David Governo, JD
Partner, Smith Duggan Buell & Rufo, LLP
David M. Governo, JD, has been a member of the Healthy Housing Solutions board since 2008 and has served as its chair since 2010.
Mr. Governo has worked as a trial lawyer for four decades. He has represented clients as national coordinating counsel and trial counsel in lead, asbestos, mold, indoor air quality, toxic tort, and complex products liability cases. Mr. Governo also advises individuals and business owners on risk management issues, insurance coverage, and liability claims.
He has a national reputation in the field of toxic torts. He has authored many book chapters and articles on the practice of law, organized and chaired over a dozen national litigation conferences, and received numerous awards and recognitions, including Super Lawyers (annually for over 10 years), Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating (AV) for ethics and skills, and is listed in Best Lawyers. He serves on several ASTM International Committees, including E6 on the Performance of Buildings, and E06.23 on Lead Hazards.
Mr. Governo has published articles on a wide variety of housing and health legal issues, including asbestos, insurance, soil vapor intrusion, green building practices, air cleaners, construction defects, and mold. He has edited and co-authored the textbook Toxic Tort Law and Science Manual and a chapter, “An Overview of Mold Litigation in Massachusetts,” in Toxic Mold Litigation, Second Edition (2009).
Mr. Governo’s community service includes serving on two local boards. He has been an active leader in the Waban, MA, neighborhood club called “The Windsor Club” for many years, first as the tennis chair, then as the president of the club from 2007 to 2008, and finally as a member of its nominating committee. In 2013, he was invited to serve as one of three trustees of the trust that owns the Windsor Club property, a position he continues to hold. He is also a member of the board of directors at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, MA.
Mr. Governo graduated magna cum laude from Providence College with a B.A. in political science and from Northeastern University School of Law with a Juris Doctor.