Dave was born and raised in Westtown, New York, a small town just outside New York City. After several winters at college in central New York, Dave headed south for warmer weather. He spent time outside of Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia, before accepting a scholarship to attend the Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville in 2009. Dave worked in a small litigation firm after graduation until co-founding Naples & Spence, Attorneys at Law, PLLC, with his friend and colleague, John “Jack” Spence, in 2017. Dave founded D. Naples Law in 2024.
Dave and his wife, Kaley, live in St. Augustine with their rescue dogs, Klondike and Karley. Dave and Kaley are proud to support local business and spend much of their time together looking for local art for their home, supporting local charities, and dining at local restaurants. Dave donates much of his professional time each year providing pro bono legal services to residents of St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and the surrounding communities. He was awarded the Pro Bono Award presented by St. Johns County Legal Aid in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023 for donating over 100 hours of legal services each year to the St. Augustine and Jacksonville communities.
In 2023, Dave was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America®. According to its website, Best Lawyers recognizes the top 6% of practicing attorneys. Dave was also nominated, and accepted into, the Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. The Institute’s goal is to develop the profession’s future leaders through a series of in-depth educational presentations led by outstanding subject matter experts in each field. Dave graduated from the Florida Fellows Institute in May, 2024.
In 2022, Dave received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. According to its website, Martindale-Hubbell’s rating system has been in existence for over 140 years and is the “gold standard” for attorney ratings. An AV Preeminent rating is the highest peer rating and signifies that a lawyer’s peers rank them at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards.
In 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, Dave was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. From its website: “Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.” According to Super Lawyers, only 2.5% of attorneys are selected as a Rising Star.
Not known for sitting still, Dave works just as hard outside of the office as he does in the office. He is really passionate about his hobbies and will gladly talk to anyone about those hobbies, whether they are interested or not. Dave is an avid motorsports fan and an aspiring racecar driver. He is a member of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Dave regularly participates in high performance driver education track days (HPDE) and time trials (TT) with Scarlett Red, his 2013 Subaru BRZ. Dave has tracked his car on the Daytona International Speedway (FL), Sebring Raceway (FL), Roebling Road (GA), Barber Motorsports Park (AL), and the Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park (FL). In April, 2024, he participated in his first competitive wheel-to-wheel race, a 14-hour endurance race at Daytona. Dave’s team finished 8th in class and 34th overall in a field of over 120 cars. In July, 2024, he competed in his second competitive wheel-to-wheel race, a 12-hour endurance race at Sebring. Dave’s team finished 6th in class and 20th overall. Dave has aspirations of one day competing in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Dave attained his Level 2 WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) Certification, passing “with distinction.” His interest in wine stems from being a member of a local American Wine Society chapter for many years. Dave was interested in learning more about the many types of grape varietals, the different wine regions throughout the world, and the way climate and maturation affects the wine. In his ideal “retirement,” Dave dreams of owning a vineyard in France, Italy, or Spain.
Areas of Practice
- Estate Planning, Asset Protection, Special Needs Planning
- Elder Law, Guardianship, Elder Abuse
- Probate & Trust Administration
- Probate & Trust Litigation
- Personal Injury & Car Accidents
- Civil Litigation and Appeals
Awards
- AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
- Rising Star from Super Lawyers 2020-2024
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Pro Bono Award from St. Johns County Legal Aid 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Cum Laude, State University of New York, College at Cortland; Cortland, New York, 2008
- Juris Doctor, Florida Coastal School of Law; Jacksonville, Florida, 2012
Bar Admissions and Organizations
- State of Florida
- United States District Court, Middle District, Jacksonville Division
- Florida Bar Association
- St. Johns County Bar Association
- Real Property, Probate, Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar
- Florida Fellows Institute of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Class VI