Lance Cooper
Lance Cooper
Trial Lawyer
Lance Cooper is the founding partner of The Cooper Firm and represents clients in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He specializes in product liability cases involving automobile design and manufacturing defects. Lance has been lead counsel for plaintiffs in a large number of jury trials including trials against General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Kia, Chrysler, Honda, as well as other motor vehicle manufacturers and large corporations.
His 2011 wrongful death case against General Motors (Melton v. GM, 2011-A-2652) exposed the cover-up of faulty ignition switches resulting in millions of recalled vehicles.
Lance received his law degree from Emory University in 1989 where he was a G. Joseph Tauro Scholar and Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1985.
Lance served as the 2002-2003 President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and is a past President of the Cobb County Trial Lawyers Association. He is also a member of the American Association of Justice and was honored to receive the Steven J. Sharpe Public Service Award in 2014. Lance was also a 2014 nominee for the Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year award.
In addition to his law practice, Lance is actively engaged in numerous community and charitable activities. He and his wife, Sonja, are the proud parents of five children, Rachel, Rebekah, Michelle, Asa, and Aaron.
Contact The Cooper Firm Today: Call 800.317.2021
Read Articles written by Lance...
Articles
Areas of Practice
- Personal Injury
- Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
- Wrongful Death
- Product Defects
- Medical Malpractice
- Premises Liability
- Foodborne Illness
- Technology Predators
Bar Admissions
- California, 1989
- Georgia, 1990
Education
- Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, Georgia
- J.D. - 1989
- Honors: G. Joseph Tauro Scholar
- Law Journal: Editor, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, 1988 - 1989
- Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts
- 1986-1987
- University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California
- B.A. - 1985
Representative Cases
- Hoover v. Maxum Indem. Co., 291 Ga. 402 (2012)
- McReynolds vs. Krebs, 725 S.E.2d 584(2012)
- Bagnell v. Ford Motor Co., 297 Ga. App. 835 )(2009)
- Wal-Mart-Stores-Inc.-v.-Lee-290-Ga.-App.-541-659-S.E.2d-905 (2008)
- Tran v. Toyota Motor Corp., 420 F.3d 1310
- Ga. Pipe Co. v. Lawler, 262 Ga. App. 22(2003)
- Beam v. Kingsley, 255 Ga. App. 715 (Ga.App. 2002)
- Coker v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 220 F. Supp. 2d 1367 (N.D. Ga. 2002)
- Watkins v. Ford Motor Co., 190 F.3d 1213 (11th Cir. 1999)
- Kapsch v. Stowers, 209 Ga. App. 767 (Ga.App. 1993)
- Good Ol' Days Downtown v. Yancey, 209 Ga. App. 696 (Ga.App. 1993)
Classes/Seminars/Publications
- Don’t Sit On the Bayonet: Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses, ABA Annual Meeting Chicago, 2015
- Current Issues Re The GM Ignition Switch Defects and Recall, The Voice, 2015
- Switched Off: GM’s Ignition Switch Defects and the Death of Brooke Melton, American Association for Justice Seminar, 2015
- Being a Trial Lawyer: It's Not Just a Job, It's an Adventure, North Carolina Advocates for Justice Sunset Beach, 2015
- Five Smooth Stones: Leveling The Playing Field In A David versus Goliath Fight, Washington DC Trial Lawyers Seminar, 2015
- Winning Before You Get To Trial, Debra Bernes Georgia CLE, 2015
- Current Issues Re The GM Ignition Switch Defects and Recall, Auto Torts and Product Liability CLE New Orleans, 2015
- Looking Into The Eye Of The Tiger: Future Trends From Plaintiff’s Counsel, FDCC Winter Convention Amelia Island, 2015
- Update on ESC, San Diego, 2015
- GM Ignition Switch Litigation: Lessons Learned, American Association for Justice Palm Springs, 2015
- Direct Examination: What Lawyers Want From Their Expert, SEAK National Expert Witness Conference Washington, DC, 2015
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold: The Brooke Melton Tragedy, GTLA The Verdict, 2015
- Current Issues Re The GM Ignition Switch Defects and Recall, Wisconsin Association for Justice, 2014
- Timeline of Two Tragedies: The Cobalt/Saturn Key Ignition System, American Association for Justice, 2014
- Verdict $5,670,943 fatal crash with driver on drugs, ICLE of Georgia, 2013
- OSI’s How to Find Them and Get Them Admitted, AIEG, 2011
- How to Determine if You Have a Product Liability Case, Cobb Legal Professionals, 2010
- New Approaches to Uncovering Discovery Abuse by Foreign Manufacturers, AIEG, 2009
- PowerPoint in Trial, GTLA, 2008
- Case Against Dealer for Failure to Inform About Safety Options, AIEG, 2007
- Pros and Cons of Mediation, GTLA, 2007
- Post Sale Duty to Warn/Recall - Current Georgia Law, ICLE of Georgia, 2003
- Staying Ahead of the Discovery Game - How to Manage Discovery in Complex Cases, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association Annual Seminar, 2001
- New Laws Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1999
- Trapdoors of Premises Liability Claims, ICLE of Georgia, 1995
Professional Associations and Memberships
- State Bar of Georgia, Member, 1990 - Present
- State Bar of California, Member, 1989 - Present
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 1990 - Present
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, President, 2002 - 2003
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Executive Vice-President, 2000 - 2002
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Vice-President, 1996 - 2000
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, LawPac, Chairperson, 1998 - 2000
- Cobb County Bar Association, Member, 1990 - Present
- Cobb County Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 1993 - Present
- Cobb County Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1996 - 1998
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Member, 2004 – Present
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group 1998- Present
Partner with
The Cooper Firm
