Ogletree Deakins mourns the passing of firm founder J. Hamilton Stewart, III

GREENVILLE, SC – It is with great sadness that we report the passing of firm founder, friend, and colleague J. Hamilton (Jimmie) Stewart, III. Jimmie, 73, made our firm his life’s work, and we will deeply miss his wise counsel, leadership, and friendship. Jimmie passed away on Friday, November 11, 2016.

“Jimmie was an icon to us in labor and employment law, and he was admired and beloved by many,” said Matt Keen, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins. “He was renowned for his legal acumen, envied for his natural approach to client service, and always acted with great integrity and professionalism. We will all miss him immensely.”

Jimmie was a principal force in forming Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. on February 14, 1977. From humble beginnings based on core values of one team, mutual respect, exceptional client service, and open governance, Jimmie and his co-founders never wavered from these principles. The firm started with just 16 lawyers based in Greenville, S.C. and Atlanta, Ga. and has since grown into one of the largest labor and employment law firms, with 800 lawyers in 49 offices internationally.

“Jimmie Stewart stood for everything that is good about the legal profession,” said Homer Deakins, who founded the firm with Jimmie in 1977. “His kindness, civility, and collegiality set the standard at our firm.”

Jimmie practiced labor and employment law for more than 45 years. He was certified as a specialist in Employment and Labor Law by the South Carolina Bar, was chairman of the initial South Carolina Bar’s Specialization Advisory Board, and was instrumental in developing the standards used to qualify an individual as a specialist in the field of Labor and Employment Law in the state of South Carolina. Jimmie represented hundreds of clients throughout his career with a primary focus on positive employee relations among union-free clients, collective bargaining for unionized clients, and all types of matters before the National Labor Relations Board.

Jimmie was deeply committed to serving his community, both civically and professionally. Over the course of his storied career, he served the South Carolina Bar as president of the Young Lawyers Division, chairman of the Employment and Labor Law Section, and as a member of the Board of Governors. He was a member of the South Carolina Labor Department Advisory Committee on Arbitration and the Board of Advisors for the Positive Employee Practices Institute. Jimmie sat on the board of advisors for the Olin Institute at Mason University and the Board of Trustees for Camperdown Academy. Jimmie was a life member of the Greenville Commerce Club, a community volunteer for the Greater Greenville Master Gardeners Association, and a member of the Greenville Poinsett Club, St. Andrew’s Society, and the Hibernian Society of Charleston, S.C.