David Lutz was born in 1942 or 1943, in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was educated at the Washington & Jefferson College where in 1967 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American History.[2] Initially, he taught in New York until 1969 when he immigrated to New Brunswick, Canada as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War.[1] In 1974, he received a Bachelor of Education at St. Thomas University.[2] He worked as a teacher, principal and social worker,[1] and in 1977 graduated from the University of New Brunswick's law school and was admitted to the bar.[2] That same year, he founded the Lutz Parish Gerrish law firm, based in his residence of Hampton; the firm has additional offices in St. Stephen, Saint Andrews, and Sussex.[1] Lutz specialized in criminal and family law during his career.[2]
Around 1990, Lutz served as the vice-president of the New Brunswick Law Society.[3] In 1992, he was appointed Queen's Counsel,[2] and from 1997 to 2005 he was a columnist on social issues and legal news for Brunswick News.[1] He represented Justin Bourque, the perpetrator of the 2014 Moncton shootings who shot and killed three Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers and wounded two. As a result of the incident, Bourque was sentenced with the longest penalty in Canadian history.[4] In 2015, he received the Franklin O. Leger Q.C. Award presented by the Law Society of New Brunswick.[1] During the 2016 United States presidential election, Lutz worked as a volunteer in the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign in Florida.[5] In November 2024, Lutz announced that he will be retiring after finalizing cases in December.[1]