James E. Ferguson II, an accomplished civil rights, criminal and medical malpractice attorney, president of the Charlotte-based firm Ferguson Stein Chambers Gresham & Sumter, has let one idea shape his more-than-40-year legal career: “Giving a voice to the voiceless,” he says.

From seeking justice for the Wilmington 10 to establishing a trial advocacy program in South Africa, Ferguson has followed the example set by his parents, who, as he grew up on Blanton Street in Asheville, opened their doors to those who needed a kind word and a warm meal.

“At any given time in our household, there were other people around the dinner table,” Ferguson recalls. “Often they were people shunned by others or going through a difficult time. Everyone was valued. It was clear to me that life was about doing for others, making the community better and learning to accept all human beings.”

That sensibility hasn’t gone unnoticed by others.

“He has a way of empathizing with people and connecting with them that a lot of people don’t have,” says North Carolina Superior Court Judge Yvonne Mims Evans, a former associate of Ferguson’s. “I used to tease him that he never had a client that was guilty. No matter how bad the case sounded, he could find something that created a good defense and made the person come across as the nicest of nice people, to the point that people would think, ‘Why are they prosecuting this person?’”

Ferguson has been recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the country’s top 10 litigators, and has held chair or president positions at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (formerly the Academy of Trial Lawyers) and the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers.

“Fergie” to his friends and colleagues, he is known for his kind, upbeat personality. Says Noell Tin, a criminal defense attorney and former Ferguson associate: “He has steel in his spine; even though, he is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

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