Joseph D. "Trey" Thompson III

Joseph “Trey” Thompson is a partner in the Charleston office with a range of experience litigating commercial disputes as well as catastrophic personal injury claims arising from premises, products, and toxic exposures. He has tried over 100 jury trial cases in state and federal courts in his nearly 30 years of practice. He has argued cases before the South Carolina Supreme Court and South Carolina Court of Appeals. As a result of his trial work, Trey has an understanding of how to conduct effective and efficient discovery to position his clients’ cases for presentation to a jury in an optimal light.

While Trey enjoys the court room, he understands that clients typically do not. As a result, Trey works closely with his clients to develop strategies for moving a case toward resolution at mediation. Trey not only represents clients at mediations but also conducts them as a Certified Circuit Court Mediator, as qualified by the South Carolina Board of Arbitrator and Mediator Certification.

Trey’s speaking engagements have been as diverse as his litigation practice, presenting on topics such as the South Carolina Payment of Wages Act, the enforceability of non-compete agreements, the South Carolina “Lemon Laws”, and assorted topics relating to automobile insurance coverage and associated South Carolina statutes.

A sample of cases that Trey has tried to verdict include:

• The defense of two traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases.
• The defense of two allegedly defective hair care product cases involving a national retailer and an international hair care product manufacturer.
• The defense of a claim involving an alleged exposure to the chemical trichloroethylene.
• The defense of employment claims arising from alleged breach of employment agreements, specifically non-compete clauses.
• The defense of an international automobile manufacturer on a “lemon law” claim.
• The defense of a boat operator arising from a collision with another boat in a case tried under applicable maritime law.