About David
David Duncan took a deliberately paced path into the law. He earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 1973, then returned to school for a law degree at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, graduating with a J.D. in 1982. The two degrees bookend a period of preparation that preceded a steady legal career that spans decades.
His first post-law school role was as a judicial law clerk in 1982 at the United States Court of Appeals. That early exposure to appellate procedure and opinion drafting shaped much of his subsequent work. He moved into private practice the following year, joining Hangley Connolly Epstein Chicco Foxman & Ewing as an associate lawyer in 1983. Two years later he became a partner at Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP, a position he has held since 1985.
Duncan has argued matters in multiple federal forums. His jurisdictions include the U.S. Supreme Court and appellate practice before the 1st Circuit and the 9th Circuit. He is also admitted in Massachusetts and in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Those admissions reflect a mix of trial and appellate practice across state and federal systems.
He maintains memberships in several professional groups. He is a current member of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Boston Bar Association. These affiliations place him in regular contact with lawyers who specialize in criminal defense, appellate practice, and the rules that govern courtroom procedure.
Over the course of his career Duncan has balanced courtroom work with appellate filings. The early clerkship gave him an inside look at how appellate panels approach questions of law, and his later practice has involved preparing briefs and arguing contested issues at higher levels. Colleagues describe him as methodical; he tends to break complex problems into discrete legal questions and address them one at a time.
He has been based at Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP for much of his career. There he handles criminal defense matters that require both trial advocacy and appellate work. He continues to represent clients in state and federal courts and remains active in professional organizations focused on criminal defense and appellate procedure.
He currently practices at Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP and focuses on criminal defense work that spans trials and appeals.
