Daniel Leister

Partner

Dan.Leister@lewisbrisbois.com

Daniel Leister is a partner in the Cleveland office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the General Liability Practice. Daniel is an experienced litigator with a proven track record. He provides his clients with a unique blend of superb legal writing, insightful analysis, and passionate advocacy. Over the course of his career, he has handled a diversity of cases primarily in Ohio and Pennsylvania on behalf of manufacturers, retailers, trucking companies, restaurants, hotels, doctors, nurses, police officers, municipalities, and government officials. Handling appeals is also a key aspect of Daniel's practice, who has authored and successfully argued numerous appellate briefs and petitions to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • General Liability

Additional Experience

Admissions

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Northern District of Ohio

Southern District of Ohio

Eastern District of Michigan

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Associations

  • Public Service Liaison, DRI Retail and Hospitality Division
  • Member, CLM
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association

Awards & Honors

  • "Ones to Watch,"  Appellate Practice, Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs, Transportation Law, Best Lawyers, 2023
  • "Ones to Watch," Appellate Practice, Best Lawyers, 2021-2022
  • Ohio Super Lawyers, Rising Star: 2016, 2017, 2018

Education

University of Akron

Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 2012

Ohio University

Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 2009

Publications

  • “Blaming the Employer: Strategies for Reducing Exposure”, Ohio Lawyer Magazine (Nov. 2016).
  • “Ohio Civ. R. 41(A) Notice of Voluntary Dismissal: How One Word Can Make All the Difference”, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal (July 2013).

Representative Matters

  • Won at both the trial level and appellate level in case involving a catastrophic industrial accident, in which the plaintiff suffered severe third-degree burns.
  • Obtained summary judgment in wrongful death products liability lawsuit after successfully excluding the plaintiff’s causation expert.
  • Obtained summary judgments in two different products liability suits—one against food manufacturer and one against an auto manufacturer—based upon judicial estoppel and lack of standing.
  • Successfully defended an international hotel chain in a slip-and-fall case involving a CEO alleging $2 million in lost wages.
  • Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a food manufacturer in a case involving an alleged foreign object.

Pro Bono & Philanthropy

  • University of Akron School of Law’s Trial Team has benefited from four years of Daniel’s coaching efforts.
  • Daniel also serves as an advisor to the mock trial program at a middle school in East Cleveland, Ohio.