About Attorney J. Ashley Twombley

J. Ashley Twombley is an experienced litigator with the ability and energy to tackle the most complex cases, and deliver results.  He practices in the areas of catastrophic personal injury litigation, high net worth estate and probate litigation, and complex business litigation. Mr. Twombley's clients are diverse and range from individual plaintiffs to S&P 500 corporations.

Mr. Twombley attended law school at the University of South Carolina where he served as the Managing Editor of the South Carolina Law Review. He then clerked for the Honorable Margaret B. Seymour in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Following his clerkship, Mr. Twombley joined the Atlanta office of King & Spalding, an international corporate law firm that represents half of the Fortune Global 100 with 1,100 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

In 2006, Mr. Twombley moved to Beaufort, South Carolina and formed Twenge + Twombley Law Firm with Karl Twenge. Since that time, he has recovered over $50,000,000 in settlements, judgments, and verdicts on behalf of his clients; tried cases in state and federal courts; represented clients before the Fourth and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; successfully argued cases before the South Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; and represented clients in complex estate and business litigation cases where hundreds of millions of dollars were in dispute. Mr. Twombley has also represented clients in arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and JAMS. Mr. Twombley is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Awards and accomplishments

At the age of 36, Mr. Twombley received an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell, the highest peer rating standard. This rating is given to attorneys who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers. In 2013, Mr. Twombley was selected to the South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. From 2015-2023, Mr. Twombley was named as a South Carolina Super Lawyer by Reuters, an honor given to only 5 percent of lawyers in the state. Mr. Twombley was selected to these lists by peer nominations, independent research and a review by attorneys in the same practice areas.

Mr. Twombley is a certified member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. The Million Dollar Advocates Forum consists of members who act as principal counsel in cases where verdicts, awards or settlements in the amount of one million dollars or more were obtained. The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum is limited to members who have obtained verdicts, awards or settlements in the amount of two million dollars or more.

Representative Cases

Mr. Twombley has handled a variety of complex and unique cases.

• $6,827,256 – Mitul Enterprises, L.P. v. Details Contract International, LLC et al – In this breach of contract case, Mr. Twombley obtained a judgment in favor of his client in the amount of $6,827,256.
• $5,000,000 – Monti v. Schurlknight & Rivers – Mr. Twombley obtained a judgment on behalf of his client for $700,000 in actual damages and $4,300,000 in punitive damages.
• $3,900,000 – Anderson Heirs v. Estate of Eleanor Breedlove – Mr. Twombley represented a group of intestate heirs from across the country in their efforts to challenge the last will and testament of Eleanor Breedlove. In this case, Mr. Twombley recovered $3,900,000 for the Anderson Heirs, who otherwise would not have received any distribution from Ms. Breedlove’s estate.
• $3,400,000 – In Re Schurlknight & Rivers – Mr. Twombley brought a series of three class action lawsuits related to a Florence, SC law firm, Schurlknight & Rivers. In those cases, Mr. Twombley recovered more than $3,400,000 for the victims of the firm.
• $2,648,738 – Confidential Settlement – In this trust dispute case, Mr. Twombley represented the trustee of a trust. The mental capacity of the individual who established the trust was being challenged. Mr. Twombley obtained a settlement on behalf of his client in the amount of $2,648,738.
• $2,375,000 – Confidential Settlement – Mr. Twombley obtained a settlement against a large insurance company related to allegations of bad faith denial of an insurance claim. The insurance company initially denied coverage to Mr. Twombley’s client, but later agreed to pay $2,375,000 and insisted that its identity remain confidential.
• $2,000,000 – Insurance Bad Faith Case – Mr. Twombley obtained a settlement against a large insurance company related to allegations of bad faith denial of an insurance claim. The insurance company agreed to pay Mr. Twombley’s client $2,000,000, but insisted that its identity remain confidential.
• $1,175,000 – Confidential Settlement – In this traffic accident case, Mr. Twombley obtained a settlement of $1,175,000 on behalf of his client.
• $1,538,871 – Confidential Settlement – In this trust dispute case, Mr. Twombley represented the beneficiary of a trust who alleged that the trustee of the trust violated certain fiduciaries duties. Mr. Twombley obtained a settlement on behalf of his client in the amount of $1,538,871.
• $1,000,000 – Confidential Settlement – In this traffic accident case, Mr. Twombley obtained a settlement on behalf of his client in the amount of $1,000,00.00. The insurance company insisted that its identity remain confidential.
• $206,000 – Lake Como v. Bergman – Mr. Twombley successfully tried this breach of fiduciary duty case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, resulting in 100% of his client’s debt deemed non-dischargeable.
• $175,907 – Tirone v. Dailey – Mr. Twombley obtained the first known jury verdict in a civil case for blackmail in South Carolina, which included an award of actual and punitive damages.
• $114,000 – Quantum Mortgage Corporation vs. Duncan Investments, Inc. – Mr. Twombley obtained a jury verdict for his client in this breach of contract action.

Mr. Twombley also has an active pro bono practice and has represented clients with civil rights claims related to mistreatment in prison as well as various other matters. Mr. Twombley has been appointed by five different United State District Court Judges to handle appointed civil rights cases for pro se prisoners who survived summary judgment and their cases were ready for a trial by jury.

In addition to his busy practice, Mr. Twombley is also a committed community volunteer. He is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors for Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities (now Disability Rights South Carolina www.disabilityrightssc.org), an independent, statewide, non-profit corporation that protects and advances the legal rights of people with disabilities. Mr. Twombley is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Lowcountry, and President of the Distant Island Community Association.

Areas of Practice

• Serious Personal Injury
• Wrongful Death
• Medical Malpractice
• Products Liability
• Estate and Probate Litigation
• Insurance Litigation
• Nursing Home Litigation
• Construction Litigation
• Power of Attorney Abuse Litigation
• Business Litigation
• Guardian and Conservator Litigation
• Trust Litigation

Litigation Percentage

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

• South Carolina
• Georgia
• U.S. District Court District of South Carolina
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
• Supreme Court of Georgia

Education

• University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina
  • J.D. cum laude - 2003
  • Honors: Captain: SCTLA Trial Team
  • Honors: Member: Wig and Robe, Order of the Coif
  • Honors: CALI Award in Contracts
  • Law Review: South Carolina Law Review, Managing Editor
• Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
  • B.A. cum laude - 2000

Classes/Seminars

• National Association of Probate Court Judges – 2018 Fall Conference “Legal Ethics and Estate Planning – A Litigator’s Perspective”
• S.C. Association of Probate Judges – 2018 Fall Conference “If that ain’t evidence – Guilt is written all over your face”
• S.C. Association of Probate Judges – 2016 Fall Conference “I Object! – Common Evidentiary Issues at Trial”
• Law School for Non-Lawyers, South Carolina Bar Association, 2006 - 2007
• End Distracted Driving, EndDD.org, 2013, 2017
• Overview of South Carolina Bicycle Law – Kickin’ Asphalt Bicycle Club
• Law School for Non-Lawyers, South Carolina Bar Association, 2018

Honors and Awards

• Permanent Member – 4^th Circuit Judicial Conference
• 2015-2023 South Carolina Super Lawyer
• Avvo Rating 10.0 Superb
• AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale Hubbell
• 2014 Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• 2014 Avvo Clients' Choice Award
• 2013 South Carolina Super Lawyer's Rising Star List
• 2013 Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• 2011 Outstanding Lowcountry Young Professional Award Nominee
• 2009, 2008 - Equality Ally - Protection & Advocacy for People with Disabilities
• 2004, 2005 and 2006 King & Spalding Pro Bono Service Award Recipient

Professional Associations and Memberships

• South Carolina Bar, Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Member, Resolution of Fee Disputes Board
• United Way of the Lowcountry, Past Chairman, Board of Directors
• Distant Island Homeowners Association, President, Board of Directors
• Protection & Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Past Chair, Board of Directors
• American Association for Justice, Member, January 1, 2006 - Present
• Beaufort County Bar Association, Member
• South Carolina Association for Justice 2006-2021

Past Employment Positions

• King & Spalding, Associate, 2004 - 2006
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, Summer Associate, 2001 - 2002
• United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (The Honorable Margaret B. Seymour), Judicial Law Clerk, 2003 - 2004