Brian Lea is a litigator with particular experience in appellate matters and high-stakes product liability cases, business disputes, and constitutional litigation. He has successfully briefed and argued many appeals, including appeals involving hundreds of millions of dollars. He also regularly appears as trial counsel, shaping case strategy from the ground up and arguing key motions. In addition, Brian advises clients regarding ways they can minimize the risk of litigation.
Brian represents or has represented clients such as the Archdiocese of Atlanta, The DIRECTV Group, Ford Motor Company, Georgia Power Company, Lowe's Home Centers, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, ORIX USA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. His extensive complex litigation experience spans a wide range of substantive areas and encompasses crucial procedural issues, including class certification, admission of expert testimony, and post-trial relief. Brian also maintains an active pro bono practice that includes civil rights cases and criminal and post-conviction proceedings.
Before joining the Firm, Brian served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court and Judge Ed Carnes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He also served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Law. He continues to present on legal writing, appellate practice, and the Supreme Court. Brian also has published articles discussing the federal courts, which have appeared in the Alabama Law Review, the Virginia Law Review, and the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal and have been cited in U.S. Supreme Court opinions.
Experiencia
Publicaciones adicionales
- 2018
On Judges: A Tribute to Chief Judge Carnes, 69 Ala. L. Rev. 688 - 2017
Situational Severability, 103 Va. L. Rev. 735 (cited in Collins v. Yellen, 141 S. Ct. 1761 (2021) (Thomas, J., concurring); California v. Texas, 141 S. Ct. 2104 (2021) (Thomas, J., concurring and Alito, J., dissenting); Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 140 S. Ct. 2183 (2020) (Thomas, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part), Murphy v. Nat'l Collegiate Athletic Ass'n, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018) (Thomas, J., concurring), and Texas v. United States, 945 F.3d 355 (5th Cir. 2020))
Publications Prior to Jones Day
2015
The Merits of Third-Party Standing, 24 Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. 277
- March 27, 2024
The Role of Precedent in Constitutional Cases, panelist, Vance Forum on the Bill of Rights, Atlanta, Georgia - February 5, 2024
Supreme Court Roundup, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy - January 31, 2023
Supreme Court Roundup, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy - May 6, 2022
A Conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas, moderator, Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference - March 3, 2022
Supreme Court Roundup, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy - June 16, 2021
Personal Jurisdiction: The Long Arm of the Law - April 29, 2021
The Long Arm of the U.S.: The Reach of U.S. Courts Over Chinese Businesses. China General Chamber of Commerce – USA - February 10, 2021
Supreme Court Roundup, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy, Atlanta, Georgia - November 11, 2019
Making Points to Score Points: Tips for Succeeding on Exams, Atlanta, Georgia - January 28, 2019
Supreme Court Roundup, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy, Atlanta, Georgia - February 26, 2014
Supreme Court Roundup, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy
Speaking Engagements Prior to Jones Day
March 2016
2016 Supreme Court Review/Preview, panelist, University of Georgia School of Law Alumni Weekend Athens, Georgia
January 2015
The Proposed Revisions to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Joseph Henry Lumpkin American Inn of Court
Atlanta, Georgia
- University of Georgia (J.D. summa cum laude 2009; First Honor Graduate; Order of the Coif; Articles Editor, Georgia Law Review); Union University (B.A. in English 2006)
- Florida; Georgia; Supreme Court of Georgia; Georgia Court of Appeals; Supreme Court of the United States; U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits; and U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida and the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Georgia
American Law Institute (2020-present)
Master, Bleckley American Inn of Court (2022-present)
Winner, Georgia "Commercial Litigation Department of the Year," The Daily Report, April 23, 2014
Winner, Georgia "General Litigation Department of the Year," The Daily Report, April 25, 2013
- Law Clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court (2011 Term) and to Judge Ed Carnes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (2009-2010)