Daniel E. Philyaw

Dan Philyaw is an attorney at Butler Prather LLP. He represents individuals and their families in a wide range of serious injury cases. Dan served as trial counsel in Hill v. Ford Motor Company, in which a Gwinnett County, Georgia jury handed down a historic $1.7 billion verdict—the largest verdict in Georgia history. Dan has also helped secure a $151 million verdict for a man paralyzed after an SUV rollover, achieve a $135.5 million verdict for property owners affected by an environmental nuisance, and obtain a $2.8 million verdict for a client who was injured in a motor vehicle accident. Dan was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2022 and 2023.

Dan received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2018, graduating cum laude. While in law school, Dan was a standout advocate in both moot court and mock trial competitions. He won Best Oralist at the 2017 Georgia Intrastate Moot Court Competition and was also named Best Oral Advocate at the 2017 Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition. Additionally, Dan won Georgia Law’s J. Melvin England Mock Trial Tournament in 2016 and finished as runner-up in the J. Ralph Beaird Closing Argument Competition during the same calendar year. Due to these successes, Dan was inducted to the Order of Barristers upon graduation as one of the ten best advocates in his law school class. Outside of the courtroom, Dan worked as a research assistant to evidence scholar Ronald L. Carlson and studied as a pupil in the Joseph Henry Lumpkin American Inn of Court. Dan also gained practical experience by serving as a summer clerk for then Judge Charlie Bethel at the Court of Appeals of Georgia and representing survivors of family violence in the law school’s Family Justice Clinic.

Prior to law school, Dan earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and international studies from the University of Missouri, graduating magna cum laude and cum laude, respectively. While at Mizzou, Dan served as VP of Finance & Records for the Interfraternity Council and as a Student Ambassador for the Trulaske College of Business.

In his spare time, Dan enjoys writing music and plays guitar, piano, and cello. He has always loved spending time in the great outdoors, including while becoming an Eagle Scout, and is a regular on area hiking trails.