Practice Areas
James L. Ferraro, Jr.
Shareholder
National Trial Lawyer
National Trial Lawyer
James L. Ferraro, Jr. is a national trial lawyer who represents individuals and public entities in high-stakes litigation involving product liability, toxic torts, environmental contamination, and complex commercial disputes. As a Shareholder at Ferraro Law, he has been instrumental in expanding the firm’s public entity practice—now one of its fastest-growing areas—through leadership roles in major national litigations including PFAS water contamination and insulin price-fixing.
Mr. Ferraro serves as the head of the firm’s mass tort practice and holds multiple leadership roles. He sits on two subcommittees within the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2873, and played a key role in securing the firm’s executive committee position in In re: Insulin Pricing Litigation, MDL 3080. His litigation work has contributed to substantial victories, including a $17.175 million verdict in Taylor v. Georgia-Pacific LLC (Miami-Dade County, 2015), where he served as co-lead counsel. In recent years, he has helped recover nearly $200 million in PFAS-related settlements for public water systems and approximately $80 million in opioid settlements for municipal clients.
A significant portion of Mr. Ferraro’s practice is dedicated to representing public entities—towns, cities, counties, utilities, school districts, and states—in matters involving environmental contamination, defective products, deceptive practices, and other systemic harms. He has represented dozens of public entities across the United States, including the State of Florida (in two separate litigations) and several cities and counties such as Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Port St. Lucie, Hialeah, North Miami Beach, Hollywood, Homestead, Broward County, DeKalb County, and Fulton County.
His experience advocating for public entity clients spans issues such as PFAS contamination of drinking-water systems, fraudulent pharmaceutical pricing schemes, and deceptive drug-marketing practices. Drawing on both trial acumen and a nuanced understanding of governmental operations, Mr. Ferraro provides public entities with strategic guidance on protecting their financial, environmental, and public-health interests.
Mr. Ferraro earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law, where he received a Dean’s Achievement Award and served as a judicial intern to U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. He previously clerked at Grossman Roth P.A. He holds a B.B.A. from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, double-majoring in finance and managing organizations—training that informs his analytical and business-oriented approach to complex litigation.
Recognized for his leadership and results-driven practice, Mr. Ferraro has been named among the “Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Florida” and “Top 40 Under 40” lawyers in South Florida, distinctions that reflect his early record of success and ongoing impact in national litigation.
Education
Education
- J.D., University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida
Honors: Dean’s Achievement Award - B.B.A., Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Finance and Managing Organizations
Professional Associations
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association
- Miami-Dade Trial Lawyers Association
Awards and Recognitions
Awards and Recognitions
- 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida
- 2021: Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Florida
- 2022: Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Florida
Case Results
Case Results
- $200,000,000 in PFAS settlements on behalf of several public water systems
- $80,000,000 in opioid settlements on behalf of two municipalities
- $17,175,000 in Roy L. Taylor v. Georgia-Pacific (mesothelioma verdict)
- $10,000,000 confidential product liability settlement
- $4,200,000 confidential mesothelioma settlement
- $3,000,000 business dispute arbitration award
- $2,500,000 confidential laryngeal cancer asbestos settlement
- $2,500,000 confidential mesothelioma settlement
- $2,200,000 confidential product liability settlement
Bar Admissions
Bar Admissions
- Florida Bar
- United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
- United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, “Overview of 3M and DuPont PFAS Legal Landscape and How to Access Settlement Funds,” Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, December 2023.
- Presenter and Panelist, “PFAS: Navigating Legal, Financial and Technological Challenges,” American Water Works Association (AWWA), Florida Section, February 2024.
- Presenter, “Status of Fort Lauderdale PFAS Litigation,” Fort Lauderdale Infrastructure Task Force Advisory Committee, March 2024.