James E. Butler, Jr.

James E. Butler, Jr., is the founding partner of the Butler Prather LLP law firm, which has law offices in Atlanta, Savannah and Columbus, Georgia. Widely regarded as among the top trial lawyers in the history of this country, Mr. Butler has more than 44 years of total legal experience.

Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Butler has handled a wide range of civil cases in some 32 states, from Montana to Florida, New York to Texas.  As lead counsel he has won a verdict of $1.7 billion, nine verdicts of more than $100 million, in addition to fifty-one more verdicts over $10 million.  He has set the record for largest verdict in four states, including four times in Georgia - in four entirely different kinds of cases (medical malpractice, trucking, auto products liability, and business torts).  That is in addition to hundreds of settlements, including $170 million in one business case and settlements of $279 million and $349 million in class action cases where he served as lead counsel, plus settlements for over $170 million in a False Claims Act case for which he served as lead counsel.  Mr. Butler has also participated in dozens of appellate court cases, with substantial success, including as Amicus Curiae in a number of cases. 

Mr. Butler has also done defense work for years for two Fortune 500 corporations whose executives are personal friends of his.

Mr. Butler has also served as lead counsel in a number of pro bono cases, including one that has resulted in the payment of over $24 million to two charitable institutions and another which stopped, so far forever, the installation of a hazardous waste facility in a Georgia county.   He has also served as lead counsel in a series of class action cases which resulted in nearly $20 million in 'cy pres' funds being paid to a variety of educational and charitable institutions.  

Mr. Butler has been had an "AV Preeminent" peer-review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell from very early in his career (when first so rated he was apparently the youngest lawyer ever to achieve that rating).  He has also received the American Board of Trial Advocates Civil Justice Award in 1993 as well as the State Bar of Georgia Tradition of Excellence Award in 2002. 

A leader in his legal community, Mr. Butler has served as president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, and as a member of the Georgia Board of Natural Resources, where he served as Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee.  Mr. Butler is a former member of the State Bar of Georgia's Disciplinary Board Review Panel.  He is a member of the American Association for Justice and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, among many others. 

Mr. Butler obtained his Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Georgia in 1972 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1977.  Mr. Butler attended that law school as a Woodruff Merit Scholar, having turned down a full scholarship from Harvard Law School.   

In law school at Georgia, Mr. Butler won the first year Talmadge Moot Court competition, the second year Russell Moot Court competition, the Southern Moot Court competition, and was a member of the National Moot Court ream.  Mr. Butler was also a member of the Georgia Law Review.

Prior to starting law school Mr. Butler was a homebuilder, having built 42 houses, was a paid political operative in a campaign for Governor of Georgia, and worked for several newspapers as a reporter, along with a host of other jobs starting at age 11.  

Mr. Butler has been active in litigating cases in the following areas of the law:

· Business torts

- Personal Injury 

· Class actions

· Product liability

· Auto defects

· Whistleblower and qui tam claims

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.