Joe Rice explains career, civil lawsuits and more | News

Joe Rice he could never have imagined what was coming as he routinely flipped through some of his grandfather’s law textbooks as a boy in the 1960s.

Rice—now the co-founder of one of the nation’s largest plaintiff’s litigation firms, Motley Rice LLC—put his thirst for knowledge to work in the historic 1997 Settlement Agreement with Big Tobacco, which is still considered the largest civil litigation in US history. and since then he hasn’t looked back.

For the past 28 years, Rice and his team of staff members and associate attorneys from seven states and DC have successfully negotiated complex litigation settlements and verdicts in cases involving: asbestos exposure, consumer fraud protection, PFAS and other toxins, terrorist financing, defective products, deceptive marketing of prescription painkillers with process for opioidsamong other legal matters.

“Of our 300-plus employees, probably 220, give or take, are located in Mount Pleasant or the surrounding area. So, this is where we like to come back. Although we travel a lot, here we are looking to be visible and try to make a difference … not only through our law practice, but with our philanthropic work and our time,” Rice, 70, said on her way to host a celebration on Dec. 6 for the Lowcountry. Make-O-Wish children and their families.

Rice’s passion for seeking a just reward for his clients is what has kept him going since he graduated from law school at the University of South Carolina in 1979.

Along the way, the married father and grandfather has seen notable changes in his profession for better and for worse. On the positive side of the ledger, Rice heralded technological advances that have transformed and accelerated the way we live, learn and communicate.

What the distinguished dealmaker doesn’t like so much is the growing influence of paid advertising.

“When I started practicing… clients came to us when (they) needed help. They didn’t read an ad in the paper, they didn’t see an ad on TV,” he added. “I think one of the biggest changes that has some good and some bad is the whole concept of advertising for lawyers — especially mass TV advertising with a bunch of money borrowed from a hedge fund or a legal marketing team with who share a charge. “

In this unconventional method of gaining clients, Rice observed, lawyers never intend to represent their clients.

“I just feel like it’s a business book and I can handle it. And when someone solves the case, it just shows up.”

Over the years, Motley Rice’s theme of practicing law it was based on the assumption of causes. One of these recently involved Motley Rice LLC attorneys Donald Migliori and Jonathan Orient at the forefront of the process of reaching o agreement to resolve up to 33,000 mesh implant lawsuits for patients who have suffered a multitude of conditions. It was noteworthy in the settlement The Paul Trevino case v. Davol Inc./CR Bard Inc. in 2022 – of which Orent was lead counsel – resulting in a $7 million verdict (with interest) for the sole plaintiff.

The formula for properly handling cases that can drag on for years, according to Rice, is recognizing his attorneys’ individual skills and strengths — and knowing what makes them passionate.

Getting joy out of your life’s work, he noted, is a critical factor for aspiring lawyers in determining whether the legal profession is the best path forward.

Starting a career as a legal advisor, he said, requires taking the time to really understand the concept of law, as well as its history and purpose.

“I also tell them that when you go to law school, if you don’t enjoy it, then don’t stay there,” he said.

And while Rice remains deeply committed to seeking justice for those harmed by wrongdoing, he has also cultivated outside interests. Namely, leader Motley Rice enjoys riding horses in Awendaw, along with riding motorcycles and playing golf.

In addition, the innovative negotiator helped develop a charitable giving committee that expanded the company’s contributions, working with groups such as the Dee Norton Children’s Center, East Cooper Meals on Wheels, Toys for Tots and Lowcountry Make-A-Wish in creativity and manners productive that help raise awareness for their programming and funding needs.

The firm’s Dec. 6 Make-A-Wish party, Rice said, highlighted the spirit of the season and the joy of giving back, as well as the transformative power of granting wishes to children facing critical illnesses in the Lowcountry community. The kids explored six different activity stations, walked the red carpet, sang karaoke and visited Ol’ St. Nick.

“Some of the kids that were there … were going for medical exams the next day to determine whether or not what was found in their body was cancerous or operable. But that was not what they were thinking about that night. with Santa.”