LANCE M. SEARS is a past President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, a state-wide professional association of Colorado lawyers who practice civil trial law. After service as President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association from 1988-1989, Lance was elected to represent Colorado as a member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) for six (6) years.  Since 1998 he has served on the Board of Directors of the Western Trial Lawyers Association.

Lance was raised in Boulder, Colorado and received both his undergraduate degree (magna cum laude) and his law degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder. From 1975 to 1979 he was Deputy District Attorney in El Paso County (Colorado Springs), where he learned trial law on a daily basis in the courtroom. His practice since then has concentrated on civil trial law.

A significant amount of Lance's practice is in Federal Court, and in 1992, the judges of the Federal Court in Colorado appointed him to the Federal Court Advisory Committee, where he worked for 5 years with his fellow lawyers and the federal judges to make federal trial practice more efficient and cost effective. In 2001-2003, Lance was elected as the President of the Faculty of Federal Advocates (the trial lawyers who practice in Federal Court) for the Federal District Court of Colorado.

From 2001-2006, Lance was Chair of the Colorado State Judicial Performance Commission, which evaluates the performances of the justices of the Colorado Supreme Court and the judges of the Colorado Court of Appeals for purposes of making recommendations regarding their retention by the voters of Colorado.

Lance has lectured in over forty states and at national forums, and all over Colorado, on subjects involving trial skills and tactics, personal injury law, commercial torts and legal ethics. He is certified as a Diplomate of Trial Advocacy by the National College of Advocacy, a prestigious achievement, reached only after a lawyer has accumulated over 600 hours of teaching and lecturing to other lawyers, and is on the faculty and Board of Trustees of the National College of Advocacy.

Since 1982, Lance has also been on the Colorado Bar Ethics Committee, the committee that writes ethics opinions to guide Colorado lawyers in ethical standards. Lance is an advocate representing lawyer/ respondents before the Colorado Grievance Committee.
 
Lance has over thirty-three years of trial experience and is a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB), a prestigious international organization with only approximately 600 members throughout the English-speaking world. In 2008 the membership of the ISOB elected Lance to the Board of Governors of that group.  

Lance has been acknowledged by Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law. In 2007 and 2008 Lance was named a Superlawyer (TM) under the category of plaintiffs personal injury practice.

He represents parties in commercial disputes involving cases in the business arena (such as partnership disputes, breach of contract, business fraud, and denial of insurance claims), persons injured through the negligence of another person or corporation, or through the negligence of a professional (such as a doctor or lawyer), and parties to class actions.

Lance is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Colorado, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals as well as before the United States Supreme Court.

Current Position:

• Partner Year Formed Present Partnership: 1991
  

Bar Admissions:

• Colorado, 1975
• U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 1975
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1979
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1979
  

Education: 

• University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, Colorado, 1975 J.D.
• University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado B.A.Honors:
• Magna Cum Laude Major: History/English

Honors and Awards:

• ATLA Citation of Excellence, 1990
• Faculty of Federal Advocates, 2002 President
• National College of Advocacy, 1995 - Present Board of Trustees
• National College of Advocacy, 1992 Certified Diplomat
• Colorado State Judicial Qualification Commission, 1997 - 2006Member/Chair
• International Society of Barristers, 2003 - Present Fellow/Board of Governors 2008
• Belli Society, 2004 - Present Member
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1979 - Present Member
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1990 - 1996 Board of Governors
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1988 - 1990 State Delegate
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1993 - 1994 Co-Chair Peoples' Law School
• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 1988 - 1989 President
• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 1982 - Present Board of Directors
• Western Trial Lawyers Association Charter Member
• Western Trial Lawyers Association, 1998 - Present Board of Directors
• American Bar Association, 1979 - Present Member
• Colorado Bar Association, 1975 - Present Member
• Colorado Bar Association, 1983 - Present Ethics Committee
• El Paso County Bar Association, 1975 - Present Member
• District of Colorado Federal Civil Justice Advisory Committee, 1991 - 1995
• District of Colorado Federal Court Vacancy Commission, 1998
• Fourth Judicial District Judicial Qualification Commission, 1994 - 2001
  

Past Positions:

• 4th Judicial District Attorney Office, Deputy District Attorney, 1975 - 1979
• Private Practice, 1979 - Present