Attorney Profiles

Attorney David W. Lee of Lee Law Center, P.C., served as Chief of the Criminal and Federal Divisions of the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office for three Attorneys General: Jan Eric Cartwright; Michael C. Turpen; and Robert H. Henry. David also was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, and an Assistant District Attorney in Washington and Oklahoma Counties. He was also an Assistant Public Defender in Oklahoma County.

Aspen Publishers, Inc., 111 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, is the publisher of a book that David has written on the subject of 42 U.S.C. 1983, which is entitled, "Handbook of Section 1983 Litigation." or (www.aspenpublishers.com). The 2010 Edition of the book was published by Aspen in April, 2010. The book is also available on the CCH/Aspen Labor and Employment Law e-Library, which is listed online as CCH Internet Research Network.

David is a regular lecturer for the National College of District Attorneys, and in 2002 received that organization's Distinguished Faculty Member Award. He was the recipient of the National College's Lecturer of Merit Award in 1992. While in the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office he received the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Law Enforcement Commendation Medal. In January, 1997, he presented lectures on civil rights subjects to the Illinois Attorney General's Office. He has also given lectures to the Vermont Law School, and the Texas District Attorneys' Association. In April, 2002, he presented a lecture at the Georgetown College of Law on the subject of malicious prosecution and 42 U.S.C. 1983 at that law school's annual Section 1983 seminar.

In his career, he has argued four cases before the United States Supreme Court: Thompson v. Oklahoma, 487 U.S. 815 (1988); Burlington Northern v. Oklahoma Tax Commission, 481 U.S. 454 (1987); Oklahoma v. Castleberry, 471 U.S. 146 (1985); and Eddings v. Oklahoma, 455 U.S. 104 (1982). David has also argued and written briefs regarding numerous cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

For over twenty years, David was an adjunct professor the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and taught courses there in constitutional civil rights, disability law, trial practice, employment law and appellate advocacy. He also taught employment law as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

David's legal articles include: Three Steps Forward in the Continuing Search for the Parameters of the Public Policy Exception to the At-Will Employment Doctrine in Oklahoma: Wilburn v. Mid-South Health Development, Inc., Barker v. State Insurance Fund, and Crain v. National American Insurance Co., 29 Okla. City U. L. Rev. 95 (2004); Personal Liability Against Correctional Officials and Employees for Failure to Protect the Suicidal Inmate Under 42 U.S.C. 1983, Jail Suicide/Mental Health Update (Spring, 2002); Grand Juries in Oklahoma: Where Are We Now?, 68 Okla. B. J. 2604 (1997); Burden Shifting and Summary Judgment in Federal Employment Discrimination Cases, 67 Okla. B. J. 2861 (1996); Qualified Immunity for Public Officials Under 42 U.S.C. 1983, 25 The Urban Lawyer 97 (1993); The Need for New Criminal Discovery Code in Oklahoma State Courts, 60 Okla. B. J. 2259 (1989); and Grand Jury Procedure in Oklahoma State Courts, 59 Okla. B. J. 2087 (1988).

David has also been a lecturer on civil rights for the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement, Education and Training (CLEET). In addition to representing county and municipal officers and employees around the State, he has represented the following state agencies in civil rights cases: Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Langston University, Oklahoma Panhandle State A&M University, Northeastern A&M College, and Connors State College. He is the hearing officer for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) with regard to appeals of denials of Self-Defense Act (concealed handgun) applications.

Areas of Practice

• Civil Rights Defense
• Employment Law
• Discrimination
• Insurance Defense
• Appellate Practice

Bar Admissions

• Oklahoma, 1973
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Oklahoma, 1973
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Oklahoma, 1973
• U.S. District Court Western District of Oklahoma, 1973
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1973
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1980

Education

• University of Oklahoma College of Law, Norman, Oklahoma, 1973
  J.D.
  
  

Birth Information

• December 2, 1947, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America