We have some sad news to report out of the Texas legal community, where a Biglaw firm’s name partner recently passed away following a lengthy illness.
H. Lee Godfrey, 86, former managing partner of Susman Godfrey, passed away yesterday. He joined Stephen Susman in the early 1980s at the recently founded litigation boutique, which soon became one of the most respected Am Law 100 litigation firms in the country. Godfrey remained as co-managing partner with the firm until he retired in 2013. Godfrey’s passing follows that of Susman, his longtime colleague and friend, in 2020. Susman succumbed to COVID-19 in the wake of a bicycle accident that had left him in a coma.
The firm provided additional details on Godfrey’s life and times in a touching statement:
Lee was one of the preeminent trial lawyers of his generation. His smile and wit charmed judges and jurors; his keen intellect persuaded them. Lee’s cross examinations were legendary, an iron fist in a velvet glove.
The most sophisticated clients in the world trusted Lee to handle their cases. From representing Northrup over an aborted sale of F-18 fighter jets, to the Gulf pension holders aggrieved at the invasion of their pension fund, to the shareholders of American Shell Oil Company opposing Royal Dutch Shell’s going-private transaction, to mineral rights holders pursuing antitrust claims over oil royalties – Lee litigated some of the most important matters in the firm’s history. Even Evel Knievel wanted Lee to be his lawyer. …
A generation of Susman Godfrey trial lawyers owe their courtroom swagger and understanding of human nature to the lessons Lee taught them in and out of the courtroom, usually flavored with his legendary sense of humor. Lee was quick with a smile and an encouraging word for every member of his trial teams, regardless of their role or tenure. Very few law school recruits could resist a pitch from the elegant, fun-loving, and dashing Lee Godfrey. And very few clients and lawyers, whether adversaries or allies, could resist his charisma and his combination of small-town, plain-spoken charm and megawatt intelligence.
Susman Godfrey is one of the firms that filed suit against the Trump administration to combat an unjust executive order. The firm has already secured a temporary restraining order, and is currently awaiting a final ruling on its summary judgment motion. Three other firms — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, and WilmerHale — have already won their cases, with judges declaring the executive orders to be unconstitutional.
In an interview with the Texas Lawyer, Vineet Bhatia, co-managing partner of the firm, noted that he thought Godfrey would be “quite proud” of the firm’s decision to fight. “We are standing up for ourselves and I think it’s something that he would have done without question. He was never one to stand down from fighting the good fight,” he said.
We here at Above the Law extend our condolences to H. Lee Godfrey’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
H. Lee Godfrey, 1939-2025 [Susman Godfrey]
Longtime Susman Godfrey Leader H. Lee Godfrey Dies at 86 After Long Illness [Texas Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
