David Johnson is a member in the firm’s Civil Defense Litigation practice group. David’s practice focuses on defense litigation, primarily on workers compensation.
Before joining Gentry Locke, David served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Norfolk, where he prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases. He previously worked as a Judicial Law Clerk in Danville, Virginia, and earlier in his career, he proudly served in the United States Army. David earned his J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and his B.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. He also has his M.A. from American University School of International Studies.
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Languages spoken
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Years served in the Army
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Jumps out of a plane or helicopter
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I see that you served in the Army. What motivated you to pursue a career in law?
I wanted to continue serving but in a different way, and becoming an attorney seemed like the perfect choice to do just that while furthering my education. The ideals of law, such as justice and fairness, called out to me and I followed. Additionally, it was easy to adapt and hone the investigative, analytical, and writing skills I learned in the Army working in the intelligence field to my career as an attorney.
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People would be surprised to know...
I enjoy writing, and while I mainly write for my legal career, I like to think that in a parallel universe I am a science fiction author.
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What life lesson do you think we should all follow?
The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. When a task is so large and complicated, it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when there are multiple large tasks. However, dividing up a large task into smaller ones and then focusing and tackling each of those smaller tasks one at a time gives you momentum to build upon and the perspective that the elephant is not as big as originally thought.
Education
- American University Washington College of Law, J.D.
- American University School of International Service, M.A.
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, B.A.
Experience
- Prosecuted misdemeanor and felony offenses ranging from traffic infraction appeals to murder while serving as Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Norfolk
Admissions
- Virginia State Bar
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News
May 2025
