Kenneth J. Wilson’s legal career is focused on helping workers who have suffered from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.
He grew up near the Rust Belt city of Youngstown, Ohio, where he was exposed to the blue-collar work ethic and the power of law. His grandfather was a judge, his grandmother was charter member of a nurse’s union and his father worked with the area’s steel industry.
In law school, Wilson was in the first crop of summer law clerks at Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole, where he worked with the lawyers who pioneered asbestos and tobacco litigation. He jokes that the firm had too much invested in him not to give him a job, but the truth is that he was a perfect fit for the fast-paced litigation.
The firm hired him right after law school, putting him to work building liability cases against large asbestos companies, preparing cases for trial and assisting with the trials. Within two years, he was co-lead attorney on the case of a Miami tile setter who suffered from asbestosis. The jury returned a $716,000 verdict.
The most rewarding and meaningful aspect of his job is that gets to help people who worked hard their entire lives only to find their retirement cut short due to the negligence and willful misconduct of asbestos manufacturers and large employers.
Wilson also enjoys meeting people with fascinating backgrounds. He is proud and honored to represent men and women who worked to win wars and help build the United States.
Wilson is married and has two children in college. He is an avid runner, swimmer and reader of classic literature. He enjoys golf, but is terrible at it.
Representative CasesAsbestos & Mesothelioma Litigation
Wilson has more than 25 years of experience representing workers who developed mesothelioma and asbestosis. He learned asbestos litigation from two of its early pioneers: Ron Motley and RPWB founding member Terry Richardson. Since the late 1980s, Wilson has represented thousands of people who suffer from asbestos-related disease throughout the United States in both individual and consolidated cases.
Products Liability and Other Litigation
Wilson has handled cases involving defective seatbelts, vehicle rollovers, tire defects, tractor trailer wrecks, forklift rollovers, battery explosions, defective bungee cords and numerous other products.
Industrial Accidents
An extension of his work to help workers who have suffered from occupational disease, Wilson also helps those who suffer serious injury or death on the job. He has represented workers who were killed or injured by cranes, elevators, shuttles and other pieces of industrial machinery.
Areas of Practice
• Asbestos & Mesothelioma
• Asbestos Property Damage
• Class Actions
• Products Liability
• Truck Accidents
• Vehicle Defects
Admissions
• 1988, Georgia
• 1989, South Carolina
• 1991, Florida
• 1990, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Georgia
• 1994, U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
• 1996, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia
• 2005, Supreme Court of Georgia
• 2011, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
Education
• Emory University, J.D., 1988
• Wake Forest University, B.A., cum laude, 1985
Professional Memberships
• Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG)
• South Carolina Bar
• State Bar of Georgia
• The Florida Bar
• South Carolina Association for Justice
• The American Association for Justice
(Resident, Barnwell Office)
