David Hyland Nelson was born in Lake Providence, Louisiana in 1955. He received his undergraduate degree from Louisiana Tech University in 1977. He earned his Juris Doctorate Degree from Louisiana State University, Paul M. Herbert Law Center in 1981.
Upon graduation David moved to Monroe, Louisiana, where he began practicing with an established defense firm handling various types of insurance defense litigation. In August of 2001, David and his three partners left to form the firm of Nelson, Zentner, Sartor & Snellings, LLC, where he currently practices.