Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims, P.A.: John Lay, Jr.

John T. Lay, Jr.

Shareholder

John T. Lay, Jr.
Shareholder

A member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, John T. Lay, Jr., has been trying cases for 19 years, serving as lead counsel to a wide variety of clients in federal and state courts in many states and in almost every venue in South Carolina. In addition, he has handled appeals at the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the South Carolina Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He has significant experience handling complex, high-stakes claims. He has tried nearly 100 cases to verdict.

John T.’s experience encompasses complex litigation, business litigation, professional malpractice, insurance bad faith and coverage, financial services litigation, and product liability. His cases have included:

•    Multi-million dollar class action suits
•    Death and catastrophic injury product claims including pharmaceutical products
•    Allegations involving professional negligence of doctors and lawyers
•    High profile business disputes between corporate interests
•    Representation of lenders in multi-party financial fraud claims
•    Insurance Institutional bad faith litigation

John T. has been recognized extensively by his peers. He is AV Rated in Martindale Hubbell, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America® in three categories: bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation and product liability litigation. He is also listed in South Carolina Super Lawyers, and is a fellow and in the Order of Justitia of the Litigation Counsel of America™.   He also received the Exceptional Performance Citation from the Defense Research Institute in 2009.

John T. is on the board of directors and immediate past president of South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association. He also is heavily involved in the International Association of Defense Counsel, and is on the Product Liability, Business Litigation, and Trial Tactics Committees. He was elected to and is a member of the highly selective Association of Defense Trial Attorneys. He was also selected by the South Carolina Supreme Court to serve as an attorney to assist disciplinary counsel for the South Carolina Commission on Lawyer Conduct. He is a member of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and was elected to John Belton O’Neill Inn of Court.

John T. has extensive experience teaching trial techniques. He has taught trial advocacy at the University of South Carolina School of Law and led the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Trial Academy for three years. In 2009, John T. was a faculty member for International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy at Stanford University.

John T. is a former college wrestler starting four years at a Division I program and was team captain for two years. He is active in the community serving on the boards of several organizations including Senior Resources, Inc. and Meals on Wheels. He coaches youth soccer and is the elementary school wrestling coach at Hammond School.

Recent and Upcoming Presentations Include:

Vetting and Hiring Your Expert Witness – Alabama Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, Destin, Florida – June 2008

Vetting and Hiring Your Expert Witness – South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, Asheville, North Carolina – July 2008

Effective Use of the 30(b)(6) Deposition, Deposition Boot Camp – South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, Columbia, South Carolina – May 2009

Cross of the Expert – IADC Trial Academy at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California – July 2009

Preparing Your Witness for Trial – IADC Trial Academy at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California – July 2009

Vetting and Hiring Your Expert Witness – Louisiana Defense Attorneys' Association, New Orleans, Louisiana – August 2009

Effective Low Cost Technology at Trial – ABA Conference, Beaver Creek, Colorado – January 2010

Attacking the Adverse Expert – IADC – March 2010 (National Webinar)

Damn Proud to Be a Defense Lawyer – IADC Regional Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina – April 2010

30(b)(6) Deposition for the Advanced Litigator, Advanced Deposition Boot Camp – South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, Columbia, South Carolina – May 2010

Comparative Negligence – the South Carolina Experience – North Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, Hilton Head, South Carolina – June 2010

Preparation and Cross of Insurance Witness – South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, Asheville, NC – July 2010

Attacking the Plaintiff’s Adverse Expert – Joint Meeting of the Florida and Georgia Defense Attorneys' Associations, Big Sky, Montana – January 2011