James E. Butler Jr.
Georgia
Butler Prather LLP
105 13th Street
Columbus, GA 31901
United States
Tel: (404) 321-1700
Email:
jim@butlerprather.com
Web:
www.butlerprather.com
James E. Butler, Jr. is a founding partner of Butler Prather LLP and one of the nation’s leading products liability trial lawyers. Recognized annually by Super Lawyers since 2004, he continues to be regarded as one of the most accomplished trial attorneys in the United States.
He has served as lead counsel in ten cases with verdicts exceeding $100 million—including a $1.7 billion verdict and a $2.5 billion verdict against Ford, both involving Super Duty roof crush cases. No other lawyer in U.S. history is believed to have led as many cases with verdicts over $100 million.
Over his career, Butler has achieved record-setting products liability verdicts in multiple states, including the largest in Georgia history, and has tried cases across 33 states. His courtroom successes span catastrophic injury, automotive defect, and consumer safety cases, often against major manufacturers.
In addition to his products liability work, Butler has led major business tort, class action, and False Claims Act cases resulting in recoveries totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
Butler graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he won both the first- and second-year moot court competitions, the Southern Moot Court competition, and was a member of the National Moot Court team. He was also elected to the Law Review.
Jim has received a variety of professional honors, including the State Bar of Georgia General Practice & Trial Section “Tradition of Excellence Award,” the University of Georgia Law School’s “Distinguished Scroll Award”, and the American Board of Trial Advocates Civil Justice Award. He has been a Master of the Bench, Columbus Inns of Court.
Jim has long been recognized as a leader among trial lawyers in Georgia, and served as President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, and as a founding Director of the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation. He has served his profession in a variety of capacities, including serving on the State Bar Disciplinary Board. Jim was one of the youngest lawyers ever to receive Martindale-Hubbell’s, the leading national rating agency, “AV Preeminent—5.0 out of 5.0” rating.”
Jim has won record-setting verdicts in several states, including Missouri, Tennessee, and Alabama. He has set the record for largest verdict in Georgia history on six separate occasions – in four completely different kinds of civil cases (medical malpractice, trucking, auto products liability, and business torts/breach of fiduciary duty). No other lawyer has done that more than once. The first record-setting verdict in Georgia was when Jim was 31 years old – and was followed three months later by what was then the second largest verdict in Georgia history.
Jim was lead counsel in the Six Flags vs. Time Warner case, a business tort case, which is believed to be one of the largest collected judgments in American history ($454 million + interest).
In addition to the ten verdicts over $100 million, Jim has been lead counsel in cases with verdicts of $37 million, $30 million, $25 million, $17.7 million, $15.5 million, $13 million, $8 million. $4.7 million, $4.2 million, plus another six verdicts in excess of $1 million. Jim has won a total of 57 verdicts over $100,000. In addition to verdicts, Jim has served as lead counsel in hundreds of settled cases.
Jim has also served as lead counsel in several False Claims Act cases, including one that resulted in $279 million paid by the defendants, and in numerous class action cases, one group of which resulted in over $349,500,000 paid by defendants. Those cases also resulted in the creation of remainder funds that paid some $20 million to charities. Jim was lead counsel in another case, handled pro bono, that has resulted in payment of over $27 million to charities.
Jim has also served as lead counsel defending cases for long-time corporate clients, including for one client that in 2020 was sued in seven cases in four states. In that case Jim was lead counsel for a team that won dismissal of the last of those seven cases 5 months and 2 days after the first such case had been filed, and also defeated a motion for an MDL.
- State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources/Environmental Protection Division, Member, Board of Directors, 1998 – 2005
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Chairman, Environmental Protection Committee, 2000
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1988 – 1989
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Vice President, 1983 – 1986
- Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Amicus Curiae Committee, 1981 – 1983
- Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, Chairman, Special Jones Committee, 1982 – 1983
- Columbus Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1986
- State Bar of Georgia, Member, Disciplinary Board Review Panel, 1993 – 1996
- Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- The American Association for Justice
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Butler Prather LLP is a nationally recognized trial law firm known for achieving record-setting verdicts and landmark results in complex litigation across more than 30 states. Since its founding in 1988, the firm has built a reputation for fearless advocacy, representing injured individuals, grieving families, and businesses in pursuit of full justice.
The firm’s attorneys—many of whom graduated in the top five percent of their law school classes—chose Butler Prather LLP over large corporate firms to focus on meaningful, high-stakes trial work. Their approach is defined by rigorous preparation, strategic sophistication, and an unwavering commitment to taking cases to trial when necessary. Opponents know that the firm does not settle for less than full and fair compensation.
Butler Prather LLP routinely secures results that exceed expectations, earning the trust of clients and peers alike. Approximately half of its cases come through referrals from other lawyers, with the firm having paid more than $100 million in referral fees thanks to its consistent ability to deliver exceptional outcomes.
From catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death to business torts and complex product liability claims, Butler Prather LLP stands among the nation’s premier trial firms—measured not by words, but by results.