Selected Recoveries:

Jim represented six Iraqi families against Blackwater/Xe Services for the infamous September 16, 2007 shootings in Baghdad, Iraq which were described as a massacre of innocent civilians. He also defended actor Jean-Claude Van Damme when the actor was sued by an extra after being struck in the eye during the filming of a movie in North Carolina.

When a forty-one-year-old worker fell to his death due to an inadequately designed scaffold, leaving behind a widow and two small children, Jim successfully prosecuted a products liability action against the out-of-state company which sold the defective scaffold.

When an eighty-year-old North Carolina tobacco farmer lost his entire life savings due to the unlawful conduct of a dishonest investment advisor, Jim successfully prosecuted a claim on behalf of the farmer and recovered his client’s money.

When a minority shareholder suffered damages due to the wrongful conduct of the majority shareholders of the company, Jim successfully obtained a $3.75 million recovery for the minority shareholder following a five-week jury trial.

The above cases are but a few examples of the diverse and complex matters which Jim has successfully handled on behalf of his clients. A more comprehensive listing of Jim’s experience and recoveries can be viewed under the Experience and Writings & Recoveries tabs above.

Today, Jim’s practice is concentrated in the areas of business torts, investment fraud, qui tam, shareholder litigation, class actions, serious personal injury and construction and surety litigation.

Selected Honors:

He has been named as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of commercial litigation, personal injury litigation, bet-the-company litigation and construction law. Additional honors and accolades include being named in Super Lawyers magazine – an honor limited to 5% of all attorneys statewide. He was also recognized in Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in North Carolina and one of the Top 25 Lawyers in Raleigh.  He has been rated as “preeminent” in his field by obtaining the highest peer review rating available (AV) from Martindale-Hubbell®. In 2004, Business North Carolina magazine named him the top construction trial attorney in the state. He was elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”), a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial system. Membership in ABOTA is by invitation only, requiring a demonstrated record of trial experience, as well as an honorable reputation.

Jim has lectured on a variety of topics related to trial advocacy such as effective deposition techniques, trial strategies and jury selection.

Jim is a graduate of Wake Forest University (B.A. cum laude) and Wake Forest University School of Law. He is married to Annie Roberts and has five children. He and Annie are active members of Edenton Street United Methodist Church.