Lee Butler joined Adams and Reese in 1981 and commenced his litigation practice in the New Orleans office. In 1993, Lee moved to Texas and founded the firm's Houston office which currently is the second largest office in the firm. Lee was elected to three terms on the firm's Executive Committee and has served as Chairman for four years, most recently in 2009. Lee served as the Partner in Charge of the Houston office for eight years and currently serves as one the Litigation Practice Group Leaders.
Lee's litigation experience is broad and diverse. His practice focuses upon the representation of businesses and corporate entities in a wide array of litigation matters and disputes ranging from breach of contract, deceptive trade practices and royalty disputes to catastrophic injury cases arising from oilfield explosions, products liability and toxic exposures as well as insurance coverage and bad faith.
Lee has been lead trial counsel in numerous jury and bench trials in Texas and Louisiana, which have been successfully tried and appealed.
His other significant contributions include:
- Representation of defendants in a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit involving well-known public figures (a 13-week trial).
- Representation of an oilfield drilling company in a breach of contract and negligence case arising from blow-out.
- Representation of an oilfield service company in a case involving alleged violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- Representation of oil companies and refiners in fire and explosion cases involving multiple deaths and catastrophic injuries.
- Representation of energy companies in breach of contract and royalty disputes.
Lee speaks frequently at professional seminars on topics such as insurance coverage, deceptive trade practices, premises liability, evaluation of damages, trial tactics and evidence. Lee is a member and an active participant in various organizations including the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute.
On the list of people Lee admires is Ronald Reagan for his extraordinary leadership in a critical time in United States history. In his free time, Lee enjoys scuba diving, road cycling and choral singing.
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