James B. "Jim" Matthews III
Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C.
Recognized since 1999
Athens, Georgia
Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs
Jim handles a wide range of plaintiffs’ personal injury cases. He focuses his practice on product defects, medical negligence, and trucking accidents. Jim is actively involved in hernia mesh litigation; the Atrium C-Qur mesh products (he is State Liaison Counsel in New Hampshire) and mesh products made by C.R. Bard, Inc. (he is co-lead counsel in Rhode Island).
With more than 37 years of legal experience, Jim has earned a reputation as a seasoned and successful trial lawyer. In the early years of his career he defended hundreds of personal injury cases. He defended hospitals and physicians, trucking companies, and manufacturers of a wide range of products, including tobacco and asbestos products. He also worked on behalf of companies in business litigation matters.
Jim eventually decided to switch sides and, in 1990, he began practicing on behalf of plaintiffs. At Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C., he now handles a wide variety of personal injury and wrongful death cases brought by injured victims and their families, as well as plaintiff business litigation. Most of Jim’s clients are referred to him by other attorneys and former clients he has helped in the past.
Jim is actively involved in the pelvic mesh and hernia mesh litigation. He is co-lead counsel in the C.R. Bard hernia mesh consolidated litigation in Rhode Island, was lead counsel in the Atrium C-Qur hernia mesh litigation in state court in New Hampshire and was state court liaison to the New Hampshire federal court C-Qur multi-district litigation. He had active roles during the discovery, pre-trial, and trial stages of the Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson Physiomesh hernia mesh multidistrict litigation in Atlanta (which was settled before trial) and the C.R. Bard pelvic mesh MDL in federal court in Charleston, West Virginia (which settled after a win for his client in the first bellwether trial).
Contact & Links
- Lawyer Page: https://www.bbga.com/attorneys/james-b-matthews-iii
- E-mail: jmatthews@bbga.com
Location
- 440 College Avenue, Suite 320
Athens, GA 30601
Education
- Georgia Southern University, BS Econ, graduated 1980
- University of Georgia, JD, graduated 1983
Bar Admissions
- Georgia, State Bar of Georgia
Affiliations
- American Association of Justice - Member
- American Bar Association - Member
- American Bar Foundation - Fellow
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association - Champion Member
- Medical Negligence Information Exchange Group - Member
- Southern Trial Lawyers Association - Member
- State Bar of Georgia - Member
4 The Best Lawyers in America® awards
2 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

Recognized in The Best Lawyers® in America 2023 for work in:
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs
Special Focus
- Medical Malpractice
Awards:
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Elected Fellow
- AV® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Georgia Super Lawyers®
- Legal Elite, Georgia Trend Magazine
Birth Injury
An infant who was born with severe brain damage requiring lifelong, 24/7 care as a result of the mother’s uterus rupturing during labor; the case involved alleged nursing negligence in dosing too much pitocin and not properly monitoring the mother’s contractions.Daycare Negligence/Product Liability
A three-year-old girl who was severely burned after an older child at a daycare center threw a lit match that ignited the young girl’s dress; in addition to obtaining a settlement from the day-care facility, Jim proved that the girl’s dress did not meet federal standards of flammability for children’s clothing.Dental Malpractice
The parents of a teenager who died following routine wisdom teeth removal. The case alleged that a dentist, who was not approved to do anesthesia procedures, over-sedated the patient and that the dental practice did not have adequate emergency equipment to address the situation after the patient stopped breathing.Medical Malpractice
The family members of a 40-year-old mother who was killed during routine, outpatient arthroscopic shoulder surgery due to an anesthesia mistake.Medical Malpractice
A champion high school runner who suffered alleged medical malpractice, resulting in a below-the-knee amputation (the individual went on to become a world champion sprinter in the Paralympics).Medical Malpractice/VA Hospital
Multiple cases involving paralysis of veterans being treated at VA hospitals.Personal Injury/Company Negligence
Hundreds of families who had their homes contaminated with arsenic from a nearby pesticide plant.Plane Crash
The family of a young woman who was killed in a private airplane crash.Premises Liability/Workplace Injury
Individuals who were exposed to hexavalent chromium in the workplace, resulting in serious, disabling, life-altering respiratory conditions.Product Liability/Hernia Mesh
A woman who suffered from a defective hernia mesh that punctured her bowel, resulting in the need for eight separate surgeries over the course of three years to have parts of her intestines removed and address infected tissue.Product Liability/Pelvic Mesh
Numerous women who suffered injuries after receiving surgery to have plastic pelvic mesh devices implanted.Tractor-Trailer Crash
A 37-year-old mother who suffered amputations of both legs and lost her unborn child as a result of a crash involving a large truck.Train Accident
The surviving family members of two railroad engineers who burned to death when the driver of a gasoline tanker truck attempted to beat the oncoming train, causing the engine to strike the tanker and burst into flame.Workplace Injury/Premises Liability
A man who suffered severe burns on over 70% of his body and face after a sugar refinery in Savannah exploded.Your browser is not fully compatible with our automatic printer friendly formatting.
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