John T. Lay receives Jeter E. Rhodes, Jr. Trial Lawyer of the Year Award
[Columbia, S.C. – March 19, 2026] – Gallivan White Boyd (GWB) is proud to announce that John T. Lay, Jr. has been honored with the Jeter E. Rhodes, Jr. Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). This award is presented to a lawyer who embraces the art of the jury trial and is a true embodiment of mission of ABOTA: to preserve the seventh amendment right to a jury trial in civil cases. Jeter Rhodes was himself a preeminent trial lawyer in South Carolina and, also like John T., a Past President of the South Carolina Chapter of ABOTA.
John T. is a partner in GWB’s Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, offices. With more than 30 years of experience managing complex, high-stakes litigation, he has tried over 100 cases to verdict. His practice includes class actions, death and catastrophic injury claims, products liability claims, high profile business disputes, Qui Tam, energy law, and legal malpractice. He has also handled appeals to the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of South Carolina, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Consistently recognized among the top in his field, John T. has earned honors from Benchmark Litigation, multiple “Lawyer of the Year” awards from Best Lawyers® in America and has been selected to Chambers and Partners since 2013 and is listed as Band 1 for Commercial Litigation. He has been named consistently among the Top 10 Lawyers in South Carolina by Super Lawyers®, recognized as Legal Elite by Columbia Business Monthly, and selected as a Thought Leader by the Lexology Index for his work in products liability and healthcare & life sciences. He was also recently selected in the inaugural Forbes Listing as one of eight lawyers who are “Best in State”.