Jody V. McKnight

Top rated Personal Injury attorney in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

McKnight Law Firm
Jody V. McKnight
McKnight Law Firm

Practice areas: Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Products Liability; view more

Licensed in South Carolina since: 1993

Education: University of South Carolina School of Law

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2008 - 2009, 2012 - 2014, 2020 - 2025
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McKnight Law Firm

1156 Bowman Rd
Suite 200
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 Visit website

Details

A native of Charleston, attorney Jody V. McKnight is recognized for his numerous significant wins in his practice area of personal injury and workers’ compensation before the state and federal courts in South Carolina. Serving as an attorney at law at his Mount Pleasant-based eponymous firm in South Carolina, he has about three decades of professional legal experience to his credit. 

During the initial stages of his career, Mr. McKnight was introduced to other fields of litigation such as insurance defense and construction law. Soon, he realized his affinity toward helping people who are trying to get back on track after succumbing to an injury or the parting of a loved one caused due to the fault of others. Since then, he has strived to put in his best efforts to lend an ear to the problems of people who seek legal aid and resolve them with cost-efficient methodologies.

Mr. McKnight completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of South Carolina. Enrolling in the university’s school of law, he obtained his law degree while also functioning as the article editor of the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal.

After working for more than 16 years at a boutique firm, Mr. McKnight established McKnight Law in 2011 to provide personalized and top-notch service to his clients. He aims to construct watertight cases against those who are responsible for the negligence or recklessness that has caused harm or injury to someone else. He takes on cases including automobile accidents, trucking collisions, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and premises liability. 

Apart from landmark judgments that have changed the life of disabled workers in South Carolina for the better, these long years of exceptional service have secured Mr. McKnight several honors, including an “Excellent” rating on Avvo. He is ranked among The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and has served on the board of governors of the South Carolina Association for Justice. He has memberships in several prominent legal associations and avidly engages in presenting at continuing legal education seminars as well.

Practice areas

Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff, Workers' Compensation: Claimant

Focus areas

Animal Bites, Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Pharmaceutical, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death

  • 70% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
  • 10% Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff
  • 10% Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff
  • 10% Workers' Compensation: Claimant

First Admitted: 1993, South Carolina

Professional Webpage: https://jmcknightlawfirm.com/jody-mcknight-personal-injury-l...

Bar/Professional Activity:
  • South Carolina Bar Member, since 1993
  • American Association for Justice
  • Southern Trial Lawyer's Association
  • Super Lawyers, Member
  • Southern Trial Lawyer Association (STLA), Member, since 2003
  • South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ), current member and formerly served three consecutive terms on the SCAJ Board of Governors South Carolina Bar Member, since 1993 Southern Trial Lawyers Association SuperLawyers, since 2008 National Trial Lawyers Association, since 2011 American Association for Justice
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
  • $4,100,000.00 Wrongful Death Settlement, Tractor Trailer Collision, including negligence by Contractor and safety engineering firm for South Carolina Department of Transportation, 2022
  • $275,000.00 settlement for tractor trailer driver injured, suffered a facial scar,  when another tractor trailer followed too closely and struck the rear of the injured plaintiff's truck.   , 2025
  • See jmcknightlawfirm.com for additional results, 2023
  • $1,800,000.00 Settlement for Tractor Trailer Rear-End Collision; Back Injuries, 2022
  • James v. Anne’s Inc., 386 S.C. 326, 688 S.E.2d 562 (2010), rev’d on reh’g, 390 S.C. 188, 701 S.E.2d. 730 (2010), the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed its original 3-2 decision into a unanimous 5-0 victory in favor of Mr. McKnight’s client and all disabled workers in the State of South Carolina. This decision eliminated a legally impermissible extra-judicial negotiation model, where South Carolina’s disabled workers were routinely forced to abandon rights and remedies afforded under the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act. Mr. McKnight personally funded and charged no fees for his appellate work in that case, because it was the right thing to do, overriding principles of justice required that the issue be finally decided to protect South Carolina’s workers., 2010
Videos:
Pro bono/Community Service:
  • The McKnight Law Firm sponsors the Charleston Moves organization, which is a non-profit that advocates for reasonable and safe roadway design and construction of things such as bike/pedestrian paths and lanes.   The McKnight Law Firm focuses on serious injury and wrongful death cases, and sees the other side of vehicles colliding with people on foot and bicycles.  We would like to see the number of these sometimes catastrophic collisions between cars, trucks, and people, reduced.  In 2024, the McKnight Law Firm Sponsored the Charleston Moves Gala as a Title Sponsor; and is a Title Sponsor for May Mobility Month for 2025, which highlights their community involvement.   Jody McKnight has spoken at City of Charleston Council meetings to advocate for a bike lane on King Street in Charleston; and remains available to Charleston Moves to speak on their behalf upon request.  See Charlestonmoves.org. , 2025
Educational Background:
  • University of South Carolina, J.D., 1993, 1993
  • B.A. in Political Science, University of South Carolina, 1987
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
  • Auto Injuries: Advanced Plaintiff’s Strategies: Using Doctor Testimony to Your Advantage, National Business Institute Seminar, August 2020
  • Plaintiff’s Personal Injury, From Start to Finish, National Business Institute Seminar, February 2020
  • Advanced Trial Tactics, Opening Statement and Direct Examination, National Business Institute Seminar, December 2017
  • Basics of Civil Practice and Procedure, National Business Institute Seminar, 2020
  • Pain and Suffering, Exacerbation of Pre-Existing Injuries, Loss of Earning, and Life Care Plans, National Business Institute, 2020
  • Offensive and Defensive Non-Mutual Collateral Estoppel: Due Process Implications of the Sword and Shield, South Carolina Trial Lawyer Association Bulletin, May 1997
  • Unite and Conquer with a Local Trial Lawyer Workshop, South Carolina Trial Lawyer Association Bulletin, May 2001
  • South Carolina Supreme Court Landmark Decision by way of Rehearing, JUSTLAW, Southern Trial Lawyers Association Magazine, February 2011
  • Physician Re-Direct Examination: Focus on Context and Science to Uncloak the Black Hat, JUSTLAW, Southern Trial Lawyers Association Magazine, August 11, 2014
Firm News (Newsletters):
  • Link to McKnight Law Firm website Blog; and see Blog and Newsletter sign up on web page. , McKnight Law Firm Blog

These comments were made by fellow attorneys during the annual nomination process.

“Jody is one of the most passionate lawyers I know. He is well versed in all areas of personal injury, but I consider him a specialist when it comes to closing arguments and communicating with juries. His ethics and his desire to fight for what he believes in are unmatched.”

Office location for Jody V. McKnight

1156 Bowman Rd
Suite 200
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

Phone: 843-991-5639

Selections

11 Years Super Lawyers
  • Super Lawyers: 2008 - 2009, 2012 - 2014, 2020 - 2025

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