Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Class Action & Mass Torts, Environmental Litigation; view more
Licensed in Georgia since: 1972
Education: University of Georgia School of Law
Languages Spoken: English, French
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2024 Call today:
706-408-8237
Free Consultation The Bell Firm
457 Greene StreetAugusta, GA 30901 Visit website
Details
Attorney John C. Bell, Jr., is a partner with The Bell Firm in Augusta, Georgia. A nationally ranked trial lawyer with more than 50 years of total legal experience, Mr. Bell provides invaluable counsel and support to clients throughout the greater Augusta metro and the Aiken, South Carolina, metro and the surrounding areas who have suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence or wrongdoing.
A veteran of more than 100 jury trials and countless negotiations, Mr. Bell has recovered tens of millions of dollars in total compensation for his plaintiff clients, including a landmark verdict of more than $45 million. Through his personal injury practice, he has handled a variety of claims for a diverse range of clients, including motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries, toxic torts and environmental damage claims, as well as defective products and other preventable tragedies.
Honored for his remarkable professionalism and outstanding client service, Mr. Bell has earned an AV Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell along with many other top rankings and endorsements from his peers. He has also received numerous testimonials and referrals from his satisfied clients, and he finds great reward in being able to help so many in his community during their times of dire need.
A 1969 graduate of Augusta State University, Mr. Bell obtained his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1972. The State Bar of Georgia admitted him to practice that same year, and the South Carolina Bar admitted him in 1991. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia and the District of South Carolina as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 11th Circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court.
A leader in his field, Mr. Bell has published dozens of articles and conducted many lectures and continuing legal education seminars on a variety of legal topics. He has also served as chair of the State Bar of Georgia's General Practice and Trial Section as well as the Georgia Institute of Trial Advocacy. He has also served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.
He has also served as chair of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's Environmental and Toxic Tort Section, and he is a fellow with the prestigious Georgia Bar Foundation. He is also an active member of the Augusta and American Bar Associations, among his other professional affiliations.
*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.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff, Environmental LitigationFocus areas
Class Actions, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Slip and Fall, Toxic Torts, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death
- 60% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 20% Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff
- 20% Environmental Litigation
First Admitted: 1972, Georgia
Professional Webpage: https://www.bellfirm.net/attorneys/john-c-bell-jr/
- Consumer Class Actions and Interesting Alternatives, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, October 2004
- When Client Goals and Case Realities Diverge: Ethical Dilemmas in Representing Named Plaintiffs, National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Class Action Symposium, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2010
- Cross Examination By Being Nice: Sugar is Better Than Salt, Georgia State Bar Trial Practice Seminar, Amelia Island, Florida, February 2010
- Screening Toxic Tort Cases and Clients, Annual Convention, American Association for Justice, San Francisco, California, July 2009
- Property Damages Claims Against Polluters with Class and Without, Annual Convention, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2009, and Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Amelia Island, Florida, April 2010
- The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Initiation Ceremony, Augusta State University Chapter, Augusta, Georgia, March 2009
- The Art of Advocacy: Cross Examination of the Well Educated, Well Prepared Witness, South Carolina Bar, Columbia, South Carolina, October 2008
- Getting and Keeping Punitive Damages, Annual Meeting of Kentucky Association for Justice, Lexington, Kentucky, September 2007
- Environmental Property Damage Claims, Annual Meeting, American Association for Justice, Chicago, Illinois, July 2007
- Brain Injury, General Practice and Trial Section, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Brunswick, Georgia, April 2005
- The Truth About Class Actions: Hidden Dangers/ Workable Solutions, Holiday Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, December 2003
- Litigating Product Liability Class Actions- For the Plaintiff, Annual Product Liability Seminar, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, May 2004
- Local Governments as Plaintiffs Bringing Polluters to Justice, Nuts and Bolts of Local Government Law Seminar, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Savannah, Georgia, March 2004
- Damages Recoverable in an Environmental Case, Proving Damages Seminar, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2004
- The Joy of Cross Examination of a Deceptive Expert, Toxic Tort and Environmental Litigation in Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, January 2004
- The Search for Forgotten Coverage: Homeowners-Double Crashes and Other Thoughts, “Torts of Sorts” Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, December 1999
- The Joy of Cross Examination, Georgia Foundations and Objections Seminar, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Augusta, Georgia, November 2003
- The Joy of Cross Examination of a Deceptive Expert, Art of Advocacy Seminar, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2003, and Toxic Tort Seminar, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2003
- How to Not Practice Law, Fall Workshop, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Columbus, Georgia, October 2003
- Corporate Shell Games, 55th Annual Melvin Belli Seminar, American Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, July 2002
- Cross Examining the Expert Witness in a Toxic Tort Case, Toxic Tort Seminar, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, May 2002
- Impeaching Witnesses with Style, Emory University School of Law, Roscoe Pound Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2002
- Punitive Damages: Bringing Unrepentant Sinners to the Bar of Justice (When to Ask for Them, How to Get Them, and How to Keep Them), American Trial Lawyers Association, Montreal, Canada, July 2001
- Rules for A.D.R. in Big Cases, Annual Meeting of the ADR Section, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2000
- Property Damage Class Action in Environmental Torts, Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, Hilton Head, South Carolina, August 1997
- How Not to Practice Law, Fall Workshop, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Savannah, Georgia, October 1999
- Use of Experts in Environmental Cases, Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta, Georgia, January 1999
- Punitive Damages: Bringing Unrepentant Sinners to the Bar of Justice, (When to Ask for Them, How to Get Them, and How to Keep Them), Holiday Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, December 1998
- Property Damage Claims Against Polluters with Class and Without Class, Institution of Continuing Legal Education, Amelia Island, Florida, April 1998
- Environmental Torts, With Class and Without Class, Annual Trial Lawyers Conference, Southern Trial Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana February 1998
- Bringing Sinners to the Bar of Justice- Punitive Damages, Successful Trial Practice Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, January 1994
- Justice For All (Torts, Jury Trials, and Nourishing Our Individual Freedom), Marietta Kiwanis Club, Marietta, GA, August 1997
- Inner Preparation for Trial, Maryland Trials Lawyers Association Seminar, Baltimore, Maryland, December 1996
- Nuisance and Trespass: Common Law Remedies for Environmental Wrongs, Toxic Tort Section Toxic Tort Litigation Panel Discussion, Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta, Georgia, December 1995
- Taking Discovery Depositions and Depositions for Uses at Trial- Differences in Strategy for Each and Why…When and Which Depositions to Take…Cost Factors, Auto wreck Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Augusta, Georgia, February 1995
- Taking Discovery Depositions and Depositions for Uses at Trial- Differences in Strategy for Each and Why…When and Which Depositions to Take…Cost Factors, Auto Wreck Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, January 1995
- Taking Discovery Depositions and Depositions for Uses at Trial- Differences in Strategy for Each and Why…When and Which Depositions to Take…Cost Factors, Auto Wreck Seminar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Columbus, South Carolina, January 1995
- Class Action Property Damage Claims Against Polluters, Red Clay Conference, Environmental Law Association, Athens, Georgia, April 1994
- Managing the Catastrophic Injury Case, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, December 1985
- Opening Statement: Product Liability, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Callaway Gardens, Georgia, October 1988
- Trial Preparation: Putting It All Together With The Finishing Touches Approaching Trial Day, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia Augusta 1988
- The Malpracticing Samaritan, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Jekyll Island, Georgia, November 1987
- 98 Ways Not to Practice Law, Tradition of Excellence Seminar, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, Georgia, November 1987
- Product Liability, the Victims Point-of-View How to Avoid the Lawsuit, American Society of Quality Control, Aiken, South Carolina, September 1987
- Preparing the Business Case For Trial By Applying What you Already Know, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, May 1987
- Destroying The Defense: (Impeachment; Discrediting; Character Evidence; Admissions; Inconsistent Statements- How to Plant the Seed and Reap the Harvest), Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, October 1983
- Opening Statement: Organization of Available Materials, Dramatization, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, August 1985
- How to Obtain an Adequate Verdict in a Catastrophic Injury Auto Accident Case, South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, Columbia, South Carolina, December 1984
- Destroying The Defense: (Impeachment; Discrediting; Character Evidence; Admissions; Inconsistent Statements- How to Plant the Seed and Reap the Harvest), Navy J.A.G. Seminar, Charleston, South Carolina, October 1984
- Augusta University 1969; University of GEORGIA School of Law, 1972, 1972
- Owens v. Metlife, 80,000,000, 2019
- Johansen v. Combustion Engineering, Inc., 170 F.3d 1320 (11th Cir. 1999)
- Kitt v. Shield Ins. Co., 240 Ga. 619 (1978)
- Doctors Hospital of Augusta, Inc. v. Boner, 195 Ga.App. 152 (1990)
- Stepak v. Addison, 20 F.3d 398 (11th Cir. 1994)
- Travelers, Inc. v. Patterman, 272 Ga. 251 (2000)
- UNUM Life Ins. Co. of America v. Crutchfield, 256 Ga.App. 582 (2002)
- Transportation Ins. Co. v. El Chico Restaurants, Inc., 271 Ga. 774 (1999)
- Taylor Auto Group, Inc. v. Jessie, 241 Ga.App. 602 (1999)
- Jones v. American General Life and Acc. Ins. Co., 213 F.R.D. 689, 29 Employee Benefits Cas. 2832, S.D.Ga., December 13, 2002 (No. CV101-003)
- Kemp v. American Tel. & Tel. Co., 393 F.3d 1354 (11th Cir. 2004)
- Jones v. American General Life & Accident Ins. Co., 370 F.3d 1065 (11th Cir. 2004)
- Del Rosario v. King & Prince Seafood Corp., 2006 WL 2367130 (S.D.Ga. March 7, 2006)
- In re American General Life & Accident Ins. Co. Retiree Benefits “ERISA” Litig., 387 F.Supp.2d 1361 (J.P.M.L. 2005)
- Otte v. Life Ins. Co. of N.A., 275 F.R.D. 50 (D.Mass. 2011)
- Liberty Lending Services v. Canada, 293 Ga.App. 731, 668 S.E.2d 3, 08 FCDR 2886, Ga.App., September 12, 2008 (NO. A08A1295)
- Mogel v. UNUM Life Ins. Co. of America, 547 F.3d 23, 45 Employee Benefits Cas. 1289, C.A.1 (Mass.), November 06, 2008 (NO. 08-1334)
- Edmonson v. Lincoln Nat’l Life Ins. Co., 777 F.Supp. 2d 869 (E.D.Pa. 2011)
- Merrimon v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of Am., – F.Supp.2d – , 2012 WL 406968 (D.Me. Feb. 3, 2012)
- Admitted to First, Second, Third and Eleventh courts of appeal, U. S. Supreme Court and all courts of Georgia and South Carolina. licensed pilot, 2021
- , trial lawyer of the year, Best Lawyers, 2021
- Georgia Super Lawyers, 2006-2021; AV rated; Traditions of Excellence Award, State Bar of Georgia;, Trial Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2021
- President Georgia Trial Lawyers; President Georgia Legal History Foundation, 2006-2021, 2021
- Super Lawyers, 2006-2022 Traditions of Excellence International Society of Barristers, 2022
- Chair, Star Student Program: Member and Chair, Richmond County Health Department; President Augusta University Foundation; Chair, Augusta Chapter of American Red Cross; President, Augusta Historical Society; Vestry, Church of the Good Shepard, 2023
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2024
