Lee Mickus
Lee Mickus defends manufacturers and other business interests in product liability and tort lawsuits around the country, guiding cases through the discovery, trial, and appeal stages. He has successfully tried cases to juries in Colorado, Texas, California, New York, Puerto Rico, Montana, and several other states. Lee has handled cases involving a wide variety of industries and products, including automobiles, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, industrial machinery, wine, and recreational equipment. Lee has made court appearances, argued appeals, and submitted amicus briefs in numerous jurisdictions across the country.
Practice Areas
Consumer and Industrial Products
Mass & Toxic Torts
Appeals
Discovery
Automobiles
Commercial Litigation
Discovery
Education
The University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1993)
Williams College (B.A. cum laude, 1990)
Exeter College, Oxford University (1988-1989)
Court/Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Colorado
Supreme Court of Montana
Supreme Court of Texas
Supreme Court of Wyoming
United States District Court, District of Colorado
United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas
United States District Court, Central District of Illinois
United States District Court, District of Montana
United States District Court, District of North Dakota
United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas
United States District Court, Northern District of Texas
United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
United States District Court, Western District of Texas
United States District Court, District of Wyoming
United States Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
Publications
“Georgia Paves the Way for Wider Approval of Sear Belt Non-Usage Evidence in Civil Lawsuits, “Washington Legal Foundation Legal Backgrounder Vol. 40 No. 4 (April 2025) (with Sierra Epke).
“One Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress,” Law360 Expert Analysis (Dec. 19, 2024).
“Amended F.R.E. 702: One Year In, Ten Themes Emerge,” Washington Legal Foundation Working Paper No. 232 (December 2024).
“Federal Rule of Evidence 702: A Practitioner’s Guide to Understanding the 2023 Amendments,” Washington Legal Foundation Contemporary Legal Note No. 83 (June 2024).
“The First 10 Days of Amended FRE 702: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Next Steps,” Washington Legal Foundation Working Paper No. 229 (April 2024).
“Georgia Supreme Court’s Doubts on Seat Belt Gag Rule’s Constitutionality Puts Legislature on Notice,” Washington Legal Foundation Legal Opinion Letter (July 29, 2022).
“Stop Calling Them ‘Daubert Motions’: Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and Why Words Matter,” Washington Legal Foundation Working Paper No. 221 (August 2021) (with Abigail Dodd).
Opening the Courts to Seat Belt Non-Use Evidence,” Author, Law 360 Expert Analysis Online Website (December 24, 2015).
“New Statutes Change Civil Litigation in Colorado,” Co-Author, 33 Colo. Lawyer 65 (May 2004).
“To Beep or Not to Beep: The Optional Equipment Defense,” Co-Author, 19 LJN’S Product Liability Law & Strategy 4 (April 2001).
“Discovery of Work Product Disclosed to a Testifying Expert Under the 1993 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” Author, 27 Creighton L. Rev. 773 (1994) (cited in five published federal and state court cases and more than a dozen law review articles, and treatises).
Legal Memberships/Honors
Colorado Civil Justice League
President (2009-2010; 2015)
Board of Directors
Legal Advisory Board…
Lawyers for Civil Justice
Co-Chair, Rule 702 Committee…
Washington Legal Foundation
Legal Policy Advisory Board…
Product Liability Advisory Council
Sustaining Member…
International Association of Defense Counsel
Trial Academy Faculty (2023)Defense Research Institute
Colorado Defense Lawyers Association
Lawyers for Civil Justice “Alfred W. Cortese Jr. Award,” given for “outstanding contributions to the promotion of excellence and fairness in the United States civil justice system” (2020)
Lawyers for Civil Justice Outstanding Contributor (2017)
Colorado Civil Justice League’s “Lawyer of the Year” (2005)
The Best Lawyers in America® – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants (2008-Present)
The Best Lawyers in America® – Production Liability Litigation – Defendants (2015-Present)
5280 Magazine Top Lawyers, Personal Injury: Defense (2015-Present)
Colorado Super Lawyers®, Personal Injury Defense: Products (2009-Present)
Martindale Hubbell, AV Rated