The South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ) has named Joseph F. “Joe” Rice as a recipient of their highest honor: the Founders’ Award. The honor is in recognition of his long career of professional service and advocacy for the people of the state and country.

“Joe is a legendary champion for justice and his career has been an inspiration to the entire legal community. He has been at the center of the most significant and important legal cases of the past three decades,” said SCAJ President Hugh McAngus Jr.

The awards will be presented during SCAJ’s annual convention in August in acknowledgement of Rice’s outstanding contributions to justice. SCAJ has more than 1,300 members and is a leading advocate for matters related to justice and access to fairness under the law.

Since beginning to practice law in 1979, Rice has become nationally recognized as a skillful and innovative negotiator of complex litigation settlements. He served as the lead negotiator in some of the largest civil actions our courts have seen in the last 20 years. Legal scholars and experts have described Rice in articles as one of the nation's “five most feared and respected plaintiffs’ lawyers in corporate America” while also noting “Rice has earned most of his respect from playing fair and remaining humble.” Actively involved in landmark litigation involving asbestos, tobacco, and the BP oil spill, Rice continues to negotiate for the firm’s clients at all levels.

Rice is a graduate of the USC School of Law and a founding member of the law firm of Motley Rice. He has served on the faculty at Duke University School of Law and has taught classes at both USC and Charleston schools of law.