His written work for the bar has been published in The Illinois Bar Journal, Trial Briefs, Tort Trends and other periodicals. As a member of the ISBA's Tort Law Section Council, David authored friend-of-the-court briefs for the Illinois Supreme Court and the Unites States Circuit Court of Appeals, advocating in support of injured victims facing disputes with their own insurance companies (Scholtens v. Schneider, 173 Ill. 2d 375, 671 N.E.2d 657, 219 Ill. Dec. 490 (1996); Blackburn v. Sundstrand Corp., 115 F.3d 493 (7th Cir. 1997)). Following the successful outcome of both cases, the Illinois State Bar awarded him the prestigious Governor's Award.

David is also a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), the Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers (MATA), and the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA).

David enjoys bicycle racing, triathlons and soccer; he also serves as a board member for several non-profit organizations in the greater Metropolitan area. David and his wife Becky, also an attorney, live in St. Louis with their children Zoë, Jack, and Hannah.

David C. Nelson, a partner at the firm of Nelson and Nelson, Attorneys at Law, P.C., is a 1991 graduate of Duke University and a 1994 graduate of the Duke University School of Law where he was an editor of the Duke Law Journal. His practice at the firm focuses on civil litigation in Illinois and Missouri. He has tried jury cases in the four metro-east Illinois counties and in St. Louis City and St. Louis County as well as federal court.

David is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association. In 2001, Illinois lawyers elected him to the ISBA's governing body, the Board of Governors his second, three-year term on the Board of Governors concludes in June 2007.  He also serves on several committees of the ISBA including the Tort Law Section Council.