Attorney Profile

Jay focuses on civil litigation, primarily representing plaintiffs on a contingency-fee basis.  He helps people who have been severely injured, as well as family members of those killed by the negligence of others.  He assists individuals and families pursue claims following car accidents, falls, medical mistakes, and other acts of negligence.  He also represents individuals and families who have disputes relating to the interpretation and enforcement of wills, financial fraud, and breach of fiduciary duties.

Jay also sometimes represents local and national businesses in a variety of legal disputes.  He has taken several cases to jury trial, and handles all aspects of litigation - from pre-suit negotiations through appeal, when necessary.

Jay graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1998, and graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School Of Law in 2002. During law school he received the Gressman-Pollit Award for outstanding oral advocacy, was invited to join the North Carolina Law Review, was a member of the Holderness Moot Court team, and was a founding member of the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology.

After law school, Jay moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and began his legal career with Troutman Sanders LLP - one of the largest law firms in the country. He was named a "Rising Star in Litigation" by Law and Politics and Atlanta Magazine in 2005 and 2006; an honor achieved each year by less than three percent of Georgia attorneys under the age of forty. While in Atlanta, Jay focused on litigation defense work for several large corporations, including Georgia Power, CNN, Carmike Cinemas, and others. He also represented a number of individual clients, largely on a pro-bono basis, and was recognized by Troutman Sanders for excellence in pro-bono advocacy several times.

In 2007, Jay moved to Raleigh and joined Burns, Day & Presnell, P.A. He was named a partner with Burns, Day & Presnell in 2010. Jay is licensed to practice law in state and federal courts in North Carolina and Georgia, and also has been admitted to practice in both the Fourth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.