Eidson Honored at Emory Law’s Centennial Gala where Former President Bill Clinton Delivered the Keynote Address
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (May 1, 2017) – Attorney Lewis S. “Mike” Eidson, president of Coral Gables-based law firm Colson Hicks Eidson, was recently selected by Emory University School of Law as an Emory Law 100 Honoree. The honor, which was created in commemoration of the school’s 100th anniversary, is a special tribute to the Top 100 Emory Law School graduates that have made extraordinary contributions to the law school and the world at large. Emory University is consistently ranked among the top 25 law schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Eidson was honored at the law school’s Centennial Gala celebration in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, April 29. The 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, delivered a keynote address and Atlanta Mayor Kaseem Reed presented a proclamation. Former US Senator Sam Nunn, who was also honored among the Emory Law 100, received the school’s Centennial Lifetime Achievement Award. A 24-year US senator from Georgia, Nunn is currently co-chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a charitable organization working to reduce the threat of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
Emory Law 100 honorees represent the best of Emory Law, and include alumni and faculty that have advanced the rule of law and made history at Emory or beyond. Honorees were selected by a Centennial Advisory Committee consisting of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
“I am honored to receive this recognition and to be in the company of such an elite group of Emory Law graduates,” said Eidson. “I am also proud to be a part of celebrating Emory Law’s 100-year legacy of advancing the rule of law.”
Eidson graduated from Emory University Law School in 1971 as a Lamar Law Scholar. In 1998, he established the Kessler-Eidson Foundation at Emory Law, which offers annual scholarships to two women dedicated to trial practice or public service. Simultaneously, he co-endowed the acclaimed Emory Law School Kessler-Eidson Trial Technique Program, a two-week session that second year law students are required to attend in order to graduate. Modeled after the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the Kessler-Eidson Trail Technique Program has become the largest in the country and is recognized as one of the finest in the nation for teaching trial advocacy. Eidson established the scholarship and program in honor of his late friend and fellow Emory Law alum, Kathy Kessler, who was tragically killed in the 1996 ValuJet Airlines crash.
In addition to products liability litigation, Eidson concentrates his practice in the fields of aviation, class action and multi-district litigation. A nationally recognized trial lawyer best known for his work on some of the largest automotive recalls in U.S. history, he has tried more than 125 cases to jury verdict during his career. He served as national lead co-counsel in the Ford-Firestone tire multidistrict litigation and was also appointed to the plaintiffs’ steering committee in the multidistrict litigation against Toyota Motor Corp. over sudden unintended acceleration. Together with his partners, Bill Colson and Bill Hicks, Eidson tried and won, the first case alleging that the Ford Pinto fuel system was defective. This case played an important role in improving automobile fuel systems, greatly reducing fuel-fed fires worldwide.
A nationally recognized author and lecturer, Eidson was a founding member of the Institute for Injury Reduction, a national organization dedicated to reducing injuries caused by defective products. He is active in numerous professional associations committed to improving safe practices and has volunteered his time on a multitude of professional and community boards, having received many awards for his service.
Eidson has been actively involved with the American Association for Justice, the world’s largest trial bar and a leading defender of justice, for more than 20 years, serving as President in 2006-2007. He has also served as president of the Dade County Trial Lawyers Association and the Miami Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He was installed as chairman of the American Association for Justice Foundation and awarded the Florida Justice Association’s Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Awardin 2013.
Eidson has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the country and was elected a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
About Colson Hicks Eidson
The Law Firm of Colson Hicks Eidson is a trial firm with nearly 50 years of experience handling local, national and international litigation, and arbitration. Members of the firm have been involved in some of the country’s most high-profile and landmark cases resulting in impactful and precedential rulings. A mid-size firm with a diverse staff comprised of more than 50 percent women and minorities, Colson Hicks Eidson prides itself on a track record of developing future leaders within the legal profession and its civic and community involvement. Members of the firm have held notable positions serving on the boards of prominent institutions, such as the State University System of Florida and the Florida State Board of Education, and holding high-ranking offices, including President of the 60,000-member American Association for Justice; President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; President of the Dade County Bar Association; President of the Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers; United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.
