James L. Ward, Jr.

A native of Saluda, South Carolina, Jay developed his interest in the law from hours spent observing court proceedings in the town's courthouse. Jay began his career with two corporate defense firms, Sinkler & Boyd in Columbia, South Carolina, and Smith, Helms, Mulliss & Moore in Charlotte, North Carolina. His passion for helping people who have been wronged brought him to the plaintiffs' practice. Experience on both sides of the courtroom gives Jay superior insight into how defendants approach cases and the strategies they employ.

In his more than 20-year career, Jay has played significant lead and liaison counsel roles in complex class action and multidistrict litigation involving pharmaceutical drugs, healthcare fraud, defective products, antitrust, and consumer protection. Jay has also focused a large portion of his practice on the representation of states and local governments as special counsel in complex litigation. In addition, Jay has extensive experience handling a variety of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. Jay is based in the firm's Charleston office.