Lee Johnston, a veteran trial lawyer and Haynes and Boone, LLP alumnus, has returned to the firm as a partner in the Denver office.
Lee has experience in a range of industries, serving clients in telecommunications, energy, healthcare, real estate, banking and financial services, and consumer products.
“Lee is a versatile business and IP litigator with a proven ability to resolve disputes in many areas, whether through trial or settlement or a combination of both. He is also highly adept at counseling clients to help them resolve issues and challenges before they ripen into litigation,” said Haynes and Boone Partner Ben Mesches, co-chair of the Litigation Practice Group.
For the past decade, Lee has worked as a partner in the trial group at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, with a focus on patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret litigation. Prior to Dorsey & Whitney, Lee spent 12 years at Holland & Hart LLP and served as a practice group manager of the firm’s IP litigation group, as well as five years as an associate at Haynes and Boone.
Lee decided to return to Haynes and Boone because he was impressed with the firm’s international reach and commitment to the Denver market. He said he was also attracted to Haynes and Boone’s “strong commitment to its people and clients.”
“The firm has a strong sense of itself and its identity, which has allowed it to grow and evolve while never losing sight of its core mission to its employees and clients,” Lee said.
He noted that some of the same lawyers he worked with 25 years ago at Haynes and Boone are still with the firm. “That spoke volumes to me. It is incredibly rare and says a lot about the culture and team environment at Haynes and Boone.”
Lee, whose undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College included pre-med course work, attended Harvard Law School. He says his science foundation and understanding of technology have benefitted him in his law career. He has extensive experience working with scientific research, solar and biofuel technologies, medical devices and equipment, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, and semiconductor fabrication. Repeat clients in these industry groups also hire Lee to handle complex business litigation and arbitration matters in non-IP disputes.
Lee has been recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyer (2011-2016 and 2018-2019) and in Best Lawyers in America (2012-2019). He also was selected as a "Local Litigation Star – Colorado" by Benchmark Litigation (2015-2018).
Haynes and Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services and private equity. With more than 550 lawyers, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It also ranks among the nation’s most recommended law firms by general counsel, according to BTI Consulting Group’s “Most Recommended Law Firms 2019” report.
The following publications reported Lee's return to the firm:
World IP Review (Subscription required)
The Deal (Subscription required)
Intellectual Property Magazine (Subscription required)
Law360 (Subscription required)