Lori K. Bell

Lori Bell has been with Montgomery | Amatuzio for more than twenty years and has been a partner since 2008. Prior to joining the firm, Lori worked as a Deputy District Attorney, gaining valuable trial experience. Her practice focuses on civil litigation and personal injury claims stemming from trucking and auto accidents, premises liability actions, product liability, trade dress infringement, dram shop liability, asbestos litigation, toxic tort, and a range of claims impacting retail establishments and other commercial entities. Lori represents Fortune 500 companies, corporations, big box retailers, trucking companies, and residential and commercial property owners throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

Lori has obtained defense verdicts and favorable outcomes in jury trials involving auto and trucking accidents, as well as premises liability cases. She has prevailed on appeals, numerous dispositive motions, and successfully resolved countless cases through alternative dispute resolution. Lori believes in a collaborative approach to defending cases, understanding that employees, managers, district supervisors, and in-house counsel all contribute to the success of a case. She also emphasizes that a thorough initial investigation of an incident is critical to positioning a case for a successful outcome—whether by setting up a dispositive motion, leveraging a favorable settlement, or securing a trial victory. Lori is often called upon to assist with the investigation of a catastrophic event on the day it occurs.

Lori is passionate about her work for Brent’s Place, a long-term home away from home for patients with life-threatening illnesses, and has served on the Board of Directors and as Governance Chair since 2013. She also volunteers for the Rocky Mountain Swim League, her neighborhood swim team and homeowners association, and can never turn down a volunteer opportunity involving kids’ sports and activities.

Outside of work, Lori enjoys skiing, hiking, biking, and spending time on the water. Her husband, Joel, their kids, and two Goldendoodles are her favorite adventure-seeking companions.

• Appellate

• Asbestos and Silica

• Construction

• Dram Shop

• Insurance Defense

• Personal Injury

• Premises Liability

• Products Liability

• Retail and Hospitality

• Toxic Tort

• Trade Dress

• Trucking

• State of Colorado

• State of Wyoming

• United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

• United States District Court, District of Colorado

• United States District Court, District of Wyoming

University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, Denver, Colorado, J.D., 1999 

University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, 1991

• Brent’s Place, Board Member

• Brent’s Place, Governance Committee Chair

• Brent’s Place, Executive Committee

• Colorado Bar Association

• Colorado Defense Lawyers Association 

• Colorado Women’s Bar Association

• Denver Bar Association 

• S.B. v. F&R Lounge et al., No. 12CA1635, slip op. (Colo. App. July 11, 2013) (affirming summary judgment in favor of client on claims brought by plaintiff claiming involuntary removal from dram shop while intoxicated and subsequent sexual assault by other patrons)

• Duncan v. Int’l Kart Fed’n et al., No. 12CA0979, slip op. (Colo. App. June 13, 2013) (affirming summary judgment dismissing wrongful death suit affirmed in favor of national go-karting association and local affiliates based on exculpatory agreement)

• Larrieu v. Best Buy Stores, L.P., 303 P.3d 558 (Colo. 2013) (Responding to a question of state law certified by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court held that the Premises Liability Act governs liability for conditions, activities, and circumstances on real property for which a landowner is responsible in its capacity as a landowner)

• Travelers Indem. Co. of Illinois v. Hardwicke, 339 F. Supp. 2d 1127 (D. Colo. 2004) (addressing the reformation of an insurance policy and the maximum benefits to an insured in the event of reformation).

• Smith v. Reliance Standard Life Ins. Co., 322 F. Supp. 2d 1168, 1169 (D. Colo. 2004) (regarding the ineffectiveness of a unilateral amendment to an ERISA disability policy absent evidence that the employer agreed to the change, the denial of disability benefits not being supported by a preponderance of the evidence, and the impermissibility of arbitrarily disregarding treating physician opinions in ERISA cases)