David R. Esquivel
Pro Bono Member
Nashville
(615) 742-6285
desquivel@bassberry.com
https://www.bassberry.com/professionals/esquivel-david-r/
David Esquivel serves as the firm’s Pro Bono Member. In that capacity, he devotes half his practice to leading teams in significant pro bono litigation and managing the firm’s overall pro bono efforts.
David has long been active in pro bono and access-to-justice initiatives. He is a founding member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and has served as chair since 2013. David previously served as chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. David has served as chair of the board of directors of the Tennessee Justice Center, Conexión Américas, and the Maddox Charitable Fund. He currently serves as chair of the board of directors of the Nashville Public Library Foundation.
From 2003 to 2009, David represented victims of human rights abuses that occurred in El Salvador during the early 1980s. David was lead counsel in a three-week trial in which a federal court jury found the former vice-minister of defense for El Salvador liable for crimes against humanity. The verdict was upheld on appeal. For his work on this case, David was named the Tennessee Bar Association’s “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year” in 2005.
In addition to his robust pro bono practice, David advises clients on investigations and litigation matters mainly in the financial services sector, with a particular emphasis on matters relating to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He provides counsel to consumer reporting agencies, as well as furnishers and users of consumer data, on how to ensure regulatory compliance under the ever-increasing demands of federal regulatory agencies. He regularly advises on FCRA and TCPA compliance issues, handling investigations conducted by the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and representing clients in class action and individual litigation.
David also represents healthcare clients in managed care payment disputes, including contracting advice and pursuing and defending claims in arbitration and litigation. He maintains an active government contracts practice, representing clients in bid protests before the Tennessee Central Procurement Office, on appeal to the State Protest Committee, and in state court litigation.
David received his undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University. After law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge Sam J. Ervin, III, on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Before moving to Nashville in 2001, David practiced law in Washington, D.C. with the firm of Shea & Gardner.
Memberships
American Bar Association — Consumer Financial Services Committee, Vice Chair (2018-present)
Nashville Hispanic Bar Association — President (2023)
American Health Law Association (AHLA)
Nashville Public Library Foundation — Board Member, Chair (2018-2020)
Metro Nashville Policing Policy Commission (2020)
Maddox Charitable Fund — Board Member, Chair (2017)
Tennessee Supreme Court — Access to Justice Commission (2012-2018)
Law360 Privacy/Consumer Protection Editorial Advisory Board (2017)
Conexión Américas — Board Member, President (2011-2013)
Tennessee Bar Association — Access to Justice Committee, Chair (2010-2012)
Tennessee Justice Center — Board Member, Chair (2009-2010)
Leadership Nashville (2011)
Tennessee Bar Association — Leadership Law Class of 2007
Publications
Media Mentions & Firm News
Accolades
The Best Lawyers in America© — Banking and Finance Law (2021-2024)
Mid-South Super Lawyers (2011-2021); “Rising Star” (2010)
Tennessee Supreme Court — Attorney for Justice (2021-2022)
Nashville Bar Association — Liberty Bell Award (2018)
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity — Fellow (2014)
Tennessee Bar Association — Harris A. Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year (2005)
Tennessee Bar Foundation — Fellow
Nashville Bar Association — Fellow
Related Services
Related Industires
Education
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Duke University School of Law - J.D., 1997
Order of the Coif
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Duke University - B.A., 1992
Admissions
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Tennessee, 2001
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District of Columbia, 1999
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Texas, 1997
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
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U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee
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U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
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U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
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U.S. Supreme Court
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
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Duke University School of Law - J.D., 1997
Order of the Coif
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Duke University - B.A., 1992
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Tennessee, 2001
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District of Columbia, 1999
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Texas, 1997
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
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U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee
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U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
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U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
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U.S. Supreme Court
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit