09/04/2026
Joe Rice was a dear friend, and I am heartbroken to learn of his passing. I have known Joe for many years. Just this past May, we shared a panel offering advice to a group of law students preparing to graduate. He implored them to take on meaningful fights and to be advocates in the truest sense of the word. Man, did he live that message. Every bit of it.
Joe was a legal titan, not just for South Carolina but for our country and for the American civil justice system itself. He took on the fights others wouldn't touch, and people who will never know his name are safer because he did.
Rest well, my friend.
The co-founder of Motley Rice was known as a shrewd negotiator who was instrumental in settling numerous high-profile legal cases, from the Big To***co lawsuits to the opioid litigation. Rice also loved USC.