Joseph J. Tierney, Jr.
Charleston • Member; Executive Committee
Joe Tierney leads the Firm’s Health Care team and also serves as a managing partner on the firm’s executive committee. Joe handles professional liability, regulatory, compliance, premises liability, and other litigated matters for hospital systems, individual physicians, mid-level providers, nurses, dental professionals, fertility centers, veterinarians, pharmacists, EMTs, long term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, same day surgery centers and urgent care facilities.
Joe has more than 27 years of legal experience and has served as lead counsel in 50 (+) civil jury trials across federal and state courts, the South Carolina Court of Appeals, administrative law courts, and magistrate courts throughout the State.
Some of the focus areas where Joe has concentrated his practice include the defense of health care systems and individual providers in negligence claims related to wrongful death, birth injuries, operative complications, pressure ulcers, dental negligence, burns, falls, medical errors and cyber crimes.
In addition, Joe successfully navigated a health care system (as lead defense counsel) in a mass tort action involving allegations of negligence related to alleged hospital acquired infection.
Joe’s practice further includes the defense of long term care and skilled nursing facilities related to pressure injuries, falls and elopement.
Moreover, his practice includes the defense of oral surgeons, endodontists, periodontists, orthodontists, dental professionals and EMT(s) in actions throughout the State.
Joe also handles a heavy volume of defending providers in licensure matters with the SCLLR.
If it’s healthcare litigation, Joe has handled it.
- South Carolina, 1997
- U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
- South Carolina Legal Elite – Medical Malpractice-Defendant, Charleston Business Magazine (2024, 2026)
A description of the selection process methodologies on which these accolades are based can be found here.
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- DRI: Association for Lawyers Defending Business
- South Carolina Defense Trial Lawyers Association (SCDTLA)
- Widow and Orphans Society
- Member of Grace Episcopal Church