Kip Adams is a partner at Lewis Brisbois and one of the founding members of the firm’s Boston office. He handles an array of civil litigation matters for clients in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire state and federal courts. Kip primarily represents businesses, insurance companies, and their insureds in complex products liability, premises liability, toxic tort, asbestos, environmental, professional liability, transportation, and general liability litigation matters. Among Kip’s current and former representations are:

• A nationwide behavioral health consulting company challenging efforts by OSHA to mandate particular operational changes.
• A Fortune 50 chemical company in toxic tort and asbestos litigation matters.
• Two Korean industrial parts manufacturers against claims of design and manufacturing defects each resulting in separate fatalities.
• A Japanese multinational corporation against claims of PFAS’s environmental contamination.
• Two Korean based multinational corporations against allegations of bodily injury from e-cigarette misuse.
• A European based water works component manufacturer against claims of design defect resulting in flooding damages.
• Maine’s largest freight transportation company in various litigation matters.
• An international industrial waste management company in various litigation matters. 
• Two of the nation’s largest homebuilder in litigation relating to development issues and subcontractor liability.
• One of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers against allegations of breach of contract and design defect.
• A Massachusetts based specialty biotechnology company against claims of causing catastrophic property and personal injury damages from a natural gas explosion.
• A Texas based hydraulic pipeline component manufacturer against a multi-million-dollar flooding claim.
• A nationwide restaurant franchisor against premises liability claims.

Kip has written on cutting edge issues relating to civil litigation and deposition practice. He has co-authored articles on advanced strategies to prevent or limit the unnecessary depositions of corporate executives that have been published in legal and industry publications. Kip is no stranger to the courtroom. His courtroom experience includes multiple jury and bench trials, and numerous arguments in support of various pre-trial and dispositive motions. In 2016, Kip argued on appeal before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court seeking to affirm summary judgment for his client and the formal adoption of the sophisticated user defense to tort liability in Maine. 

Beyond the above civil litigation experience, Kip is the Co-Chair the firm’s OSHA Safety and Health nationwide practice group. Kip is OSHA 511 certified, having completed the training and requirements of OSHA’s program for competency in understanding the Standards for General Industry. In August 2021 and January 2022, Kip represented firm clients in multi-week trials before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Kip has consulted clients on matters involving specific OSHA abatements, posting requirements, citation interpretation, reclassification, penalty reduction, expert witness development, the employee misconduct defense, and the single employer doctrine.

Kip has additionally participated in more than 100 mediations and other dispute resolution activities that have resolved many matters effectively for his clients. In recognition of his notable work on behalf of the firm’s clients, Kip was previously named to the inaugural "Under 40 Hot List" by Benchmark Litigation. The list recognizes the "achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners of the age of forty or younger," and is compiled through a process of both peer review and case examination.

Prior Experience

Publications

Professional Presentations

• Presenter – “OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program” HR East End Circle Monthly Virtual Meeting, October 19, 2023
• Presenter – “Surviving An OSHA Inspection” National Contractors Insurance (NCI) Risk Control Workshop, Denver, CO, September 21, 2023
• Presenter – “Latest Developments Regarding the Apex Doctrine” Defense Research Institute’s (DRI) 2014 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, October 23, 2014

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
• United States District Courts
  • United States District Court for the District of Maine
  • United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
• United States Courts of Appeals
  • United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Admissions

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Maine

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire

United States District Court for the District of Maine

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Associations

Defense Research Institute

Awards & Honors

Named to the Benchmark Litigation Under 40 Hot List, 2016

Education

Suffolk University Law School

Juris Doctor

Middlebury College