James Ferraro

James L. Ferraro is an experienced and accomplished trial lawyer with a long list of accolades and case wins. Ferraro has fashioned his law practice with a focus on cases involving personal injury, product liability, wrongful death, and environmental toxic torts.

For over 20 years, he has focused his career on asbestos / mass tort litigation, achieving major results in injury cases, including jury verdicts totaling multi-millions of dollars. Mr. Ferraro obtained the highest compensatory recovery in a Florida mesothelioma lawsuit in 1995. He also achieved a nationally record-breaking compensatory jury award for a benign asbestos case in 1997.

He was among just 10 finalists from around the country considered for 1997 Trial Lawyer of the Year after being the first to successfully prosecute a case against a major chemical giant whose products led to birth defects. In a nationally televised and recognized case, Mr. Ferraro held chemical giant DuPont responsible after a woman’s baby was born missing eyes after she was exposed to a dangerous fungicide during her pregnancy. The Supreme Court of Florida re-affirmed this verdict seven years later.

Mr. Ferraro later wrote a book about this case called Blindsided. This book chronicles his experience taking on the industrial giants in a real-life David and Goliath fashion. You can read this incredible courtroom drama and get an insider’s perspective of Mr. Ferraro’s relentless approach to litigation.

Education & Background

A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, Mr. Ferraro graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1978 and, in 1979, a Master of Science degree in accounting. The following year, in 1980, he went on to become a certified public accountant (CPA). He also instructed an accounting class in 1982 at the University of Miami. Then he went to the University of Miami School of Law in 1983 to receive his law degree.

Previous Experience

Mr. Ferraro founded The Ferraro Law Firm in Miami and is one of the two founding partners behind the Cleveland, Ohio firm Kelley & Ferraro LLP. His firms currently represent nearly 50,000 asbestos claimants.

Education

• J.D., University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1983
• Master’s Degree, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida; Major: Accounting
• B.B.A., University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 1978

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 1983
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1984
• Massachusetts, 1985
• U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1994
• U.S. Tax Court, 1994
• U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 2000
• New York, 2002
• U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 2002
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2002
• Ohio, 2003
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2004

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• Florida Justice Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• Florida State Coordinator for The Public Justice Foundation
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
• Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• American Association for Justice
• National Italian-American Bar Association
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
• Sports Lawyers Association
• Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers

Awards

• Florida Super Lawyer 2014-2023
• Florida Super Lawyer 2010
• Florida Super Lawyer 2007
• Florida Super Lawyer 2008
• Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 2001
• Order of Saint John Knights of Malta, 1999

Case Results

• Roy L. Taylor v. Georgia-Pacific, Miami Jury Awards $17 Million in Asbestos Case
• Castillo v. E.I. Du Pont De Memours & Co., Inc., 854 So.2d 1264 (Fla. 2003)
• Galotti v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas, 679 So.2d 291 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1996)
• McKenna v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas, 726 So.2d 361 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999)
• Pine Island Farms, Inc. v. Donner, 674 So.2d 138 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996)
• Castillo v. E.I. DuPont de Memours and Company and Pine Island Farms, Circuit Court, Miami-Dade County, Florida Case Number 93-141699

Community Involvement

• William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, Trustee
• Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Inc., Board of Directors
• The Children’s Home Society of Florida Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors
• Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, Board of Directors
• National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, National Leadership Committee
• Advisory Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida
• Bowman Foster Ashe Society at the University of Miami
• Member of the Board and Advisory Council of United Way of Miami-Dade
• Jackson Memorial Foundation, Director of the Board

Project Blindsided

Blindsided is the true story of Mr. Ferraro’s relentless fight against one of the top industrial giants in the U.S., DuPont. Mr. Ferraro took on this chemical corporation on behalf of a boy with no eye­­­s—a boy who suffered after his mother was doused with dangerous chemical fungicide outside a u-pick farm. It was this chemical fungicide that was believed to have caused his birth defect, as well the birth defects of numerous other children across the country. While everyone told Mr. Ferraro the battle was unwinnable, he only saw a boy and his family who needed help. Blindsided details the courtroom drama that unfolded over a decade-long battle between a real-life David and Goliath. It depicts how Mr. Ferraro, standing alone, was able to secure justice for a hurting family and hold a negligent chemical company accountable, despite the odds stacked against him.

You can learn more about the story and getting your copy of the book here: http://projectblindsided.com/