David H. Pittinsky

Senior Counsel
Philadelphia

David H. Pittinsky is senior counsel at Ballard Spahr who has obtained precedent-setting wins in high-profile, high-stakes cases. During more than 50 years of litigation practice, David has been involved in almost every aspect of complex commercial litigation. He has been recognized as a "Senior Statesperson" by Chambers USA, the highest honor given to Senior Counsel, and was ranked in Band One by Chambers USAChambers USA quotes sources as stating "he is one of the top lawyers in Philadelphia for major corporate litigation" and "he is a formidable presence in the courtroom, where he really commands respect." David is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In recognition of his ongoing and exceptional contributions to the legal profession in Pennsylvania, David received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 from The Legal Intelligencer.

David has extensive experience representing global corporations in commercial litigation, trial prosecution and defense, appellate litigation, class action defense, and consumer financial services litigation. He defends and prosecutes complex commercial, antitrust, federal securities, ERISA, consumer finance, and contract claims commenced in state and federal court and on appeal. His recent clients include Oaktree Capital Management, Triumph Group, PNC Bank, N.A., Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, the National Conference of Black Mayors, Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company, Donegal Group Inc., and a major religious group.

Experience 

Representative Matters

  • Under federal election law, guided the successful appeal made by the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to delay the disclosure of the Committee’s financial information to a requesting journalist who was citing the state’s Right-to-Know-Law (RTKL). The Court of Commons Pleas agreed and held that federal election law preempted the state's RTKL.
  • Successfully persuaded the Missouri Supreme Court to hold that Missouri Senate Bill 5 was an unconstitutional special law in connection with his representation of 12 predominantly African-American cities in St. Louis County, Missouri. Missouri Senate Bill 5 sought to cap the amount of fines municipalities in St. Louis County could collect from minor traffic offenses at 12.5% of their annual operating revenues and require them to seek police accreditation for their police forces without state funds—a cap and requirement non-existent in other state municipalities.
  • Led a team that scored a victory in 2014 for the National Conference of Black Mayors President, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, when the Fulton County Superior Court ruled Mayor Johnson and NCBM officers were legitimately elected in 2013; the Ballard Spahr team represented Mayor Johnson and NCBM leadership pro bono.

Professional Highlights

Professional Activities

American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow

Philadelphia Bar Association

Recognition & Accomplishments

Chambers USA, litigation: general commercial law (Pennsylvania), 2008-2023, "Senior Statesman," 2021, 2022

The Best Lawyers in America, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, 2006-2020, 2022-2024 (Philadelphia)

Benchmark Litigation, "Local Litigation Star," Appellate and General Commercial Litigation, 2010-2022

Recipient, The Legal Intelligencer's 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, for his role in shaping the law in Pennsylvania

The Best Lawyers® Annual Guide To Commercial Litigation, 2009

Publications

Profiled in The Legal Intelligencer's July 29, 2014, edition on winning the 2014 Pennsylvania Litigation Department of the Year award for General Litigation

Credentials 

Education

Yale Law School (LL.B. 1966)

Columbia University (A.B. 1963)

Admissions

California

Pennsylvania

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit