Jack Griffeth is a shareholder at Collins & Lacy, P.C.  His 34-year practice of law has focused on defense trial work, representing employers in employment related litigation and mediation.  Jack serves as General Counsel to Wofford College, Furman University and Spartanburg Methodist college.  Jack is a summa cum laude graduate of Wofford College where he earned his degree in Liberal Arts.  He received his Juris Doctor from Duke University.  In 1976, Duke University created the Charles Murphy Award for Jack, in recognition of his unique collegial contributions to the Duke Law School community. He’s also the 2008 recipient of the Greenville Bar’s most prestigious honor, the Tommy Thomason Award. Jack is the 2011 President of the Greenville Bar Association, Secretary/Treasurer for the S.C. Bar Foundation Board of Directors and a member of the House of Delegates for the 13^th Judicial Circuit.  He is a past member of the South Carolina Bar’s nominations committee and past-president of the Bar’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Council.  Jack is a certified mediator by the South Carolina Bar and speaks frequently on the subject of mediation. He is considered one of South Carolina’s pre-eminent attorneys and for six consecutive years has been named by his peers a Best Lawyer in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.  

Practice Focus/Trial Experience

• Employment: representing employers, insurance carriers and self-insured groups in cases involving a number of challenging employment issues, including workplace safety, workers’ compensation, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, at-will employment and unemployment compensation.
• Mediation: representing employers in employment-related litigation and mediation.
• College & University Law: representing private institutions of higher learning primarily in employment, student disciplinary action, faculty cases and contracts with vendors, entertainers and other partners in accordance with FERPA, HIPAA, the Clery Act and several other regulatory acts. Handles premises liability and policy development for employment, student health, disability accommodation and academic concessions. Also offers risk management advice on travel abroad, student internships, adjunct faculty arrangements, etc.

Awards and Recognition

• Best Lawyers© (2005-2011)
• South Carolina Super Lawyers (2008-2012)

Professional, Civic, and Community Involvement

• International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Employment Law Committee
• Defense Research Institute
• Greenville Bar Association
  • President (2011)
  • Tommy Thomason Award Recipient (2008)
• Upstate Inns of Court (2011)
• South Carolina Bar Foundation Board of Directors
  • President Elect (2011)
  • Secretary/Treasurer (2010 – 2011)
  • Liberty Legacy Donor
• Federal Bar Association
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
  • Employment Committee
• South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association
• South Carolina Bar
  • House of Delegates for the 13th Judicial Circuit, Member
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution Council, President (2006-2007)
  • Nominating Committee, (3-Year Term)
• International Society of Primerus Law Firms
  • Employment Section
• Leadership Greenville Class X
• Meyer Center for Special Children Board of Directors
  • Former President
• Senior Action Board of Directors
  • Former Vice President
• Loaned Executive for United Way
• Duke Law School Alumni Council
• Wofford Alumni Council
• Greenville Chorale
  • Former President

Speaking Engagements

• Save the Date! Is Your Company Passing the Test?, February 2011, Workplace Drug Testing
• Attorney Jack Griffeth is Featured Speaker at Palmetto Paralegal Association Meeting, January 19, 2011
• Collins & Lacy Attorney Jack Griffeth to Present during International Association of Defense Counsel Webinar, January 4, 2011, Employment 101 Webinar Series: Part 3 – Get Your House In Order
• Free Seminar Series: How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Litigation: Tips to Keep Your Company out of Court, July 29, 2010

Attorney News & Announcements

Collins & Lacy Attorneys Selected for South Carolina Super Lawyers® 2012 List, and 2012 Rising Stars List