Practice Areas

• Civil & Commercial Litigation, Workers' Compensation
• Construction
• Corporate
• Insurance Defense
• Manufacturing & Distribution
• Transportation

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James C. Morris

Associate

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Phone 314.889.7152

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Bio

Jay Morris defends individuals and businesses against liability claims and guides small and medium-sized businesses in legal considerations inherent in business. To his business law practice he brings the perspective of a former business owner and lessons learned through litigating others’ situations gone awry.

Litigation. Jay defends complex coverage claims made against casualty and liability insurers. He handles workers’ compensation, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, premises, property, products liability claims, and other commercial disputes through trial or successfully negotiated settlement. He’s tried several cases to defense verdict in state and federal court and has handled hundreds of workers’ compensation cases to conclusion. Some of his litigation successes are:

• Winning a stolen art case in favor of the insurer on summary judgment, which withstood appeal, on coverage arguments that were of first impression in Missouri (Harter vs. Slavin).
• Obtaining a federal court defense verdict in favor of a physical therapy company sued for malpractice and negligence.
• Sparing a home-builder the disaster of a personal liability judgment following his company’s missteps during a development project.
• Successfully defending (by jury verdict) a slip and fall claim brought against a school district by a patron of a school talent show. 

Corporate. As founder and CEO of a ready-mix concrete company, and co-owner of a real-estate development company, Jay walked in the shoes of business owners and entrepreneurs. According to those he serves, relating at this level is both meaningful and valuable. He provides practical, objective advice as he helps companies secure and structure capital and assets, position for sale or succession, and operate profitably and effectively, in-between. Jay creates fair and enforceable contracts—an important part of risk mitigation and one of his strengths from his litigation background.

Jay began his legal career with a St. Louis law firm to which he returned after living in his Alabama hometown where he was a sole practitioner and general counsel for a concrete company. He ran his own company for three years until 2009 when he sold it and joined Danna McKitrick to practice law again on a full-time basis.