Nick W. Lee

Nick served on the trial team of the first and only bellwether trial against Altria (f/k/a Philip Morris) in the multidistrict litigation In re: Juul Labs, Inc. Marketing, Sales Practices & Products Liability Litigation. Nick second-chaired the direct examination, cross-examination, and redirect examination of plaintiff’s lead scientific expert. He prepared to second-chair the cross-examination of Altria’s lead scientific witness, but the parties reached a $235 million global settlement the morning the witness was set to take the stand.

Nick also serves on the In re: Valsartan multidistrict litigation team. He co-drafted plaintiff’s successful motion to certify medical monitoring classes covering 47 states and territories on behalf of consumers who were exposed to carcinogenic impurities in generic drugs. He also co-drafted briefing that resulted in the Third Circuit’s denial of defendants’ petition to appeal the district court’s class certification decision.

Nick is a Co-Chair of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area’s (AABA) Community Services Committee. Prior to joining the firm, Nick served as a judicial law clerk for Justice Dario Borghesan of the Alaska Supreme Court. During law school, Nick was a Summer Associate at Lieff Cabraser, a Judicial Extern for Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu in the Northern District of California, and a legal intern for ACLU California Action.

Nick graduated from the University of California, Davis School of Law with a Juris Doctor. There, he worked as a Civil Procedure tutor for Professor Katherine Florey and as a research assistant for Professor David O. Horton. He also served as the Co-President of the UC Davis Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as a part of the UC Davis Civil Rights Clinic. As a law student, Nick earned the Angela Harris Prize for Critical Race Scholarship, the Witkin Award in Property, and the Witkin Award in Torts.

Prior to attending law school, Nick worked at an Asian American civil rights organization and earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from the University of California, San Diego. Nick is a proud graduate of Berkeley Public Schools and has attended public school from kindergarten through law school.

In the News

•June 30, 2025
28 Lieff Cabraser Attorneys Selected as 2025 Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
•November 18, 2024
Lieff Cabraser JUUL Litigation Team Wins CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year Award

Awards

•“Rising Star for Northern California,” Super Lawyers, 2025
•“Consumer Attorney of the Year,” Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), 2024