James E. Butler, Jr.

James E. Butler, Jr.

Attorney Profile

Top Rated General Litigation Attorney in Columbus, GA

Butler Wooten & Peak LLP
 | 105 13th Street, Columbus, GA 31901
Visit: https://www.butlerwootenpeak.com
Phone: 800-242-2962
Fax: 706-323-2962
Email: James E. Butler, Jr.
Selected To Super Lawyers: 2004 - 2020
Licensed Since: 1977
Practice Areas:
  • 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%)
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    Attorney Profile

    James E. Butler Jr. (Jim) 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 43 years, Mr. Butler has tried well over 150 civil cases and has won seven verdicts of more than $100 million, another seven of more than $10 million, and numerous additional verdicts of more than $1 million. He has set the record for largest verdict in Georgia history four different times, each verdict involving a different area of the law - medical malpractice, negligent entrustment in a trucking wreck, product liability, and business torts (breach of fiduciary duty).   He has also won record-setting verdicts in other states, and been lead counsel in record-setting settlements in several states.  One settlement involving Mr. Butler as lead counsel resulted in his one client receiving more than the total received by 44 other plaintiffs with similar claims.  Mr. Butler has been lead counsel in a wide variety of cases, including Class Actions and False Claims Act cases.  

    Mr. Butler began his legal career in 1977, after graduating cum laude from the University of Georgia Law School. Before that he had been a newspaper reporter, a political operative, and a residential contractor and land developer.   

    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 Board of Natural Resources, 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

    Representative Clients:

    • AFLAC.  Synovus Financial Corp.

    Educational Background:

    • University of Georgia, A.B. Journalism, 1972

    Articles about James E. Butler, Jr. appearing in Super Lawyers

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    Office Location for James E. Butler, Jr.

    105 13th Street
    Columbus, GA 31901

    James E. Butler, Jr.:

    Last Updated: 5/19/2020

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