Biography

David R. Lira is a trial lawyer with over thirty years of experience. His areas of specialty are major injury/wrongful death cases, product liability, automobile crashworthiness, and negligence cases. Mr. Lira has been in trial against oil companies, automobile manufacturers, major retailers and professional sports teams, to name a few. He has obtained settlements/verdicts in excess of $500,000,000.00.

Mr. Lira obtained a unanimous United States Supreme Court opinion in Williamson v. Mazda, which changed the law on the doctrine of preemption in seatbelt defect lawsuits. In 2008, Mr. Lira’s investigation in a child death case resulted in the national recall of a child bed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Mr. Lira has earned numerous awards and honors. He’s a fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only organization limited to 500 trial lawyers in the United States, and he holds the rank of Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates.

On November 18, 2017, Mr. Lira was named “Consumer Trial Attorney of the Year” by the Consumer Attorneys of California organization, it’s highest honor. He had previously been selected as a finalist for that award in 2004, 2010 and 2016. Mr. Lira was a finalist for the “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award in 2006 by the Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles.

Mr. Lira was named by Lawdragon Magazine to its list of “The 500 Leading Lawyers in America” (2006, 2008-2014, 2016-2020), “The 500 Leading Plaintiff’s Lawyers in America” (2007), “The 500 Leading Consumer Lawyers in America” (2020), and was named a “Lawdragon Legend” in 2019. In 2015 and 2017, Mr. Lira was named one of California’s “Top Plaintiff’s Lawyers” by the legal newspaper The Daily Journal and Los Angeles Magazine, “Top 100 Lawyers in Southern California” 20008-present.

Areas of Practice

Catastrophic Personal Injury
Environmental Litigation
Products Liability
Wrongful Death

Education

• Boston College Law School, Boston, MA, 1986, J.D.
• U.C.L.A., Los Angeles, CA 1983, B.A.

Bar Admissions

• California, 1988
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 1988
• U.S. Tax Court, 1989
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1996

Litigation Percentage

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation/Trial Practice

Professional Associations

• International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• American Board of Trial Advocates (Rank: Advocate)
• The College of Master Advocates and Barristers
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
• American Association for Justice

Speaking Engagements

• Frequent lecturer and author on Trial Techniques
• ABOTA “Masters in Trial”

Honors, Awards

CAOC “Consumer Trial Lawyer of the Year”, 2017
Finalist, CAOC “Consumer Trial Lawyer of the Year,” 2004, 2010 and 2016
Finalist, Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles “Trial Lawyer of the Year,” 2007
The Daily Journal “California’s Top Plaintiff’s Lawyers,” 2015 and 2017
Lawdragon Magazine – “The 500 Leading Lawyers in America,” 2006, 2008-2020
Lawdragon Magazine – “The 500 Leading Plaintiff’s Lawyers in America,” 2007
Lawdragon Magazine – “The 500 Leading Consumer Lawyers in America,” 2020

Lawdragon Magazine – “The 500 Leading Consumer Lawyers in America,” 2022

Lawdragon Magazine – “Lawdragon Legend,” 2019
Southern California “Super Lawyers,” 2004-2021 editions
Southern California “Top 100 Super Lawyers,” 2008-present
Best Lawyers in America, “Trial Lawyer of the Year – Products Liability,” 2020
The National Law Journal – “Top 100 Verdicts of 2003”