Profile
James (Jim) E. Butler Jr. is a partner at the law firm of Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer, LLP, with offices in Atlanta and Columbus, 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 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.
Articles about James Butler, Jr. appearing in Super Lawyers
The Squire of Muscogee County
James Butler is as prepared as Winston Churchill and as down-to-earth as Atticus Finch
About James Butler, Jr.
Law School: University of Georgia School of Law
Admitted: 1977, Georgia
Professional Webpage: www.butlerwooten.com/bio/JamesButler.asp
Honors and Awards:
- Woodruff Merit Scholar
- The Order of Barristers
- Member, National Moot Court Team
- Winner, Talmadge Second Year Moot Court Competition
- Winner, Russell First Year Moot Court Competition
- Best Oralist, Southern Moot Court Competition
- Recipient, American Board of Trial Advocates Civil Justice Award, 1993
- Recipient, State Bar of Georgia Tradition of Excellence Award, 2002
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Certified Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
- The American Association for Justice
- Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- Member, State Bar of Georgia, Disciplinary Board Review Panel, 1993 - 1996
- President, Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, 1986
- Chairman, Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, Special Jones Committee, 1982 - 1983
- Member, Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, Amicus Curiae Committee, 1981 - 1983
- Vice President, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1983 - 1986
- President, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1988 - 1989
- Chairman, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Environmental Protection Committee, 2000
- Member, Board of Directors, State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources/Environmental Protection Division, 1998 - 2005
- Alabama, 1977
- Georgia, 1977
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- The Boundaries of Zealous Advocacy: Properly Representing Consumers Against Corporations and Their Tactics, 31 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 977, 1996
- The Bench As A Battleground: The Discovery System is Broke and Only Judges Can Fix It, The Verdict, May/June, 1992
- 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
- Hospital Liability for Physician Negligence in Georgia: A Realistic Approach, 37 Mercer L. Rev. 701, 1986
- Jones v. State Farm, The Insured's Perspective, Georgia State Bar Journal, August, 1982
- Jones v. State Farm: Effectuating Legislative Intention, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, 1981
Educational Background:
- University of Georgia, A.B. Journalism, 1972
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