Dean Colson

With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a track record spanning decades, Dean C. Colson has become a highly respected figure in the legal profession and is renowned as a top trial lawyer in the U.S. with 40 years of experience, having represented large plaintiff classes and handled multimillion-dollar litigation for injured parties. Colson joined the firm in 1981 after clerking for then-Justice William H. Rehnquist on the U.S. Supreme Court, and previously clerked for the Honorable Peter T. Fay on the United States Court of Appeals. Chambers USA recognized him as a 'Senior Statesman' in General Commercial Litigation; his notable victories include representing 42 families in the AeroPeru airplane crash case, achieving one of the highest compensations ever awarded for an aviation accident in South America, and serving as trial counsel in the Premium Sales case, representing defrauded investors in a Ponzi scheme that settled for $170 million shortly after trial commenced. Additional experience includes defending a Miami-area newspaper in a libel case and handling personal injury cases involving professional malpractice, aviation accidents, and product liability. Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Colson to the Standing Rules Committee of the Federal Courts, where he served two terms, and he is a Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, having previously served as President of the Dade County Bar Association, a member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors, a Florida Commission on Ethics member, and chair of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. Over 20 years he chaired the State University System in Florida, the Board of Trustees of Florida International University, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami; he served on the University of Miami Board of Trustees for 18 years, with eight as Chair of the Executive Committee or Chair of the Board, was appointed to the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida in 2009 for a seven-year term including two years as Chair, and was appointed to the Florida International University Board of Trustees in 2017, chairing it from 2020 to 2023. He chaired the 1995 Super Bowl XXIX Host Committee, served as President of the Orange Bowl Committee in 2003, and has served as a board member of various charitable organizations including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. Colson has received numerous community service awards, including 'Citizen of the Year' from the Mayor of Miami, 'Sportsman of the Year' from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Miami, and the James W. McLamore Outstanding Volunteer Award, and he received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from Florida International University and the Jurisprudence Award from the Anti-Defamation League.