Lee M. Hollis
Lee Loves Being a Trial Lawyer
In order to be the best trial lawyer you can be, you have to love what you do and work hard at it. Lee prides himself on doing just that and in getting excellent results for clients. Those attributes are reflected in the reviews of his peers:
- AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers in America—commercial litigation
- Mid-South Super Lawyers—personal injury defense
- Benchmark Litigation—”Future Star”
- Benchmark Litigation — “Litigation Star”
Lee has tried numerous serious wrongful death, personal injury and commercial cases to defense verdicts. Currently, Lee spends most of his time defending high exposure personal injury cases. He is frequently retained by major excess insurance carriers as high exposure cases approach trial. In that role, Lee serves as either trial counsel or appellate counsel at trial. He also spends a significant amount of time handling commercial cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants. He is admitted to practice in all State and Federal courts in Alabama, as well as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court, and frequently practices pro hac vice in courts around the country.
Lee has been recognized by the Alabama and Mid-South editions of Super Lawyers since 2010 for product liability defense. The Best Lawyers in America by Woodward White, Inc. selected Lee for his work in commercial and personal injury litigation in its 2018 edition.
Representative Matters
- Won a $70 million jury verdict on behalf of a major chemical manufacturer in a breach of contract case.
- Won a defense verdict in a Mississippi Federal Court trial involving 15 deaths and 15 injuries arising out of a bus crash, in spite of the fact that sanctions imposed because of the conduct of the case before he was retained severely restricted the arguments the defense was allowed to make.
- Defeated class certification for a Fortune 10 company in Louisiana state court arising out of allegedly infected endoscopes. Subsequently summary judgment was granted for our client.
- Successfully brought a breach of contract case on behalf of a Swedish air carrier arising out of defective modifications to three Boeing 737-300 aircraft.
- Won a defense verdict in a wrongful death product liability case involving a tractor rollover.
- Won a defense verdict in a wrongful death product liability case involving a fall from a utility pole.
- Tried a double wrongful death case on behalf of a road builder to a hung jury in a county that had not had a defense verdict in a civil case in 20 years. (Believe me, the client considered the hung jury a win.)
- Served on one of 5 designated trial teams for a Fortune 10 company in nationwide pharmaceutical litigation.
- Serves as national coordinating counsel for the nation's largest biomedical services company, handing cases throughout the country.
- Defended a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company in a birth defect case.
- Defended multiple automobile manufacturers in dealer litigation.
Firm Involvement
Lee is currently a member of the firm's management committee and serves as chair of the firm's business development committee. Previously, he served as a member of and chair of the recruiting committee.
Professional and Civic Involvement
Lee is currently Immediate Past Chair of the Network of Trial Law Firms and a member of its Executive Committee. He served as Co-Chair of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association’s Trial Academy for two years. He is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Defense Research Institute and the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Lee is a devoted alumnus of Washington & Lee University. After serving as president of the Nashville and Birmingham alumni chapters, Lee served on the Board of Directors of the Washington & Lee National Alumni Association from 2002-06 and served as its president in 2005-2006. He and is wife, Katie, are members of the Toqueville Society of The United Way of Central Alabama.
Personal
Lee is a member of Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church and is thankful for his amazing wife, Katie, and his three wonderful children (who have unfortunately inherited their father's lawyering/negotiating skills at a very young age). He enjoys hunting, college football, golf and scuba diving.
Birmingham, Alabama 35203