Jay Peavy, 49, decided there was no time like the present to open a plaintiffs office.
John Disney/Daily Report
Jay Peavy has opened his own plaintiffs shop after 25 years as a defense attorney, the last 18 years at Bovis, Kyle & Burch.
"It's been piquing my interest the last five or six years. I'm turning 50 in July, so I figured if I was going to make the move, I'd better make it now or I'll never do it," said Peavy, who left Bovis, Kyle & Burch in May.
He is subletting space from plaintiffs attorney Pete Law at 563 Spring St. in Atlanta, under the moniker Peavy Law.
Peavy said he's getting referrals from Law, whom he's had cases against, and from friends and his younger brother, Jim Peavy, a plaintiffs lawyer in Griffin, Ga.
He's still doing defense work for a few clients.
"It's hard to let go of everything, especially when you're starting a new practice," he said. "I believe the potential is far greater on the plaintiffs' side than doing defense hourly work."
Peavy said increased cost-consciousness by insurance companies was one of the motivators to switch sides.
"With the trend of insurance companies going to fixed fees and e-billing, which is costly, I thought the time was right to do this," he said.
He said he wants to litigate and envisions taking cases for plaintiffs lawyers who don't take cases to trial.
"I believe with my experience representing the insurance companies all this time, I know what buttons to push and what levers to pull," he said.
