About Motley Rice
Founded in 2003, Motley Rice LLC is one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms. We have attorneys who have received extensive courtroom experience and been trained to understand the challenges of complex litigation.
Motley Rice seeks justice and accountability on behalf of people and institutions harmed by wrongdoing and negligence. From establishing our early roots in occupational disease and workers rights, today our attorneys represent clients in litigation involving securities and consumer fraud, anti-terrorism and human rights, aviation and other transportation disasters, defective medical devices and drugs and environmental contamination.
With more than 60 attorneys and more than 200 support personnel, clients and affiliated law firms rely on Motley Rice as a resource. By continuing to take cutting-edge and challenging cases, by giving back to our profession and our communities, and by believing optimistically that just one person can bring about change, we are litigating today for a better tomorrow.
Headquartered in the Charleston, SC, area, the firm has offices in Los Angeles, CA; Hartford, CT; Washington, DC; New York, NY; Providence, RI; and Morgantown, WV.
Motley Rice LLP operates the California office.
A History of Civil Litigation
Motley Rice’s founding members Ron Motley and Joe Rice have worked together for nearly 30 years, combining their strong skills and investing long and hard hours in the construction and operation of a national law practice. In 2003, Ron and Joe formed Motley Rice LLC.
Ron began representing workers injured by the asbestos industry in the 1970s as he acquired the infamous Sumner Simpson papers, internal asbestos company documents dating back to the late 1920s that demonstrated manufacturer knowledge of the hazards of asbestos. Undaunted by the power and strength of corporate opposition, Ron led a strong team of associates in a tenacious discovery effort against asbestos defendants, garnering widespread national recognition.
Ron and other Motley Rice attorneys soon began researching and comparing the medical effects of asbestos exposure and tobacco. Armed with incriminating evidence and an inventive approach, Ron led the litigation efforts against the tobacco industry on behalf of numerous State Attorneys General. With a strong team working in the courtroom, Joe Rice was well-positioned to lead negotiations.
The resulting Master Settlement Agreement, a $246 billion accord with the four largest United States tobacco producers, provided reimbursement to the states for publicly funded health care costs and imposed advertising and sponsorship restrictions on the tobacco companies. Today, the agreement continues to be the largest financial resolution of civil litigation in the United States and is viewed as one of the greatest accomplishments in public health in the 20th century.
MDL and Complex Litigation Experience
Click here for a complete list of Motley Rice's experience in MDL practice, consolidated trials, complex litigation and class actions.
Awards and Accolades
In addition to our landmark legal achievements, Motley Rice’s efforts to fight corporate misconduct and demand accountability have led to several awards and accolades for the firm and our attorneys. Named to The National Law Journal’s Plaintiffs’ Hot List in 2006, Motley Rice was recognized as a creative leader on the front lines of the plaintiffs’ bar. Motley Rice and Motley Rice attorneys have also been included in such publications as Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Lawdragon 500, Superlawyers, and The Best Lawyers in America.