Effective Internal Investigations, April 2018
  • Speaker, "Anatomy of a Whistleblower: How Compliance Program Failure Creates False Claims Act Risk," Compliance in the Real World — A Practical Roundup of Today’s Top Issues, October 25, 2017
  • Speaker, Honoring Veterans in the Workplace: A Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (“USERRA”) Refresher, Bloomberg-BNA Webinar, November 12, 2015
  • Presenter, "Labor Law and Management Issues in Law Enforcement," Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy Chiefs and Sheriffs Training Conference, May 2014
  • Presenter, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace, January 2011
  • Presenter, Human Resources Training – A Comprehensive Two Day Seminar on Employment Law, Investigations, and Management Issues, July 2011
  • Presenter, Employment Law for C-Level Executives, June 2011
  • Presenter, "Building Your Company for Growth and Successful Exit," 2010 Seminar Series, McGuireWoods LLP, January 2010
  • Presenter, "Business Torts and Forensics in the High-Tech Business Sector," NOVA-SHRM Annual Employment Seminar, February 2009
  • Facilitator, "Non-Competes and Trade Secrets: Understanding What You Can Protect, and Getting a Game Plan to Maximize Your Rights Under the Law," Northern Virginia Technology Council-General Counsel Committee, June 2008
  • Presenter, "Electronic Data Discovery: Changes, Challenges and Opportunities," Presentation at McGuireWoods Client Luncheon, April 2008
  • Presenter, "A Brief Review of Search and Seizure Law in Virginia," Presentation for the sworn officers of a local municipality, February 2008
  • Facilitator, Managing and the Law - An Interactive Day-long Seminar for Executives and Managers, January 2008
  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment, Trade Secrets Law, Woodward/White, Inc., 2023, 2024

Selected for inclusion in America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Labor & Employment, Virginia, Chambers USA, 2023

Named to "Virginia Rising Stars," Employment Litigation: Defense, Employment and Labor, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2009, 2011-2015

Back to top