John T. Lay, Jr.

Appellate

Banking & Financial Services

Business & Commercial Litigation

Class Action & Multidistrict Litigation

Drug & Medical Device

Environmental Law

Probate, Trusts & Estate Litigation

Products Liability

Professional Negligence

Securities Litigation & FINRA Arbitration

Toxic & Mass Torts

John T. Lay is an accomplished trial lawyer, with more than 30 years of experience managing complex, high-stakes litigation. Over the course of his career, he has tried more than 100 cases to verdict and has handled appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the South Carolina Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. His practice encompasses a broad range of complex litigation, including class actions, wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims, product liability matters, high-profile business disputes, Qui Tam actions, legal malpractice claims, and energy law. He has extensive experience directing product liability litigation nationwide and has represented clients in significant business disputes throughout the Southeast.

Over the course of his career, John T. has been involved in some of the most consequential cases in South Carolina legal history, including what are believed to be the state’s most significant legal malpractice case, trust and estate dispute, and class action, as well as the largest sanctions award imposed against opposing counsel for litigation misconduct. He represented bestselling author Clive Cussler in federal litigation concerning the discovery of the Hunley, the Civil War-era submarine that sank off the coast of Charleston. He was also appointed by a South Carolina court to serve as Receiver for an attorney accused of murder and the theft of millions of dollars in client funds, overseeing the recovery, administration, and distribution of assets to victims in a matter that garnered national media attention. In addition, John T. served as outside director of litigation for a public utility company involved in a multi-billion-dollar failed nuclear project, one of the most significant business controversies in South Carolina history. More recently, he was engaged by the South Carolina Senate and South Carolina House of Representatives to assist with the drafting and negotiation of new tort reform legislation.

Beyond his litigation practice, John T. is deeply committed to developing future generations of trial lawyers. He has taught Trial Advocacy at the University of South Carolina School of Law, served on the faculty of the International Association of Defense Counsel’s Trial Academy at Stanford University, and frequently lectures nationwide on litigation, trial practice, and professional responsibility.

His accomplishments have been recognized extensively by peers, clients, and leading legal ranking organizations. John T. has been named a Global Thought Leader in Product Liability and Healthcare & Life Sciences by Lexology Index. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and has been recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for Insurance Law (2016, 2017), Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (2018, 2020), Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants (2019, 2025), Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (2022), and Bet-the-Company Litigation (2024).

Since 2008, John T. has been recognized by Super Lawyers and has repeatedly been selected among South Carolina’s elite attorneys. He was named to the South Carolina Top 25 list in 2014 and from 2018 through 2026, and to the South Carolina Top 10 list in 2019 and from 2024 through 2026. He was also selected in Forbes’ inaugural “Best in State” listing as one of only eight attorneys recognized in South Carolina and one of 500 attorneys recognized nationwide. John T. has been ranked by Chambers USA since 2013 and currently holds Band 1 rankings in both Litigation: General Commercial and Insurance. Chambers sources describe him as “a gifted trial lawyer and gifted communicator” who is “well respected by the judiciary.” He is also recognized by Legal 500 U.S. Elite Southeast for Commercial Disputes.

Reflecting the confidence placed in his judgment, experience, and professional reputation, John T. was recently appointed by the South Carolina Senate to serve on the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, a body that plays a central role in evaluating and recommending candidates for South Carolina’s judiciary.