David Rivé-Power

David is a member of the Government Affairs Team and the Litigation Department at O’Neill & Borges LLC, which he joined in 1993. He provides legal counsel and supports clients navigating the complex landscape of government and regulatory affairs, as well as public policy proposals and decisions that impact their respective industries or businesses. His clients include individuals, and U.S.-based corporations—including many multinational companies—from a broad range of sectors such as retail, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, sports, energy, transportation, banking, aviation, tourism, and construction.

David’s practice covers a wide array of areas, including legislative and regulatory issues, permitting, administrative proceedings, and government affairs in general. In addition to his extensive experience in government and regulatory matters, he has represented clients in various litigation cases, including those related to construction, insurance, and commercial disputes, in both Puerto Rico’s local courts and U.S. District Courts.

David’s legal practice is enriched by his extensive background in the public sector, political strategy consulting, and service on governing boards in higher education.

In 1998, David temporarily left O’Neill & Borges to serve as Executive Assistant to the then-Mayor of San Juan, Sila M. Calderón. In this role, he assisted in overseeing multiple areas of municipal governance, including the city’s hospital and clinic system, public works department, recreational and sports facilities, and waste disposal operations—key components of the infrastructure of Puerto Rico’s largest city.

As a political consultant and strategist, David served as Campaign Director for Sila M. Calderón’s successful gubernatorial campaign in the 2000 General Elections. In this capacity, he managed and coordinated essential administrative and political aspects of the campaign, playing a pivotal role in strategic decision-making, communications, and grassroots coordination with candidates and political leaders across the Island.

In addition to his legal and political work, David has been deeply involved in higher education. He served as a Trustee of Ana G. Méndez University (UAGM), Puerto Rico’s third-largest higher education system, where he was an active member of several board committees, including the audit and finance committees, until 2010. In 2014, he joined the Board of Trustees of the Universidad Central del Caribe (UCC) in Bayamón, a leading health sciences university in Puerto Rico. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board, which oversees multiple areas of the university, including the chiropractic and medical schools.

David’s commitment to public service also extends to the nonprofit sector. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of San Juan, where he serves on the Economic Development Committee, and a board member of the Fundación Rafael Hernández Colón in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His focus includes expanding opportunities in recreation and education for underserved communities.

More recently, building on his involvement with higher education institutions and his dedication to supporting younger generations of Puerto Rican and Latino athletes, David has expanded his legal practice into the area of sports law.  In 2025 he was appointed as one of the judges of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee’s Sports and Arbitration Appeals Court.  In addition, he currently provides counseling in legal and compliance-related matters to student-athletes public relations and sports agencies, and third-party sponsors involved  with “Right of Publicity” or “Name, Image, and Likeness” (NIL) issues—an emerging area of law resulting from the landmark 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision in O’Bannon v. NCAA, which granted college athletes the right to benefit financially from their personal brands and endorsements.