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James (“Jim”) Saxton focuses his practice on complex construction litigation, representing developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, and suppliers in high-stakes construction disputes in both state and federal court. His experience spans residential construction defect claims, including both single-family and multi-family projects, as well as commercial construction defect matters. Jim routinely partners with and represents engineers across multiple disciplines and technical specialties, translating technical issues into clear, defensible case themes. He has experience representing clients in multi-million-dollar claims, including large-scale, multi-party litigation and class action exposure. He also advises national general contractors on transactional matters and risk-transfer strategy, and he brings a broad commercial-litigation foundation that supports clients facing overlapping contract, tort, and business claims.

Jim earned his undergraduate degree from the A.J. Palumbo School of Business Administration at Duquesne University, concentrating in marketing with a minor in legal studies. He received his Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law, where he completed more than 100 hours of pro bono service.

Before joining Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Jim worked with boutique Charleston firms on a wide range of civil and criminal matters, developing a practical, courtroom-ready approach that now informs his insurance defense and construction litigation practice. He is known for quickly mastering the project record, identifying the technical and contractual inflection points that drive liability and damages, and building strategies aligned with client business objectives—from early resolution through trial. Jim is drawn to the complexity of construction disputes and thrives in matters that demand command of construction sequencing, design standards, expert engineering issues, and contractual risk allocation.

Jim is a member of the American Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar Association, the Charleston County Bar Association, the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, and ClaimsXchange.