James F. Rogers is a partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Columbia, South Carolina where he practices in the areas of product liability, commercial litigation, and consumer fraud actions. He primarily has been engaged in the defense of pharmaceutical and medical device companies since 1991. Nelson Mullins has offices located throughout the eastern United States.

Mr. Rogers has first chair trial experience and also has extensive pre-trial experience. He has served as the primary case manager for mass tort cases involving thousands of plaintiffs and has been involved in the coordination of national litigation. He has significant experience throughout the United States in defending class action allegations for pharmaceutical companies in economic injury cases and certain types of business litigation. Mr. Rogers has handled class action matters in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington. In his defense of drug and device manufacturers and laboratories, Mr. Rogers has deposed plaintiffs, plaintiffs' experts, and other key witnesses; argued significant dispositive and other pre-trial motions; prepared and defended a wide range of corporate employees for deposition and trial; and served as trial counsel. He has obtained summary judgment for drug and device manufacturers on several occasions on various grounds, such as insufficiency of expert testimony and product identification. Mr. Rogers' experience includes handling matters concerning pharmaceuticals, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, rheumatoid arthritis medications, appetite suppressants, oral contraceptives, hormonal agents, vaccines and nonprescription drugs. Additionally, he has extensive experience handling matters concerning medical devices, such as silicone breast implants, angioplasty catheters, heart valves, latex gloves, physical therapy equipment, pedicle screws, intraocular lenses, durable medical goods, surgical mesh, and various implantable orthopedic devices. In addition to litigation, Mr. Rogers also has provided counsel to the industry on a variety of issues, including labeling and the prevention of litigation risks. 

Mr. Rogers is an active member of Defense Research Institute (DRI) and serves as the Program Chair for DRI's Drug and Medical Device Committee. He is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and is an active member of the Drug, Device and Biotech Committee within that organization. Mr. Rogers has spoken at DRI and other conferences and has authored several articles related to the defense of pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Representative examples include "Over the Counter and Under the Radar: Preemption in Nonprescription Drug Cases," For the Defense, July 2009; "Back to the Basics: A Primer for Preparing Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Sales Representatives for a Deposition," Rx for the Defense, Spring 2008; "An Ounce of Prevention: E-Discovery Preparedness for Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies," IADC Newsletter, February 2008; and "Gaining Access to Federal Courts-'The Sham Defendant' Doctrine in Drug and Medical Device Cases," Rx for the Defense, Spring 1994. Mr. Rogers has been selected for the The International Who's Who of Life Sciences Lawyers 2010-2011 and other Who's Who lists.

In 1989, Mr. Rogers earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he was named to the Order of the Coif, Order of the Wig and Robe, and served as Articles Editor of the South Carolina Law Review and was a legal writing instructor. Mr. Rogers earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina in 1986.