Nick Lamb is a highly experienced trial lawyer and serves as lead counsel on some of the firm’s most high-stakes trials, in all types of business litigation and personal injury matters. Nick has a proven track record of securing jury verdicts, summary judgments, favorable settlements and appellate victories in difficult cases involving alcohol distribution, FELA, health care, product liability, employment, class action, patent infringement, and other business litigation issues.
Over the course of four decades, Nick has tried dozens of cases to verdict and successfully resolved thousands of cases. He earned the status of fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, an achievement earned by few litigators.
Nick serves as lead counsel for major corporations in high-exposure cases in Missouri and Illinois state and federal courts, including venues considered plaintiff-friendly, such as the City of St. Louis, and in other federal and state courts throughout the country. His recent litigation success includes unanimous published appellate court decisions from the Eighth Circuit and Missouri Court of Appeals affirming summary judgment rulings by trial courts.
Known for his advocacy and unique trial strategies, Nick has often lectured at national trial lawyer seminars on federal preemption, mitigation of damages, and jury selection.
Nick combines a successful trial practice with a range of civic and charitable endeavors in the St. Louis community. He serves on the board of directors for The Old Newsboys St. Louis, which supports numerous St. Louis charities, and is a former board member of Boys Hope Girls Hope of St. Louis and The Buddy Fund. Nick is a past president of the Missouri Athletic Club and a current member of the MAC nominating committee, and is the president of the Knights of the Cauliflower Ear, a historic social club in St. Louis. He is the former chair of the Board of Trustees for De Smet Jesuit High School, a current member of the President’s Advisory Council (PAC), and in 2017 was elected to the school’s Hall of Fame.
experience
- Multiple defense verdicts in City of St. Louis for railroad client in personal injury (FELA) cases.
- Defense verdict in St. Louis County Circuit Court for client after a five-day trial where plaintiff claimed over $1 million in damages; jury deliberated 45 minutes.
- Defense verdict in patent infringement case for distribution client following 10-day trial (federal court) where corporate plaintiff sought multi-million dollars in damages.
- Received Sixth Circuit affirmance of federal court defense verdict in multi-million-dollar unpaid commission claim following federal court trial in Kentucky for distribution client.
- Plaintiff verdict for corporate distributor client against manufacturer following seven-day trial (federal court).
- Successful verdict for railroad client (below last offer) following seven-day trial (state court) where plaintiff had multiple surgeries and sought over $2 million in damages.
- Multiple successful summary judgments from St. Louis City Circuit Court, Missouri Court of Appeals and United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. Examples include summary judgment for client in state court in assault case, affirmed by Missouri Court of Appeals, transfer denied by Missouri Supreme Court, cert denied, U.S. Supreme Court; summary judgment for client in state court in judicial estoppel matter, affirmed by Missouri Court of Appeals.
- Successful settlement after six-day trial (state court) for defendant liquor distribution client, following voir dire, opening statement and cross examination of opposing witnesses.
- Obtained writ of prohibition from Missouri Supreme Court for client asserting privilege issues.
- Successful defense, as first chair, of high profile commercial arbitration for defense client; plaintiff received nothing and paid arbitration costs.
Professional
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; member, Missouri State Committee
- National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
- Executive Committee, 2003-Present
- Vice President, 2014-2015
- Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
- Lawyers Association of St. Louis
Community
- The Old Newsboys St. Louis, Board of Directors, 2022-Present
- Buddy Fund, Board of Directors, 2015-2021
- De Smet Jesuit High School, Former Chairman, Board of Trustees; President’s Advisory Council (PAC), 2023-Present
- Missouri Athletic Club, President, 2003-2004; Governor, Board of Trustees, 2001-2003; Nominating Committee, 2022-Present
- Knights of the Cauliflower Ear, President, 2004-Present
- Boys Hope/Girls Hope of St. Louis, Board of Directors, 1997-2008
- MS Society, Chairperson, 2005 Sports Celebrity Dinner
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer, 2024
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2024 (by BL Rankings)
- Lawyer of the Year for Railroad Law in St. Louis by Best Lawyers, 2013, 2019, 2021 (by BL Rankings)
- Lexology Client Choice Winner for Litigation – Missouri, 2019
- De Smet Jesuit High School’s Hall of Fame, 2017
- Client Service All-Star in Civil Litigation and Complex Tort and Commercial Litigation by BTI Consulting, 2014
As time has eroded my physical skills, I have gravitated from playing bad pickup ice hockey to playing mediocre pickup pickleball!