Meet Jay

Jay Matthews is an advocate for technology companies. For over 20 years, he has achieved successful outcomes in cases involving the construction, manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries. He leads Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Construction Practice Group.
 
Jay helps clients in litigation involving contract disputes, business torts, fiduciary law and shareholder disputes. He negotiates and reviews agreements for complex business transactions.
 
Prior to attending law school, Jay was a registered professional engineer in Florida and served in the United States Air Force as an engineer. As an Air Force officer, Jay led deployments and construction projects in Bosnia and Saudi Arabia.

• University of Florida, J.D., 2000
• Georgia Institute of Technology, B.M.E., 1991

• South Carolina, 2000
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2008
• U.S. District Court, South Carolina, 2001

• The Best Lawyers in America© Commercial Litigation (2013-2025) and Construction Law (2025)
• Greenville Business Magazine “Legal Elite of the Upstate” Antitrust Law (2021-2023), Business Litigation (2020), Construction Law (2015, 2018, 2021-2023) and Education (2023)
• South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Leadership in Law Award 2018
• Order of the Coif
• Florida Law Review
• Gersten Key Award for Outstanding Graduate at University of Florida

• Construction Lawyers Society of America, Fellow
• Associated Builders and Contractors
• American Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute
• South Carolina Bar, Construction Law Section, Chair (2020-2021)
• Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina, Board of Directors (2016-2019)
• Leadership South Carolina, Class of 2007
• A Child’s Haven, Board of Directors (2005-2010)

• ​​“Breaking Up is Hard to Do: When Family Wants to Leave the Business or the Family,” Family Enterprise Institute of South Carolina Annual Conference, Greenville, SC, November 3, 2022
• “Licensing Issues in the Design/Build and Construction Management Era,” American Council of Engineering Companies of South Carolina / South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers Winter Meeting, Columbia, SC, February 12, 2019