Experience

David Tonini is an associate in the Denver office and a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation practice group. His experience and emphasis is system and process—driving a case successfully forward from beginning to end in several industries and areas, including intellectual property, oil and gas, commercial, real estate, antitrust, and fraud cases. Mr. Tonini spent significant time working on the firm’s national litigation for the Recording Industry Association of America in connection with the recording industry’s lawsuits against those who illegally copy and distribute the record companies’ sound recordings through unauthorized file-sharing programs.

Active within the firm, David is one of only two associates to sit on HRO’s Hiring Committee. He is also a key member of the firm’s Build-Out Design Committee – a group charged with helping to implement a substantial interior redesign of HRO’s Denver office space, a project that will span 12 to 18 months.

Featured in Law Week Colorado as an up and coming Colorado attorney, Mr. Tonini was described as “a natural leader” and one who is “steadily making a name for himself at Holme Roberts & Owen and in wider legal circles.”

Mr. Tonini received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2005. During law school, he gained critical experience as an intern at the Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, where he managed misdemeanor dockets and conducted several felony bench and jury trials. He also interned in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.

Before attending law school, Mr. Tonini served four years as an officer in the United States Navy aboard the USS Monterey (CG 61) where he led three supply divisions and served as a legal officer.  Mr. Tonini participated in deployments to Europe and the Middle East, the Far East, and South America. He is presently a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve.

Representative Cases

2008/2009 – Mr. Tonini won a summary judgment in an age discrimination case before a federal judge in Colorado. He wrote and argued a dispositive motion on choice of law which prevailed and eliminated a majority of the plaintiff's claims less than seven days before trial.

Mr. Tonini second-chaired an arbitration merits hearing that resulted in a finding for his client on all claims. David helped the client to obtain a total award of $5.4 million in damages.

Virgin Records America Inc. v. Thompson, 512 F.3d 724 (5th Cir. 2008)- Mr. Tonini helped HRO achieve a landmark ruling in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the trial court’s decision denying attorney fees to a defendant alleged to have engaged in illegal file sharing.

Arista Records L.L.C. v. Greubel, 453 F. Supp. 2d 961 (N.D. Tex. 2006) – Mr. Tonini helped win an order from the Court denying the defendant’s motion to dismiss, which paved the way for successful resolution of a case that had attracted national attention.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Up and Coming Lawyer Award, Law Week Colorado, 2009

Board of Directors, Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, 2008-present

The Incredible Hulk Award, Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center 2006

Family Directions, Board of Directors 2005-2007

William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, Quarterfinalist 2004

Virginia Environmental Law Journal, Editorial Board 2003-2005