Kenneth M. Suggs

Suggs_Portrait 2005-2006 President, American Association for Justice

Best Lawyers in America ®

South Carolina Super Lawyer ®

American Board of Trial Advocates

Pre-eminent (A-V) by Martindale- Hubbell ®

EDUCATION | MILITARY SERVICE | BAR ADMISSIONS | MEMBERSHIPS | PUBLIC SERVICE | HONORS AND AWARDS | PUBLICATIONS

Kenneth M. Suggs, a principal in the firm of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, has been a tireless champion of consumer legal rights for nearly 30 years. Known for his advocacy in the areas of medical malpractice, product liability and business litigation, he has been recognized nationally as one of the nation’s finest trial lawyers.

As head of the firm’s Business Litigation Division, Mr. Suggs has won judgments and verdicts for business clients wronged by major corporations, including a win for a $1 billion company against a Fortune 500 corporation. As a leader in the firm’s medical malpractice area, he has sought and won justice for many, ranging from infants who suffered severe birth injuries to families who lost loved ones due to dangerous prescription drugs.

Mr. Suggs has held a broad range of leadership positions in many organizations devoted to law and education, including President of the American Association for Justice (formerly the American Association of Trial Lawyers) from 2005-2006. In 2009 he was recognized as South Carolina Super Lawyer’s® Top Point Getter and has been listed among Best Lawyers in America® for more than 10 years in the areas of mass torts, medical malpractice, personal injury and product liability litigation.

Among his numerous honors has been the American Association for Justice Harry Philo and President’s Awards and the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association Founders Award, both in 2007, and the American Bar Association’s Torts and Insurance Practice Section’s “Pursuit of Justice” award in 2008.

Mr. Suggs is the 2006 recipient of the “Advocate of the Year” award presented by the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. He also attained recognition as a Fellow of the National College of Advocacy. He served as President of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association in 1981, and currently serves on its Board of Governors and Legislative Committee. Suggs was also awarded the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Public Citizen Award in 2002.

Mr. Suggs served as president of the Richland County Bar Association in 1999 and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has also served as a member of the US District Court Advisory Committee and was a co-draftsman of the South Carolina Rules of Evidence, later adopted by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1975, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Clemson University in 1968. He currently serves on the Clemson University President’s Advisory Committee. Before attending law school, he served in the United States Navy, including two years in the Vietnam War.

Education

  • Graduated Clemson University, B.A. Economics, 1968
  • Graduated University of South Carolina Law Center, 1975

Military Service

United States Navy, 1968 – 1972 Communications Technician

  • 2nd Class Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V”
  • Vietnamese Honor Medal (awarded by government of South Vietnam)
  • Vietnamese Campaign Ribbon
  • Vietnamese Campaign Medal
  • Combat Action Ribbon
  • Meritorious Unit Citation
  • National Defense Medal

Bar Admissions

  • South Carolina Bar, 1975
  • Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States Supreme Court

Memberships

American Association for Justice

  • President, 2005-2006
  • AAJ President Elect 2004 – 2005
  • Vice President 2003 – 2004
  • Secretary 2002 – 2003
  • Treasurer 2001 – 2002
  • Parliamentarian 2000 – 2001
  • Board of Governors 1989 – 2000

Committees Chaired:

  • Legal Affairs Committee
  • Public Affairs Committee
  • Judicial Independence Committee

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1980 – 1981
South Carolina Bar, Young Lawyers Division, President, 1980
Richland County Bar Association, President, 1999
South Carolina Bar, House of Delegates, 1982 and 1996 – 1997
Public Justice Foundation, executive committee, 2009
Founding Fellow, Southern Trial Lawyers Association
Advocate, American Board of Trial Advocates

Public Service Activities

Board of Directors, Carolina Sunshine Children, Inc.
Team Captain, Trinity Cathedral Free Breakfast Program
Advisory Board, City Year Columbia
Advisory Board, South Carolina Center for Capital Litigation
Advisory Board, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Advisory Board, St. Lawrence Place
Member, South Carolina Commission on Judicial Conduct
President’s Advisory Council, Clemson University

Other Honors and Awards

South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association President’s Award, 1988
South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association, “Compleat Lawyer” Award
Founders Award from South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, 2006

Publications

Author, “The Heart of Darkness: The Modern Nursing Home,”
S.C.T.L.A. Bulletin, September, 1986

Author, “Failure Analysis of a Plastic Boat Seat,”
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Pub. 87-DE-8

Author, “Recovery for Emotional Distress,”
S.C.T.L.A. Bulletin, January, 1984

Author, “Secret Settlements,”
South Carolina Lawyer, November – December, 1993

Co-author, South Carolina Appellate Practice Handbook

Co-author, Evaluating and Settling Personal Injury Claims in South Carolina

Co-author, The Law of Automobile Insurance in South Carolina