James E. Butler, Jr.

Attorney Profile
Top Rated General Litigation Attorney in Columbus, GA
- General Litigation (20%),
- Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff (20%),
- Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff (20%),
- Business Litigation (20%),
- Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff (10%),
- Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff (10%)
James (Jim) E. Butler Jr. is a partner at the law firm of Butler Wooten & Peak LLP, with offices in Atlanta, Columbus, and Savannah Georgia. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia and Alabama. He is certified as a civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and holds an AV Preeminent rating in the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating system.
In a career spanning more than 30 years, attorney Butler has tried well over 150 civil cases and has won numerous verdicts of more than $100 million, more than $10 million and more than $1 million. He has achieved four record-setting verdicts in Georgia in such disparate areas as medical malpractice, negligent entrustment, product liability, truck collisions, and business tort.
Mr. Butler began his legal career in 1977, after graduating cum laude from the University of Georgia Law School. Some of his early cases involving business torts resulted in groundbreaking decisions by the Georgia appellate courts regarding tortious interference with contracts, conversion and wrongful deprivation of the use of property.
He served as plaintiff's counsel in the original Jones v. State Farm case and as amicus curiae representative for the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association in the argument of several successor cases before the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court.
Top Lists
- Top 100: 2019 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2018 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2017 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2016 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2015 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2014 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 10: 2014 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2013 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2012 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2011 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2010 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2009 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 10: 2009 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2008 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 10: 2008 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2007 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 10: 2007 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2006 Georgia Super Lawyers
- Top 100: 2005 Georgia Super Lawyers
About James Butler, Jr.
Admitted: 1977, Georgia
Professional Webpage: https://www.butlerwootenpeak.com/attorneys/james-e-butler-jr...
Honors/Awards:
- Recipient, American Board of Trial Advocates Civil Justice Award, 1993
- Winner, Russell First Year Moot Court Competition
- The Order of Barristers
- Recipient, State Bar of Georgia Tradition of Excellence Award, 2002
- Winner, Talmadge Second Year Moot Court Competition
- Woodruff Merit Scholar
- Best Oralist, Southern Moot Court Competition
- Member, National Moot Court Team
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Certified Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Chairman, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Environmental Protection Committee, 2000
- Member, Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, Amicus Curiae Committee, 1981 - 1983
- Member, State Bar of Georgia, Disciplinary Board Review Panel, 1993 - 1996
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
- Member, Board of Directors, State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources/Environmental Protection Division, 1998 - 2005
- Vice President, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1983 - 1986
- President, Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, 1986
- The American Association for Justice
- Alabama, 1977
- President, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1988 - 1989
- Chairman, Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, Special Jones Committee, 1982 - 1983
- Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- Georgia, 1977
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Jones v. State Farm: Effectuating Legislative Intention, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1981
- Jones v. State Farm, The Insured's Perspective, Georgia State Bar Journal, August, 1982
- Hospital Liability for Physician Negligence in Georgia: A Realistic Approach, 37 Mercer L. Rev. 701, 1986
- What's A Human Life Really Worth: Recovering Damages For Decedents' Non-Economic Loss In Georgia Wrongful Death Actions (Co-Author), 7 Ga. St. L. Rev. 439, 1991
- The Bench As A Battleground: The Discovery System is Broke and Only Judges Can Fix It, The Verdict, May/June, 1992
- The Boundaries of Zealous Advocacy: Properly Representing Consumers Against Corporations and Their Tactics, 31 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 977, 1996
Verdicts/Settlements:
- $150,000,000 Verdict--Walden v. Chrysler Group, LLC and Bryan L. Harrell, 2015
Educational Background:
- University of Georgia, A.B. Journalism, 1972
Articles about James E. Butler, Jr. appearing in Super Lawyers
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Last Updated: 2/8/2019