ABOUT:
Gary Christmas is the founder and managing partner of Christmas Injury Lawyers, LLC and has been featured in publications and media outlets such as CNN, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, USA Today, The Post and Courier, The State Newspaper, Work Comp Central and South Carolina Lawyer’s Weekly, just to name a few. He obtained a $10,000,000.00 settlement in the Jamal Sutherland case which is the largest Civil Rights settlement in the history of South Carolina.
His practice is dedicated to protecting the rights of the injured and their families, including representing those injured on the job under the South Carolina Workers Compensation Act, the Federal Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, the Defense Base Act, the Federal Employees Liability Act, and Jones Act Seamen. We have settled thousands of injury cases and taken over 250 cases to trial.
Christmas Injury Lawyers is dedicated to protecting the rights of injured people and their families across Charleston and South Carolina. Gary has successfully handled legal claims for people harmed on the job under the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act, the Federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Defense Base Act, the Federal Employees Liability Act, Jones Act Seamen, and General Maritime law.
He also represents those who have sustained personal injury due to negligent behavior. Gary has represented clients in over 250 cases, protecting those hurt in automobile accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, people injured due to unsafe premises, and many other situations of personal injury.
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS:
Gary is a Certified Circuit Court Mediator who has practiced law for over 25 years and takes great pride in developing meaningful relationships with his clients and other professionals. He teaches trial advocacy skills to lawyers nationally for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) and completed the advanced negotiation program at Harvard University.
He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina where he received the University Scholars Award for exhibited academic excellence. During law school, Gary was a research assistant to Professor John Montgomery, former Dean of the South Carolina School of Law, and worked with him and Professor David G. Owen, co-author of Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts, on their case book Products Liability & Safety (3rd ed.).
MEMBERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Gary Christmas is a member and past President of the South Carolina Injured Workers Advocates (IWA), served as Chairman of the South Carolina Bar Workers Compensation Counsel and served as a member of the South Carolina Workers Compensation Commission (SCWCC) Ad Hoc Narcotics Advisory Committee.
He is a member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has been selected by his peers as being one of The Best Lawyers in America. He has also been a member of the South Carolina Workers Compensation Education Association, the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG), where he served on the State Legislative Committee, the American Association of Justice, the South Carolina Association of Justice (SCAJ) and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association. He has taught Continuing Education courses to attorneys and paralegals for SCAJ, IWA, the National Business Institute and the Charleston SC Bar. He has also testified before the South Carolina House Labor, Commerce and Industry Insurance Sub Committee and the Senate Judiciary Sub Committee regarding state workers compensation and federal longshore workers compensation laws. He is a member of the Charleston County Bar Association and the South Carolina Bar Association, where he has served as a Mentor for the Lawyer Mentoring Pilot Program. He is also a founding member and Chairman of the non-profit charity Helmets for Kids whose mission is to stop child brain injuries in South Carolina. He also serves on the Charleston County Parks Foundation Board and has served as a board member for the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE:
Gary is admitted to practice law before the South Carolina Bar, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He has tried more than 400 cases, concentrating on legally complex issues, and has represented numerous clients in appellate practice including several appearances before the South Carolina Appellate Courts.
Appellate decisions include: Lance Hawke v. Pat Mellen and Hurricane Restoration Fund, Employer, and South Carolina Uninsured Employers Fund, (Ct. App. 1998, Unpublished); Jennifer Lynn Christmas and Jay Christmas v. Dale Eugene Enos, Jr, and A Rainbow of Carpets, Inc., (Ct. App. 2008, Unpublished); Otis W. Snipe v. SSA Cooper, LLC (Ct App. 2010, Unpublished); Ex Parte: Robert Horne, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Gus A. King, and Laura King vs. Pierside Boatworks, (Ct. App. 2022 Opinion No. 2018-001294); and Regina Rainey v. Nestle Frozen Foods and Constitution State Service Company, (S.C. Circuit Court 2003). The Rainey case was cited as one of the fifty most important court decisions by Lawyers Weekly Newspaper.
