N. David Povich, a longtime criminal defense attorney at Williams & Connolly, died peacefully at his home in Washington on Aug. 19, surrounded by his family.
In high school, Povich met the love of his life, Constance Tobriner. In 1959, they married and spent the next 63 years together. Povich was hired by Edward Bennett Williams when the firm had fewer than 10 lawyers and he was one of the longest serving lawyers at the firm.
In his most famous case, he defended a federal prosecutor charged with multiple criminal offenses and achieved a stunning acquittal for his client. “David was a talented trial lawyer. He won juries over with his affable personality. He could make a jury cry or laugh…all to the benefit of … his client,” said Brendan Sullivan, his law partner, sailing mate and best friend.
David Povich was born in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 1935, the son of Ethyl (Friedman) and Shirley Povich, the longtime Washington Post sports columnist. He went to the Landon School and played varsity sports. Povich graduated from Yale University and the Columbia Law School and returned to Washington for the rest of his life.
Povich was a devoted member of Adas Israel Congregation and served on the Board of Trustees of the Landon School. After his father died in 1998, Povich and his brother and sister created the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland and the Shirley Povich Field, a baseball stadium in Rockville. Contributions can be made to both enterprises.
He is survived by Connie; their four children and their spouses, Douglas (Robyn), Johanna (Tim McDonough), Judy (Paul Noglows) and Andrew (Izzy) as well as his 10 grandchildren (Sam, Alex, William, Kate, Anna, Andrew, Hannah, Molly, Grace and Ben); his brother, Maury (Connie Chung); sister Lynn, (Stephen Shepard); his many nieces and nephews and his beloved dog, Salty.
