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Charleston Business

Legal Elite 2022

Aug 19, 2022 05:35PM ● By David Dykes

Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly and Charleston Business Magazine have honored attorneys from around the state by publishing our Legal Elite section. This year, we highlight the top vote-getters in 50 categories, up from 26 last year — all voted on by area attorneys — and provide a brief list of other attorneys recognized by their peers.

Legal Elite is the only regional awards program that gives every active attorney the opportunity to participate. Attorneys are allowed to nominate members of their own firm. However, for each in-firm nomination there has to be an out-of-firm nomination as well. The lists are determined solely by lawyers’ votes from our Legal Elite nomination form online; places on the list are not for sale. Attorneys are not allowed to vote for themselves.

We appreciate the participation from the attorneys across the state. Thank you for your support of Legal Elite 2022. 

The Legal Elite selections for 2022 are presented on the following pages, and we are pleased to honor them.



Agribusiness

Lowcountry

Justin Hoyle

Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Hoyle is a corporate attorney for Nexsen Pruet in Charleston, where he concentrates his practice on helping clients build legal strategies that support business growth and economic vitality in the region. 

He is well versed in a wide range of areas, including banking, creditors’ rights, commercial real estate, economic development incentives, and corporate and business planning, particularly in the area of taxation.

Hoyle’s specific areas of focus include mergers and acquisitions, entity formations, purchase and sale of equity interests, commercial real estate transactions, probate and estate law, tax advice, and including advice regarding the taxation of certain businesses.

He is a member of the firm’s agribusiness industry team.

Hoyle earned an undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University, a law degree from the Charleston School of Law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida. 

Prior to law school, he was an infantry captain in the U.S. Army and served a 15-month tour in Iraq as an infantry platoon leader and an infantry company executive officer.


Midlands 

Jonathan Milling

Milling Law Firm, LLC

Milling, the founding member of Milling Law Firm, practices in an array of areas, including civil litigation, criminal defense, appellate law, and agricultural law.

He previously worked as a prosecutor with the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office, and he has extensive civil and criminal trial litigation experience. His cases have included murder, trafficking in narcotics, armed robbery, and criminal sexual conduct.

Milling says that his most influential mentor is his father, retired Circuit Court Judge John M. Milling. Like his father, Jonathan Milling earned an undergraduate degree from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

While his father practiced law in Darlington before and after serving as a judge, Milling set up shop in Columbia, opening his firm in 2007.

Milling likes to spend his time away from the office involved in community activities and with his wife and four children. 

The last book he read was by Charlestonian DuBose Heyward, of “Porgy and Bess” fame, called "The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes," part of We Read Wednesday for elementary-aged children.


Upstate 

Chris King

King Kozlarek Law LLC

King’s primary areas of practice include finance, agribusiness and commercial transactions. He regularly represents institutional and private clients in a variety of contexts, and he has broad-based industry experience in manufacturing, agriculture, and finance.

He is licensed to practice in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. 

King earned a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications from Clemson University, graduated summa cum laude with an MBA from Loyola University of New Orleans, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

His most influential mentor was his father, Bob King. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, competitive Fortnite, and spending time with family. The most recent book he read was “Who’s Eating Your Pie” by Erik Weir.

King is a board member and treasurer for the Japan America Association of South Carolina and a small business counselor for SCORE.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Upstate

Brittany Arsiniega | Wyche, P.A.

David Gossett | Nexsen Pruet, LLC




Antitrust

Lowcountry

E. Bart Daniel

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough

Daniel is a first-chair veteran trial lawyer whose practice focuses on both complex commercial and white-collar litigation, along with government and internal investigations. He has both prosecuted and defended complex civil and criminal cases involving securities fraud, antitrust violations, U.S. Customs fraud, and health care fraud, as well as cases involving bank fraud, government contracting fraud, and tax crimes.

A partner at Nelson Mullins and co-chair of the firm’s white-collar crime defense and government investigations team, Daniel has served as special counsel to the governor of South Carolina, as well as lead counsel for the S.C. House of Representatives before a three-judge federal panel in a trial involving reapportionment and the drawing of district lines.

Daniel was U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina from 1989 to 1992. He has since served as a president for the National Association of Former United States Attorneys.

The Charleston native earned a bachelor of arts from The Citadel before receiving his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law.

Daniel’s hobbies include spending time with his family, traveling, reading historical novels, fitness training, and following Citadel sports and Georgia football.


Midlands

Elizabeth “Betsy” Van Doren Gray

Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC

A founding partner of Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, Gray focuses on commercial litigation, probate and estate litigation, and professional liability and ethics. 

She has represented lawyers, law firms, and legal professionals in litigated matters, disciplinary actions, and pre-suit and ethics counseling.

Gray served as the second woman president of the South Carolina Bar, and she is a recipient of the Fellows Award, presented by the National Conference of Bar Presidents, and the DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award, given by the South Carolina Bar Foundation.

Her admissions include the South Carolina Bar, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Columbia native, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina and her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Gray counts Terrell Glenn as her most influential mentor, and her hobbies include painting and “spoiling my grandchildren.”


Upstate

Sam Mabry

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA

Greenville

With 40 years of experience, Mabry is widely respected for his skill in managing complex litigation. He defends clients in class actions, antitrust lawsuits, and business, commercial, and financial services litigation. Mabry also handles employment-contracts disputes, and patent and trade-secret litigation.

Mabry is a member and former board member of the American Board of Trial Advocates; a fellow and former S.C. state committee member of the American College of Trial Lawyers; and a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

The Simpsonville native received both his undergraduate and J.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina.

He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, Litigation; Real Estate and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants (2011-2022); and by South Carolina Super Lawyers for Business Litigation (2008-2022).

When he’s not practicing law, Mabry enjoys raising beef cattle, hiking, mountaineering, and rock climbing. He also enjoys reading, having most recently completed “Sand & Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France,” by Peter Caddick-Adams, and “Scuffletown,” a novel by his lifelong friend Tommy Cofield.


ALSO RECGONIZED

Midlands

Elizabeth Black | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.


Upstate

Rachael Anna | Wyche, P.A.

Jay Matthews | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Natalma (Tami) N. McKnew | Fox Rothschild LLP

Henry Parr | Wyche, P.A.

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm



Appellate

Midlands

Dayne Phillips

Price Benowitz LLP

Phillips is a criminal defense attorney with Price Benowitz in the firm’s Columbia office. He has successfully defended individuals accused in felony jury trials and argued before both appellate courts in South Carolina.

He began his professional career as an assistant appellate defender in the Appellate Division of the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense. He managed a caseload that included convictions for murder, drug trafficking, burglary, and felony DUI. 

Phillips then joined the Eleventh Circuit Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender, where he defended all types of felony and misdemeanor offenses, including murder, attempted murder, burglary, armed robbery, drug trafficking, and DUI cases.

He is a past president and former board member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Phillips, a West Columbia native, is a graduate of both the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He also attended the National Criminal Defense College and the NACDL Forensic College.

His most influential mentor is Columbia attorney John Delgado, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, and the last book he read was “Never Split the Difference,” by Chris Voss.


Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

*Lydia Blessing Applegate | Yarborough Applegate Law Firm, LLC

*Cameron J. Blazer | Blazer Law Firm

John Fletcher | Barnwell Whaley


Midlands

Eleanor Duffy Cleary | Cleary Law LLC

Jack E. Cohoon | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Whitney Harrison | McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC

Chad Johnston | Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A.

Laura Jordan | Gallivan White & Boyd

John Moylan | Wyche, P.A.

Jacqueline Marie Pavlicek | City of Columbia

Shannon Polvi | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC


Upstate

Christopher Brumback | Brumback & Langley, LLC

Miles Edward Coleman | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

Stephanie G. Flynn | Fox Rothschild LLP

Meliah Bowers Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Andrew Ross Mackenzie | Barrett Mackenzie, LLC

Hugh McAngus, Jr. | The Carolina Law Group

*Hannah Rogers Metcalfe | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Heather Vry Scalzo | Offit Kurman

Ken Shaw | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Kirsten Small | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Sarah Spruill | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Trey Still | Clawson and Staubes

Tom Vanderbloemen | Vanderbloemen Law Firm




Bankruptcy and Creditor Rights

Midlands

Ian McVey

Turner Padget Graham and Laney PA

McVey is a shareholder in the Columbia office of Turner Padget. He has spent a great deal of time in the courtroom assisting his clients in matters related to foreclosure, claim and delivery, collection of outstanding debts, receiverships, bankruptcy, and real estate litigation. He also represents contractors and subcontractors in mechanic’s lien and other construction matters.

McVey also regularly represents developers, lenders and local businesses as they conduct their business matters in South Carolina, whether it be the representation of lenders in commercial loans, developers in the acquisition, development, and financing of projects, or just providing general contract and business counsel.

McVey is a former president of the South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association and a former president of the Richland County Bar Association. He has also served on the Corporate, Banking and Securities Law Section for the South Carolina Bar and is a member of the J. Bratton Davis Bankruptcy American Inn of Court.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, McVey received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He lists his father Hal McVey as his most influential mentor.



Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

John Hagerty | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

*Charles Summerall | Walker Gressette & Linton, LLC

David Wheeler | Moore & Van Allen


Midlands

Michael Beal | Beal, LLC

Kevin Brown | Scott & Corley, P.A.

John B. Butler, III | John B. Butler III, P.A.

Molly Campolong | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Mary Caskey | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

George Cauthen | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Reginald P. Corley | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Jane Downey | Moore Bradley Myers

Amy Hill | Gallivan White & Boyd

Derrick Jackson | Tobias G. Ward, Jr. P.A.

Theodore von Keller | Crawford & von Keller, LLC

Stan McGuffin | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Kathleen Muthig | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Taylor Peace | Harrel, Martin & Peace


Upstate

Aaron Angell | Angell Molony, LLC

Jordan D. Beumer | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Lindsay Carrington | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Weyman Carter | Burr & Forman LLP

Jim Cassidy | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Sarah Clemmons | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Josh Hudson | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

M. Kevin McCarrel | Fox Rothschild LLP

Mac McLean | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Courtney Plyler | Whelehan Law Firm, LLC

Duffie Powers | Gallivan White & Boyd

James Sarratt | Sarratt & Clarke

Harriet P. Wallace | Fox Rothschild LLP

Rory Whelehan | Whelehan Law Firm, LLC

Bill Wilson | Wyche, P.A.

Marshall Winn | Wyche, P.A.





Bankruptcy and Debtors’ Rights

Upstate

Duffie Powers

Gallivan White & Boyd

Powers concentrates his law practice in the areas of design and construction and creditors’ rights. 

Before going into the field of law, Powers worked in the construction industry, which gives him insight into the issues faced by construction companies. He often represents contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, equipment rental companies, architects, engineers, and other design professionals. 

He has represented clients in matters related to construction and design defects, zoning and land use planning issues, contracts, and payment disputes.

Powers also provides a general business advisory service to contractors, subcontractors and developers in all aspects of construction, including financing, safety, and contract negotiation.

He is member of the Greenville County Zoning Board of Appeals and the MAC Connect Board of the Metropolitan Arts Council.

A Columbia native, Powers earned a Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University and Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law. His most influential mentor was Art Howson, and Powers’ hobbies including hiking and traveling.


Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

John Hagerty | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Tara Nauful | Beal, LLC

*Charles Summerall | Walker Gressette & Linton, LLC

David Wheeler | Moore & Van Allen


Midlands

Michael Beal | Beal, LLC

Kevin Brown | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Molly Campolong | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Mary Caskey | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

George Cauthen | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Jane Downey | Moore Bradley Myers

Theodore von Keller | Crawford & von Keller, LLC

Eddye Lane | Law Office of Eddye Lane

Kathleen Muthig | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Taylor Peace | Harrel, Martin & Peace


Upstate

Aaron Angell | Angell Molony, LLC

Jim Cassidy | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Cedric Cunningham | Kinlaw & Cunningham, LLC

Josh Hudson | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

M. Kevin McCarrel | Fox Rothschild LLP

Stan McGuffin | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

James Sarratt | Sarratt & Clarke

Randy Skinner | Skinner Law Firm

Harriet P. Wallace | Fox Rothschild LLP

Jason Ward | Jason Ward Law, LLC

Rory Whelehan | Whelehan Law Firm, LLC

Bill Wilson | Wyche, P.A.




Business Litigation

Upstate

Adam Bach

Eller Tonnsen Bach

Bach practices complex business litigation, with a focus on contracts, shareholder disputes, trade secrets, intellectual property, employment agreements, landlord-tenant disputes, and governmental liability.

He works with businesses of all sizes, from startups to multinational corporations, helping in all phases of litigation, from pre-suit negotiations to trial and appeal. He has handled cases in state and federal courts in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Bach has been named to Integrated Media Publishing’s Legal Elite since 2012, and he has been recognized by Super Lawyers in Business Litigation and Best Lawyers in Intellectual Property Litigation and Business Organizations.

He received his undergraduate degree from Furman University and his law degree from University of South Carolina. A member of the North and South Carolina bars, Bach serves on the Greenville County Bar executive committee.

He is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, where he has served as an elder and deacon. He lives with Greenville with his wife and three children.


Lowcountry

Danielle Payne

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Focusing on general litigation, Payne handles a variety of cases including insurance defense, general liability, construction litigation, product liability, dram shop, wrongful death, personal injury, appellate court, automobile wrecks, declaratory judgment actions and insurance defense coverage opinions. Prior to joining McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, she practiced insurance defense in Columbia. 

A graduate of Florida State University College of Law and the University of South Carolina, Payne is a recipient of the Junior League of Columbia Kinsey Black Jones Memorial Award and has been among Charleston Business Magazine’s Legal Elite of the Lowcountry for Business Litigation (2019-2022) and received the distinction of Top Attorney Vote.

Payne serves her community through the Lutheran Synod Council (board member), Redeemer Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of South Carolina (former board member). She enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, traveling with friends and family and cheering for the Gamecocks.


Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

Merritt Abney | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Michael Allen | Buxton & Collie, LLC

Christy Ford Allen | Wills Massalon & Allen, LLC

Jonathan Arndt | Hall Booth Smith

Laurel Blair | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Jeremy Bowers | Barnwell Whaley

Robert H. Brunson | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Elliot Condon | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Dawes Cooke | Barnwell Whaley

Lindsey Cooper | The Law Offices of Lindsey Cooper

Brian Duffy | Duffy and Young, LLC

Kenny Gardner | Butler Snow LLP

James Grimsley, III | Tupper, Grimsley, Dean & Canaday, P.A.

David K. Haller | Haller Law Firm

Greg Horton | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Marvin Infinger | Barnwell Whaley

Eliis Lesemann | Lesemann & Associates

Julie Moore | Duffy and Young, LLC

James D. Myrick | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Justin Novak | Barnwell Whaley

*Danielle Payne | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Robert Sumner | Butler Snow LLP

Ainsley Tillman | Ford Wallace Thomson, LLC

Matthew Tillman | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Trenholm Walker | Walker Gressette & Linton, LLC

John Wilkerson | Turner Padget

Jeff Wiseman | Clement Rivers


Midlands

*Keith Babcock | Lewis Babcock

Eric Bland | Bland Richter, LLP

Beth Bowen | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Ward Bradley | Moore Bradley Myers

Lyndey R. Z. Bryant | Adams and Reese LLP

Tally Parham Casey | Wyche, P.A.

Reginald P. Corley | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Dan D’Alberto | D’Alberto, Graham & Grimsley, LLC

Richard Detwiler | Callison Tighe & Robinson, LLC

Ian Duggan | Callison Tighe & Robinson, LLC

Bess DuRant | Sowell & DuRant

Matthew Gerrald | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Mark Goddard | Turner Padget

Amy Hill | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Derrick Jackson | Tobias G. Ward, Jr. P.A.

Meliah Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Frank Knowlton | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

John T. Lay | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Tommy Lydon | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

James L. McCutchen | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Kathleen McDaniel | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Jake Moore, Sr. | Moore Bradley Myers

Guyton Murrell | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Paul Porter | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Jonathan Robinson | Smith Robinson Holler DuBose 

   & Morgan, LLC

Kirby Shealy | Adams and Reese LLP

Nekki Shutt | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Taylor Stanley | Turner Padget


Upstate

JJ Andrighetti | Culbertson Andrighetti LLC

Jay Anthony | Anthony Law, LLC

W. Andrew Arnold | Law Office of W. Andrew Arnold, P.C.

Emily Bridges | Parker Poe

Zach Brown | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Steven Buckingham | Law Office of Steven Edward Buckingham, LLC

Luke Burke | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

George Campbell | Campbell Teague

Bruce “Bo” Campbell | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Tom Chase | Moseley Marcinak Law Group

Ian Conits | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

Lane Davis | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

John Devlin | Devlin & Antley

Bernie Ellis | Burr & Forman LLP

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

Wes Few | Wes Few Law

Hunter Freeman | Burr & Forman LLP

James K. Gilliam | Burr & Forman LLP

Charlotte Hickman | De Bruin Law Firm

Paul Landis | Fayssoux & Landis

Sterling Laney | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Chris Major | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Carter Massingill | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Hugh McAngus, Jr. | The Carolina Law Group

M. Kevin McCarrell | Fox Rothschild LLP

Randy Moody | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Keith Munson | Rimon PC

Travis V. Olmert | The Olmert Law Firm, LLC

Sam Outten | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Henry Parr | Wyche, P.A.

Ryan Pasquini | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Nihar Patel | The Carolina Law Group

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Lee Plumblee | Eppes & Plumblee

Derrick Quattlebaum | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Kurt M. Rozelsky | Spencer Fane LLP

Michael Shetterly | Ogletree Deakins

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Rivers Stilwell | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Jeremy Summerlin | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

Thomas W. Traxler | Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers & Traxler, P.A.

Zach Weaver | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Daniel White | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Matthew Whitehead | The Carolina Law Group

Burl Williams | Burl F. Williams, P.A.

David Wyatt | Wyatt Law, PA



Commercial Real Estate 

Lowcountry

Dan Orvin

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Orvin’s practice includes commercial transactions, real estate development, and real estate and business litigation. With extensive experience developing commercial, industrial, and mixed-use properties, handling zoning matters, drafting and negotiating commercial leases, and guiding companies in the acquisition, development, and sale of apartment and multifamily portfolios, he represents clients in the development and establishment of condominium regimes and other common-interest ownership developments.

He leads a team of attorneys in multiple states and has litigated numerous cases in state and federal court. He has also acted as outside counsel for several title insurance companies. Additionally, he has represented developers, lenders, and loan servicers in complex business-litigation matters.

Orvin has held several leadership positions with the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, including serving on the section’s governing council.

A Charleston native, Orvin earned an undergraduate degree from the UofSC before receiving his J.D. from the university’s School of Law. He credits his father, Thomas Clifton Orvin, as his most influential mentor.

His hobbies include fishing and boating with his family, coaching youth sports, and writing fiction. He most recently began reading “Hyperion,” by Dan Simmons.


Upstate

Meg Scoopmire

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA

Scoopmire provides general corporate and business advice with primary emphasis on commercial real estate transactions and financing. She assists in negotiating purchase and sale agreements, coordinating and reviewing due diligence materials and closing transactions. She advises on title matters, permitting and entitlement, financing, leasing, acquisition, and disposition. She has extensive experience drafting and negotiating real estate transaction documents, including purchase and sale agreements, deeds, mortgages, commercial leases, ground leases, easements, estoppels, and subordination agreements.

For borrowers and commercial lenders, Scoopmire advises and documents all aspects of commercial financing arrangements, including asset-based lending, construction financing, real estate financing and equipment financing. She handles the documenting and negotiation of commercial loans, including government-guaranteed programs such as SBA and USDA.

Scoopmire is an approved attorney and agent for several national title companies and is a designated attorney for the US Small Business Administration Development Co. Loan Program (504).

The Greenville native earned a Bachelor of Arts from Furman University before receiving her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

When not practicing law, Scoopmire enjoys a variety of hobbies, including reading, cooking and gardening. 


Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

Jacob Allen | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Brian Collie | Buxton & Collie, LLC

Guy Dabbs | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Tom Harper | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Cynthia Morton | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Mark Sharpe | Burr & Forman LLP

Anthony Stith, Jr. | Dodds Hennessy & Stith Law Firm

Jeddie Suddeth | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Paul VanWagenen | Potomac Law

Jennifer Williams | Law Office of Jennifer K. Williams, LLC

James Wilson | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP


Midlands

Kara Bailey Hamilton | Wyche, P.A.

Kevin Garrison | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Todd Haynie | Parker Poe

Matt Hill | Adams and Reese LLP

Thomas Kilpatrick | Murphy and Kilpatrick, P.A.

Lanny Lambert | Turner Padget

Leighton Lord | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

*William McElveen, Jr. | Adams and Reese LLP

Jake Moore, Sr. | Moore Bradley Myers

Kathleen Muthig | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Matthew E. Rupert | The Dial Firm, LLC

Will Starnes | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Mark Thomas | Thomas Law Firm

David Wolff | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP


Upstate

Jacob Allen | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Adam Artigliere | Burr & Forman LLP

Adam Breaux | Breaux & Callahan, P.A.

Ryan Brown | Keable & Brown, PA

Bryan De Bruin | De Bruin Law Firm

Amy Clayton | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Erin Culbertson | Culbertson Andrighetti LLC

Thomas Dugas | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Doug Evans | Brown Massey Evans 

   McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Jason Gainey | Gainey & Gainey, LLP

Ryan Gaylord | Hyde Law Firm, PA

Will Glenn | WCM Global Wealth, LLC

Brad Gower | Nelson & Galbreath

John Kehl | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Chris King | King Kozlarek Law LLC

Kate Laffitte | Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani, LLC

Aimee V. Leary | Fox Rothschild LLP

Josh Lonon | Wyche, P.A.

Michele Fuller Lyerly | Fox Rothschild LLP

Jack McDonald | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Dale McKinney | McKinney Sullivan, LLC

Stanley McLeod | Brown Massey Evans 

   McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Cecil Nelson | Nelson & Galbreath

Ryan Nichols | Nelson & Galbreath

Megan O’Neill | Wyche, P.A.

Brian Price | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Bradley K. Richardson | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Lindsay Smith | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Henry Sullivan | McKinney Sullivan, LLC

Seth Swan | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

William B. Swent | Fox Rothschild LLP

John Walker | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Jim Warren | Nexsen Pruet, LLC



Construction

Lowcountry

James D. Smith Jr.

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

An attorney with McAngus Goudelock & Courie, Smith has practiced insurance defense and litigation for more than two decades. His practice areas include commercial litigation, adulterated food, premises liability, product liability, construction, and transportation.

Smith represents general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals, and he also defends personal injury matters for individuals and companies.

A graduate of College of Charleston and Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, Smith is a native of Charleston. His most influential mentor is attorney Michael Hopewell.

When he’s not working, Smith follows North Carolina State University sports and enjoys spending time with his wife and children. The last book he read was The Bible.


Midlands

Robert T. “Tom” Strickland

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP

As a co-managing partner of Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP, Strickland has a diverse practice involving litigation and transactional work.  

His primary practice areas are construction law, insurance coverage and litigation, and religious and nonprofit law. 

Strickland joined the firm in 1984 after graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he served on the South Carolina Law Review.  

Gaining extensive experience in insurance coverage and civil litigation during his first 10 years with the firm, he later served as South Carolina coverage counsel for several prominent insurance companies. 

Listed multiple times in South Carolina Super Lawyers in the civil litigation-defense category he is also included in the Best Lawyers in America for both construction litigation and insurance litigation. 

Currently representing both insureds and insurers, he is a co-author of the South Carolina chapter in “Fifty State Construction Lien and Bond Law (2014).”

Strickland also counsels churches and charities on legal challenges, helping to draft bylaws and policies, and assisting churches with construction and contract issues. 


Upstate

Duffie Powers

Gallivan White & Boyd

Powers concentrates his law practice in the areas of design and construction and creditors’ rights. 

Before going into the field of law, Powers worked in the construction industry, which gives him insight into the issues faced by construction companies. He often represents contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, equipment rental companies, architects, engineers, and other design professionals. 

He has represented clients in matters related to construction and design defects, zoning and land use planning issues, contracts, and payment disputes.

Powers also provides a general business advisory service to contractors, subcontractors and developers in all aspects of construction, including financing, safety, and contract negotiation.

He is member of the Greenville County Zoning Board of Appeals and the MAC Connect Board of the Metropolitan Arts Council.

A Columbia native, Powers earned a Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University and Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law. His most influential mentor was Art Howson, and Powers’ hobbies including hiking and traveling.


Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

Michael Barfield | Barnwell Whaley

Alan Belcher | Hall Booth Smith

James Bryson | Etheridge Law Group

Matthew Byzet | Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, P.A.

Summers Clarke | Barnwell Whaley

David Cobb | Turner Padget

Phil Cristaldi | Ross & Cristaldi, LLC

Cordes Ford | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Allen Gibson | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Robert Hawk | Hawk & Hawk Law Firm

Jesse Kirchner | Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, P.A.

Derek Newberry | Hall Booth Smith

Happel Scurry | Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, P.A.

Barbara Wagner | Barnwell Whaley

William R. Warnock | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Elizabeth Freeman Wieters | Hall Booth Smith


Midlands

Bryan Barnes | Rogers Townsend, LLC

Riley Bearden | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Trippett Boineau | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Benjamin C. Bruner | Bruner, Powell, Wall & Mullins, LLC

Katon Dawson | Parker Poe

Matthew Gerrald | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

George James | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Catherine Leatherwood | Rogers Townsend, LLC

Kyle McGann | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Caleb Riser | Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.

Joshua Shaw | Hedrick Gardner Attorneys

Franklin Smith | FJS ADR


Upstate

Jason J. Andrighetti | Culbertson Andrighetti LLC

Jay Anthony | Anthony Law, LLC

Beau Brogdon | Campbell Teague

Bruce Campbell | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Tom Coker | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

John Crawford | Kenison, Dudley & Crawford, LLC

John Devlin | Devlin & Antley

Batten Farrar | Rogers Townsend, LLC

Mason A. Goldsmith Jr. | Elmore Goldsmith Kelley & deHoll, P.A.

Stokely Holder | Holder, Padgett, Littlejohn & Prickett, LLC

Townes B. Johnson III | Townes B. Johnson III, LLC

Bryan P. Kelley | Elmore Goldsmith Kelley & deHoll, P.A.

Ward Lambert | Hudson Lambert Parrott Walker, LLC

Michele Fuller Lyerly | Fox Rothschild LLP

Carter Massingill | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Jay Matthews | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Robert Mebane | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Nick Nicholson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Greg Placone | Hudson Lambert Parrott Walker, LLC

Josh Spencer | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Trey Still | Clawson and Staubes

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

Ronald G. Tate, Jr. | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Eric Tonnsen | Eller Tonnsen Bach

Ted Vick | Hudson Lambert Parrott Walker, LLC

James Warmoth | Kenison, Dudley & Crawford, LLC

William (Bill) M. Wilson III | Wyche, P.A.



Corporate Investigations

Midlands

Judah VanSyckel

Saluda Law, LLC

 






Sole proprietor Judah VanSyckel focuses on criminal defense and whistleblower matters. A graduate of Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel began his career in York as an assistant public defender, where he tried more than 20 cases to a jury verdict. The position gave him exposure to many different kinds of criminal cases.

VanSyckel found that he particularly enjoyed working on white-collar crime cases, especially insurance fraud and securities fraud.

Next, he moved to the state attorney general’s office, where he focused on health care fraud prosecution in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. While there, VanSyckel became familiar with complex investigations and the interplay between white-collar criminal and whistleblower matters. 

Since going into private practice, he has worked mostly on criminal defense and whistleblower matters but has also taken on a limited number of other civil matters. 

VanSyckel says his most influential mentor was C. William “Bill” Gambrell. The last book he read was “Gentle and Lowly,” by Dane C. Ortlund. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and golf.

In addition to Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel graduated from the University of South Carolina.


Upstate

Stephanie Lewis

Jackson Lewis PC

 






Lewis is the office managing principal of the Greenville and Charlotte offices of Jackson Lewis. She also serves on the firm’s board of directors and is co-leader of the litigation practice group. She represents employers in employment litigation and advises businesses on practices and policies to foster employee engagement and avoid litigation.

She has handled all aspects of employment law but focuses on pay equity, sexual harassment training, investigations, litigation, reductions in force, and multi-state compliance for Fortune 500 companies in the retail, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries.

Lewis served as a law clerk for Karen Johnson Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Patrick Michael Duffy of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Lewis received her Bachelor of Arts from N.C. State University and her J.D. from UNC. While attending law school, she served as articles editor of the North Carolina Law Review.

When she’s not practicing law, Lewis enjoys gardening, Orangetheory Fitness, and reading. She most recently began reading “The Lincoln Highway: A Novel,” by Amor Towles. 

Also Recognized

Lowcountry

Jennifer Blumenthal | Burr & Forman LLP

J. Walker Coleman IV | K&L Gates

Midlands

Deborah Barbier | Deborah Barbier, Attorney at Law

Tally Parham Casey | Wyche, P.A.

Cory Manning | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Jason Peavy | Law Office of Jason Peavy

Thornwell “Biff” Sowell | Sowell & DuRant

Upstate

Eric Amstutz | Wyche, P.A.

Beattie Ashmore | Beattie Ashmore, Attorney at Law, PA

Jim Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Sarah Batson | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Ryan Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

Cindy Crick | Cindy Crick Law

Wade Kolb | Wyche, P.A.

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Camden Massingill | Wyche, P.A.

Andrew Mathias | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Jim May | Wyche, P.A.

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Billy Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Frank C. Williams III | Fox Rothschild LLP


Corporate Law – Banking and Finance

Upstate

Chris King

King Kozlarek Law LLC

 






King’s primary areas of practice include finance, agribusiness and commercial transactions. He regularly represents institutional and private clients in a variety of contexts, and he has broad-based industry experience in manufacturing, agriculture, and finance.

He is licensed to practice in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. 

King earned a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications from Clemson University, graduated summa cum laude with an MBA from Loyola University of New Orleans, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

His most influential mentor was his father, Bob King. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, competitive Fortnite, and spending time with family. The most recent book he read was “Who’s Eating Your Pie” by Erik Weir.

King is a board member and treasurer for the Japan America Association of South Carolina and a small business counselor for SCORE.

Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

Laurel Blair | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Jim Buxton | Buxton & Collie, LLC

Will Dawson | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Jeff Vinzani | Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani, LLC

James Wilson | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Sabrina Cleveland | Sherpy & Jones, PA

Reginald P. Corley | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Angelia J. Grant | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Todd Haynie | Parker Poe

*William McElveen, Jr. | Adams and Reese LLP

W. Verne McGough, Jr. | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Upstate

Eric Amstutz | Wyche, P.A.

Ben Barnhill | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Erika Byrd | Parker Poe

Jim Cassidy | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Matthew Couvillion | Wyche, P.A.

Frank Davis | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Matthew B. Edwards | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

David Gossett | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Eric Graben | Wyche, P.A.

Neil Grayson | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Josh Hudson | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Lee Kiser | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Sterling Laney | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Jeff Larson | Wyche, P.A.

M. Kevin McCarrell | Fox Rothschild LLP

Brittany McIntosh | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Brandon Norris | Burr & Forman LLP

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Brian Price | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Brad Rustin | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Meg Scoopmire | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Seth Swan | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

William B. Swent | Fox Rothschild LLP

Burl Williams | Burl F. Williams, P.A.


Corporate Law – Business Organizations

Lowcountry

Lauren Starkey

Buxton & Collie LLC

 






Starkey is an associate attorney at Buxton & Collie LLC, a transactional law firm in Mount Pleasant. Her practice areas include business organization, corporate transactions, and private securities offerings. She often represents clients as they work to start new businesses.

A Stevensville, Maryland, native, Starkey earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration from East Carolina University and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she graduated cum laude. While in law school, she served as a contracts tutor and the technology editor for the ABA’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal. She also received the CALI Award for contract law while attending the UofSC.

Starkey is a member of the South Carolina Bar’s Corporate, Banking and Securities Committee and Women in Law.

She lists among her many hobbies baking, traveling, and reading. She most recently began reading “Where the Crawdads Sing,” a novel by Delia Owens.

Midlands

James L. McCutchen

McCutchen Lean LLC

 






The founding partner of McCutchen Lean LLC, James L. McCutchen works in a variety of legal issues, including tax resolution, complex estate planning, and probate conflict and administration. In addition, he serves as corporate counsel for several small- and medium-sized businesses.

He previously served as the privacy officer of the South Carolina Department of Revenue, where he learned about information technology security law and IT contract law, areas in which he continues to practice. 

McCutchen holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from College of Charleston, Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. His most influential mentor was Robin R. McLean, Esq.

McCutchen and his wife Allison have three children, and he serves as attorney coach for the River Bluff High School Mock Trial Team.

Upstate

Andrew Merline

Merline & Meacham, P.A.

 






Andy Merline of Merline & Meacham focuses on mergers and acquisitions, business and transactional law, succession planning, estate planning and estate administration, taxation, LLCs, partnerships, family limited partnerships and corporations, and asset protection planning.

Merline volunteered at Legal Aid as well as working as a personal trainer and a strength and conditioning coach after earning an undergraduate degree from Clemson University. 

Initially, Merline wanted to become a litigator and had even accepted a job with a litigation firm as he was finishing his law degree. But before graduation, he instead opted to join the firm his grandfather started in 1970.

In addition to an undergraduate degree from Clemson, Merline earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and Master of Laws in Taxation from Boston University.

Merline lists his most influential mentor as his grandfather David Merline, who founded Merline & Meacham in 1970.

Outside of the office, the Greenville native enjoys playing tennis, fishing, classic cars and craft beer. He and wife Erin are active in

the Greenville community, and he’s currently reading the Bible.

Also Recognized:

Lowcountry

Guy Dabbs | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jennifer Williams | Law Office of Jennifer K. Williams, LLC

 

Midlands

Richard R. Gleissner | Gleissner Law Firm, L.L.C.

George S. King, Jr. | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

W. Verne McGough, Jr. | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

R. William Metzger, Jr. | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Kimberly Raber | Kimberly A. Raber, P.A.

Samuel C. Waters | Finkel Law Firm LLC

 

 

Upstate

David Anna | Anna Law

Courtney C. Atkinson | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

Robert E. August | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Bryan De Bruin | De Bruin Law Firm

Gary De Bruin | De Bruin Law Firm

Erika Byrd | Parker Poe

Jim Cassidy | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Andy Coburn | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Matthew Couvillion | Wyche, P.A.

Alex Evins | Parker Poe

Tyler Gilliam | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jordan S. Goewey | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

Eric Graben | Wyche, P.A.

Jo Watson Hackl | Wyche, P.A.

Lee Kiser | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Philip Land | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jeff Larson | Wyche, P.A.

Eleanor Nordholm | Wyche, P.A.

Douglas B. O’Neal | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

D. Lesesne Phillips | Moseley Marcinak Law Group

Suzanne Massey Schemm | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Zach Weaver | Gallivan White & Boyd


Corporate Law – Mergers and Acquisitions

Midlands

W. Verne McGough Jr.

Merline & Meacham, P.A.

 






McGough serves clients in the areas of estate and business-succession planning for high-net-worth professionals and business owners, mergers and acquisitions, and tax controversy and planning. 

He is certified as a specialist in taxation law and in estate planning and probate law by the South Carolina Supreme Court. He is a member of numerous legal organizations, including serving as past chairman of the Tax Law Section of the South Carolina Bar.

McGough presents regularly on estate planning, business law, and taxation topics to attorneys, CPAs, and public groups.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, an International MBA from the University of South Carolina, a law degree from the University of South Carolina Law School, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Boston University.

A native of Morganton, N.C., McGough lists his most influential mentor as David A. Merline. He enjoys travel, exercise, and spending time with his family, and the last book he read was Ron Chernow’s “Washington: A Life.”


(Tie) Lowcountry

Graeme Philp

Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani LLC

 






Philp is a tax and corporate attorney who represents commercial real estate developers, investors and sponsors, manufacturers, and other corporate clients with their tax, economic development, and other legal needs.

He also helps clients with property tax, income tax, sales and use tax, and business license reporting obligations. In addition, Philp’s practice also includes representing clients with estate-planning needs, such as drafting wills, trusts, limited liability company operating agreements, and other aspects of planning. 

Philp has extensive experience in helping large and small estates navigate the South Carolina probate process. 

A native of Scotland, Philp is also a North Carolina Certified Public Accountant, and he is licensed to practice law in South Carolina and New York.

He earned his Bachelor of Science at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law, and his Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law. He enjoys spending time with his three children.

(Tie) Lowcountry

Stephanie Yarbrough

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

 






As a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson, Yarbrough works closely with domestic and international companies seeking to expand or relocate operations to the Carolinas and the Southeastern United States. Her philosophy is to invest in her clients from the outset to build long-term partnerships for the future. She has extensive experience advising companies across a wide range of industries, including life sciences, retail and consumer, manufacturing, and software and technology.

Yarbrough earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Charleston and a master’s in public administration from the University of Charleston before receiving her J.D. in 2001 from Southern Methodist University School of Law.

Her efforts on behalf of clients have led to the creation of thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in new investments. During the recent Covid-19 economic downturn, she worked to help clients stabilize their businesses, including guiding them through the federal PPP loan process.

She is also active in the community: She currently serves on several boards, including Upstate Alliance, the S.C. Economic Developer’s Association, Charleston Regional Development Alliance, and the S.C. Aquarium.

The Georgia native’s hobbies include Peloton, boating, hiking, and reading.

Upstate

David Merline Jr.

Merline & Meacham, P.A.

 






A South Carolina Supreme Court-certified specialist in taxation law, estate planning and probate law, Merline is also an American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Fellow and is a member of many estate planning associations and community groups. 

For 38 years, the graduate of University of Miami and University of South Carolina School of Law has advised clients in the Greenville area on mergers and acquisitions, business and transactional law, succession planning and family limited partnerships, corporation, and asset protection planning. 

His many recognitions and honors include being named a 2020 Top Vote Recipient in the Upstate for Tax & Estate Law and inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in the over 12 fields including corporate law, employee benefits, closely held companies, litigation and family business law.  

He is also the co-author of “The Evolution of Legal Malpractice in Estate Planning in South Carolina, South Carolina Lawyer (2016),” and two South Carolina Bar Division books. 

He and his wife Barby have four children. 


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Jim Buxton | Buxton & Collie, LLC

Will Dawson | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Carter Grant | Grant & Kuyk

Nathan Johnson | Buxton & Collie, LLC

George Morrison | Burr & Forman LLP

James Wilson | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Benjamin Carlton | Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.

Jones Dubose | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Mark Knight | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Tyra McBride | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

James L. McCutchen | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Taylor Peace | Harrel, Martin & Peace

Upstate

David Anna | Anna Law

Robert E. August | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Erika Byrd | Parker Poe

Bo Campbell | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Andy Coburn | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Matthew Couvillion | Wyche, P.A.

Frank Davis | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Matthew B. Edwards | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

Randy E. Fisher | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

Jamie Francis | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Henry M. Gallivan, Jr. | Fox Rothschild LLP

Eric Graben | Wyche, P.A.

Brooks Haselden | Haselden, LLC

John Jennings | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Chris King | King Kozlarek Law LLC

Lee Kiser | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Philip Land | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jeff Larson | Wyche, P.A.

Adam Lee | Dobson Law Group

Andrew D. Merline | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Brandon Norris | Burr & Forman LLP

Kristin Nowacki | Moseley Marcinak Law Group

Douglas B. O’Neal | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Brian Price | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Jake Rea | Burr & Forman LLP

Bo Russell | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Suzanne Massey Schemm | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Joel Stoudenmire | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Frank C. Williams III | Fox Rothschild LLP


Corporate Law – Securities

Lowcountry

James T. H. “Jim” Buxton Sr.

Buxton & Collie LLC

 






Buxton, the founding partner of Buxton & Collie LLC, a transactional law firm in Mount Pleasant, focuses his practice on private securities offerings, business purchase and sale agreements, and deal work involving high-net-worth individuals and family-office clients who engage in private equity transactions. Buxton & Collie also serves as outside corporate counsel for middle-market companies and small businesses, including closely held family businesses in a variety of market segments. With respect to private securities offerings, Buxton commonly represents issuers in Regulation D, Regulation CF (Crowdfunding), and Regulation A+ offerings.

A native of Charleston, Buxton graduated from Princeton University and the UofSC School of Law. He has served on the South Carolina Bar’s Judicial Qualification Commission, and currently serves as the vice chair for the South Carolina Bar’s Corporate, Banking and Securities Committee. Along with his law partners, he is a co-author of the 2018 SC Bar publication, “South Carolina Business Law Handbook.”

Buxton is active in the Charleston community, volunteering his time on several boards, foundations, and scholastic athletics. He is married to Courtney; the couple have two sons.

Midlands

George "Chip" King

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

 






King is the senior member of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd's corporate securities and financial institution regulatory practices. 

He has acted as Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) counsel in dozens of IPOs and registered offerings as well as private placements. 

King has also been the lead attorney on more than 50 mergers and acquisitions and has helped form more than 16 national and state banks, including federally and state-chartered savings institutions. 

He also advises banks and their holding companies on compliance with state and federal regulations. A former chair of the Corporate, Banking and Securities Section of the South Carolina Bar, King is also a life member of the American Law Institute and served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain (1964-1969).

Upstate

Bo Russell

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

 






As a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Russell advises corporate clients, venture and growth-stage companies, private equity funds, financial institutions, and real estate development companies on corporate matters.

He has represented clients in mergers and acquisitions transactions, private placements, and debt financing. In addition, Russell advises clients on legal and business matters, including equity formation, capitalization issues, capital-raising considerations, equity compensation alternatives, customer and vendor contracts, and license and supply agreements. 

Russell is a member of the South Carolina Education Lottery Commission and serves on the board of directors of the Greenville Community Foundation.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in European history from Washington and Lee University, and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. 

His most influential mentors were Dr. H. Earle Russell Jr., David H. Wilkins, and Charlie Houser. The last book he read was Erik Larson’s “The Splendid and the Vile.” Russell’s hobbies include tennis and watching his sons play football and tennis.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Brian C. Duffy | Duffy and Young, LLC

Upstate

Eric B. Amstutz | Wyche, P.A.

David Anna | Anna Law

Morgan Arndt | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Eric K. Graben | Wyche, P.A.

Neil Grayson | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Lee Kiser | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Philip Land | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jeff Larson | Wyche, P.A.


Criminal – DUI

Midlands

Judah VanSyckel

Saluda Law, LLC

 






Sole proprietor Judah VanSyckel focuses on criminal defense and whistleblower matters. A graduate of Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel began his career in York as an assistant public defender, where he tried more than 20 cases to a jury verdict. The position gave him exposure to many different kinds of criminal cases.

VanSyckel found that he particularly enjoyed working on white-collar crime cases, especially insurance fraud and securities fraud.

Next, he moved to the state attorney general’s office, where he focused on health care fraud prosecution in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. While there, VanSyckel became familiar with complex investigations and the interplay between white-collar criminal and whistleblower matters. 

Since going into private practice, he has worked mostly on criminal defense and whistleblower matters but has also taken on a limited number of other civil matters. 

VanSyckel says his most influential mentor was C. William “Bill” Gambrell. The last book he read was “Gentle and Lowly,” by Dane C. Ortlund. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and golf.

In addition to Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel graduated from the University of South Carolina.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Scott Bischoff | Adams & Bischoff

*Trey Harrell | Trey Harrell Law Firm

Sean Houseal | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Tim Kulp | Kulp & Elliot

Chris Skipper | Skipper Law Firm LLC

*Jerry Theos | Theos Law Firm, LLC

Paul Thurmond | Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, P.A.

Midlands

Gill Bell | Moore Bradley Myers

Alexandra Benevento | Strom Law Firm

Derek Bush | Aiken Public Defender

Micah Caskey | Caskey & Imgrund

Todd Ellis | Law Office of Todd Ellis, PA

Han Ko | Lexington County Public Defender’s Office

Micah Leddy | Leddy Law Firm, LLC

Victor Li | Li Law Firm, LLC

Neal Lourie | Lourie Law Firm, LLC

Jonathan Milling | Milling Law Firm, LLC

Marion Moses | The Law Offices of Marion M. Moses, LLC

Lori Murray | Law Office of Lori S. Murray

Stanley Myers | Moore Bradley Myers

Dayne C. Phillips | Price Benowitz LLP

Alex Postic | Law Office of Alex Postic

Nick Riley | Moore Bradley Myers

Upstate

Patrick Anderson | Anderson Moore

Mills Ariail | Law Office of R. Mills Ariail Jr.

Beattie Ashmore | Beattie Ashmore, Attorney at Law, PA

Jim Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Jenny Barwick | Clawson and Staubes

John Bateman | Bateman Law Firm

Ryan Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Christopher D. Brough | Cate & Brough, P.A.

Jennings Byford | Byford Law Firm, LLC

Cindy Crick | Cindy Crick Law

*Frank Eppes | Eppes & Plumblee

Jake Erwin | Jake Erwin Attorney at Law

James (Wally) W. Fayssoux, Jr. | Fayssoux & Landis

Brian Johnson | Law Office of Brian P. Johnson, LLC

Alex Kinlaw, III | Kinlaw & Cunningham, LLC

Alex Kornfeld | Alex Kornfeld, Attorney at Law, LLC

Lucas Marchant | Marchant Law Firm, LLC

Andy Moorman | Moorman Law Firm

E. Powers Price | Price Law Firm, P.A.

James H. Price, IV | Price Law Firm, P.A.

Stuart Sarratt | Greenville County Public Defender’s Office

Steve Sumner | Sumner & Todd, Attorneys at Law

Scott Talley | The Talley Law Firm

Scott Todd | Sumner & Todd, Attorneys at Law

Sam Tooker | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Marcelo Torricos | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Adam Touma | Touma and Fedali, LLP

Asher Watson | Watson Law Attorneys & Counselors

John White | KD Trial Lawyers


Criminal – General 

Lowcountry

Christopher Skipper

Skipper Law Firm LLC

 






Skipper is the sole practitioner of the Skipper Law Firm in Mount Pleasant, which he began in 2004. Skipper practices criminal defense in federal, state, magistrate, and municipal courts.

He represents injured workers before the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission and has experience in personal injury law. 

Skipper was born in Georgetown and grew up along the South Carolina coast. He began his legal career while a student at the College of Charleston in 1990.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996, Skipper returned to the Lowcountry and went to work as an assistant solicitor in the Berkeley County Solicitor's Office. He prosecuted cases for an additional four years in the Charleston County Solicitor's Office. Throughout his time as a prosecutor, Skipper handled hundreds of cases, ranging from driving under suspension to murder.

Prior to opening the Skipper Law Firm, he spent time practicing in the area of workers' compensation insurance defense. The experience he gained as an attorney for insurance companies provided excellent insight into how they handle claims.

Skipper serves as an associate judge for the Folly Beach Municipal Court and the city prosecutor for Isle of Palms. He and wife Amy reside in Mount Pleasant with their three children.

Midlands

Jonathan “Jeb” Lewis

The Law Office of Jonathan Lewis LLC

 






With offices in both Columbia and Beaufort, Lewis has dedicated his practice to the diligent, fierce, and ethical representation of clients charged with criminal offenses or dealing with matters in Family Court.

Lewis has served numerous clients and government entities throughout the Palmetto State. He has served as the DUI special prosecutor for Lexington County, and as a special assistant solicitor for drug and violent crimes with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. He is appointed as counsel for indigent defendants outside of the Public Defender’s Offices, including state grand jury cases, and takes private clients throughout the state.

The Charlottesville, Virginia, native attended Norwich University –The Military College of Vermont, where he earned both his Bachelor of Arts in studies in war and peace and his Master of Arts in international diplomacy. He received his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law.

Lewis is a member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and co-chair for the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyer’s Division Pro Bono Committee. He has been twice honored nationally by the American Bar Association for his pro bono work for active-duty military servicemembers.

Upstate

Nihar Patel

The Carolina Law Group

 






Prior to joining The Carolina Law Group, Patel worked for the Greenville County Public Defender’s Office, where he handled cases ranging from low-level misdemeanors to high-profile murders.

He co-founded The Carolina Law Group in 2011 with Monty D. Desai. The goal was to create a firm centered on the needs of the client rather than the law firm.

Patel is a member of Greenville and South Carolina Bars and the South Carolina Association for Justice, and he is past president of the Greenville Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2013 and a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 for South Carolina.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from College of Charleston and his Juris Doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan.

Patel and his wife Olivia have one son. In his free time, he enjoys watching Gamecock sports, listening to live music, and spending time outdoors. 

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Cameron Blazer | Blazer Law Firm

Trey Harrell | Trey Harrell Law Firm

Matthew Hubbell | Duffy and Young, LLC

Tim Kulp | Kulp & Elliot

Nicholas Lewis | Curry Law Firm

Jerry Theos | Theos Law Firm, LLC

Midlands

Deborah Barbier | Deborah Barbier, Attorney at Law

Alexandra Benevento | Strom Law Firm

Jim Griffin | Griffin & Davis, LLC

Alex Imgrund | Caskey & Imgrund, LLC

Han Ko | Lexington County Public Defender’s Office

Chris Leonard | Kendrick & Leonard, P.C.

Neal Lourie | Lourie Law Firm, LLC

Joe McCulloch | McCulloch & Schillaci

Will McKellar | Aiken Public Defender

Jonathan Lewis | The Law Office of Jonathan Lewis

Jonathan Milling | Milling Law Firm, LLC

Marion Moses | The Law Offices of Marion M. Moses, LLC

Lori Murray | Law Office of Lori S. Murray

Stanley Myers | Moore Bradley Myers

Dayne C. Phillips | Price Benowitz LLP

Alex Postic | Law Office of Alex Postic

Jack Swerling | Law Offices of Jack Swerling

Judah VanSyckel | Saluda Law, LLC

Theo Williams | Williams, Stitely, & Brink

Aimee Zmroczek | A.J.Z. Law Firm, LLC

Upstate

Patrick Anderson | Anderson Moore

Beattie Ashmore | Beattie Ashmore, Attorney at Law, PA

Jim Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Jenny Barwick | Clawson and Staubes

Ryan Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Charles Bondurant | Bondurant Legal LLC

Christopher D. Brough | Cate & Brough, P.A.

Jennings Byford | Byford Law Firm, LLC

Randy Chambers | Chambers Law Firm

Cindy Crick | Cindy Crick Law

Joy Davis | White Davis & White

Perry Buckner DeLoach, Jr. | The Law Offices of Perry B. DeLoach, Jr., LLC

Stephen L. Denton | KD Trial Lawyers

Steve Denton | KD Trial Lawyers

Monty Desai | The Carolina Law Group

Frank Eppes | Eppes & Plumblee

Jake Erwin | Jake Erwin Attorney at Law

James (Wally) W. Fayssoux, Jr. | Fayssoux & Landis

William Grove | Grove Ozment LLC

Christopher L. Jones | Christopher L. Jones, Attorney at Law, LLC

Josh Kendrick | Kendrick & Leonard, P.C.

Alex Kornfeld | Alex Kornfeld, Attorney at Law, LLC

Lucas Marchant | Marchant Law Firm, LLC

Jim May | Wyche, P.A.

Mark Moyer | The Moyer Law Firm, LLC

AnneMarie Haynsworth Odom | Anne Marie Odom Law, LLC

Lauren Davis Price | Anderson County Solicitor’s Office

James H. Price IV | Price Law Firm, P.A.

E. Powers Price | Price Law Firm, P.A.

Scott Talley | The Talley Law Firm

Sam Tooker | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Marcelo Torricos | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Adam Touma | Touma and Fedali, LLP

Billy Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet, LLC


Criminal – White Collar

Midlands

Judah VanSyckel

Saluda Law, LLC

 






Sole proprietor Judah VanSyckel focuses on criminal defense and whistleblower matters. A graduate of Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel began his career in York as an assistant public defender, where he tried more than 20 cases to a jury verdict. The position gave him exposure to many different kinds of criminal cases.

VanSyckel found that he particularly enjoyed working on white-collar crime cases, especially insurance fraud and securities fraud.

Next, he moved to the state attorney general’s office, where he focused on health care fraud prosecution in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. While there, VanSyckel became familiar with complex investigations and the interplay between white-collar criminal and whistleblower matters. 

Since going into private practice, he has worked mostly on criminal defense and whistleblower matters but has also taken on a limited number of other civil matters. 

VanSyckel says his most influential mentor was C. William “Bill” Gambrell. The last book he read was “Gentle and Lowly,” by Dane C. Ortlund. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and golf.

In addition to Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel graduated from the University of South Carolina.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Sean Houseal | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Tim Kulp | Kulp & Elliot

*Jerry Theos | Theos Law Firm, LLC

Midlands

Alexandra Benevento | Strom Law Firm

Jim Griffin | Griffin & Davis, LLC

Han Ko | Lexington County Public Defender’s Office

Neal Lourie | Lourie Law Firm, LLC

Joe McCulloch | McCulloch & Schillaci

Jonathan Milling | Milling Law Firm, LLC

Marion Moses | The Law Offices of Marion M. Moses, LLC

John Moylan | Wyche, P.A.

Lori Murray | Law Office of Lori S. Murray

Dayne C. Phillips | Price Benowitz LLP

Alex Postic | Law Office of Alex Postic

Brianne Steiner | Aiken Public Defender

Jack Swerling | Law Offices of Jack Swerling

Upstate

Beattie Ashmore | Beattie Ashmore, Attorney at Law, PA

Bill Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Jim Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Jenny Barwick | Clawson and Staubes

Ryan Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Charles Bondurant | Bondurant Legal LLC

Cindy Crick | Cindy Crick Law

Joy Davis | White Davis & White

Monty Desai | The Carolina Law Group

Konstantine Diamaduros | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

*Frank Eppes | Eppes & Plumblee

Jake Erwin | Jake Erwin Attorney at Law

James (Wally) W. Fayssoux, Jr. | Fayssoux & Landis

William Grove | Grove Ozment LLC

Christopher L. Jones | Christopher L. Jones, Attorney at Law, LLC

Josh Kendrick | Kendrick & Leonard, P.C.

Alex Kornfeld | Alex Kornfeld, Attorney at Law, LLC

Lucas Marchant | Marchant Law Firm, LLC

Jim May | Wyche, P.A.

Andy Moorman | Moorman Law Firm

AnneMarie Haynsworth Odom | AnneMarie Odom Law, LLC

Nihar Patel | The Carolina Law Group

Stuart Sarratt | Greenville County Public Defender’s Office

Scott Talley | The Talley Law Firm

Sam Tooker | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Marcelo Torricos | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Asher Watson | Watson Law Attorneys & Counselors

Billy Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet, LLC


Economic Development

Lowcountry

Stephanie Yarbrough

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

 






As a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson, Yarbrough works closely with domestic and international companies seeking to expand or relocate operations to the Carolinas and the Southeastern United States. Her philosophy is to invest in her clients from the outset to build long-term partnerships for the future. She has extensive experience advising companies across a wide range of industries, including life sciences, retail and consumer, manufacturing, and software and technology.

Yarbrough earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Charleston and a master’s in public administration from the University of Charleston before receiving her J.D. in 2001 from Southern Methodist University School of Law.

Her efforts on behalf of clients have led to the creation of thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in new investments. During the recent Covid-19 economic downturn, she worked to help clients stabilize their businesses, including guiding them through the federal PPP loan process.

She is also active in the community: She currently serves on several boards, including Upstate Alliance, the S.C. Economic Developer’s Association, Charleston Regional Development Alliance, and the S.C. Aquarium.

The Georgia native’s hobbies include Peloton, boating, hiking, and reading.

Midlands

Will Johnson 

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

 






Johnson leads his firm's economic development practice group and concentrates on economic development, corporate law and tax matters. 

He has helped facilitate over $5 billion in domestic and foreign investment in South Carolina. Johnson's work in the economic development area includes negotiating and drafting fee in lieu of tax agreements, structuring special source revenue credit arrangements, and assisting companies with incentives like job development credits, job tax credits, state and local economic development grants. 

In the corporate area, he provides counsel on matters including contract review, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, shareholder and governance issues, bankruptcy and franchise law. A Lake City native, Johnson's community involvement includes helping to form a partnership between Special Olympics South Carolina and the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division in 2010. 

He serves on the Special Olympics SC board of directors. A graduate of New York University's LLM program (Tax) with an undergraduate degree from Wofford College, Johnson was awarded the Dean's Medallion for graduating first in his class from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Justin Hoyle | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Ric Tapp | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Midlands

J. Michael “Mike” Ey | Burr & Forman LLP

Edward G. Kluiters | Nelson Mullins

Riley & Scarborough LLP

Upstate

Ryan Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Michael Wasson Burns | Burr & Forman LLP

Richard Few | Parker Poe

Michael Kozlarek | King Kozlarek Law LLC

Philip Land | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Josh Lonon | Wyche, P.A.

Kathleen Crum McKinney | Haynsworth

   Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Brandon Tyler Norris | Burr & Forman LLP

James K. Price | Nexsen Pruet, LLC


Education

Lowcountry

Alice Paylor 

Saxton & Stump

 






Paylor has more than four decades of experience in law, representing businesses, governmental entities, and individuals in complex commercial litigation, probate and estate litigation, zoning issues, labor and employment matters, and investigations.

Early in her career, she served as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the city of Charleston, and she joined a Charleston law firm in 1982.

In the 1980s, she represented the Charleston County School District in one of the last desegregation cases.

Paylor has extensive experience working with school districts, as well as private schools and charter schools.

She formerly served as president of the National Caucus of State Bar Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates and received the Jean Galloway Bissell Award from SCWLA in 2016.

A native of Greenville, Paylor earned a Bachelor of Arts at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and her Juris Doctor at University of North Carolina School of Law. Her most influential mentor was Morris Rosen, and her hobbies include working out.

Midlands

Joseph Bias

Midlands Technical College

 





Bias serves as general counsel for Midlands Technical College, a public technical college with locations in Richland, Lexington, and Fairfield counties. 

His practice includes handling all legal affairs for Midlands Tech, including labor and employment issues, policy and handbook reviews, federal and state compliance, Title IX, contracts, internal investigations, and management of outside counsel in litigation. 

He also chairs the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic planning initiatives. 

Bias is a member of the school's executive council, tasked with assisting Midlands Technical College President Ron Rhames in the management and operations of the institution.

A Columbia native, Bias also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he teaches a civil litigation capstone course.

He lists his most influential mentor as Judge Alison Lee, and his hobbies include coaching high school and college Mock Trial, and fantasy football.

Bias earned a bachelor’s degree from Wofford College and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Upstate

Doug Webb

Greenville County Schools

 






Webb has served as the general counsel for the Greenville County Schools, the school district serving the county, since 2009. He oversees all legal aspects of operations for the school district, which has nearly 78,000 students and 11,000 employees. 

Prior to his employment with the district, Webb was a prosecutor handling criminal cases ranging from drug trafficking to murder.

He is active in various organizations in the community, and Webb was selected by the Jefferson Award Foundation as a ChangeMaker for his dedication to public service. He is also a graduate of Leadership Greenville. 

Webb enjoys teaching current and future school administrators in graduate programs for Furman University and Clemson University. He has three children and spends most of his nonwork hours with his wife at sports and other kid-related activities.

Webb earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Furman University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Mac McQuillin | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Midlands

Samantha Albrecht | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Joseph D. Dickey | Dickey Law Group

Allison Hanna | Halligan Mahoney & Williams

Connie Jackson | Halligan Mahoney & Williams

Grant Burnette LeFever | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

David Lyon | Duff Freeman Lyon, L.L.C

Kathy Mahoney | Halligan Mahoney & Williams

Jake Moore, Sr. | Moore Bradley Myers

Andrea White | White & Story, LLC

Upstate

John Bell | Greenville Tech

Ted Gentry | Wyche, P.A.

Jack Griffeth | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Wade Kolb | Wyche, P.A.

Dick Riley | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Inez Tenenbaum | Wyche, P.A.


Eminent Domain

Upstate 

Luke Burke

Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

 






Burke, a partner at Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey in Greenville, focuses on civil litigation with a primary emphasis on business litigation, eminent domain/right-of-way acquisition, and family law. 

A 2011 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Notre Dame in 2002. Burke worked as a software engineer and developer for several years before entering law school and embarking on a career in jurisprudence.

He has been with Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey for nearly 10 years, and Burke lists Bill Bannister, the firm’s founding partner, as his most influential mentor.

The Chicago native relocated to Greenville in 2006 after observing the exciting revitalization occurring in the Upstate. He and wife Megan live in Taylors with their daughter.

His most recent reads include “Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League, et al.”, by E.M. Rauch, and he counts chess and cooking as hobbies.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

William E. Applegate IV | Yarborough Applegate Law Firm, LLC

Paul Dominick | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Kevin W. Mims | Luzuriaga Mims LLP

Abigail B. Walsh | Williams & Walsh, LLC

Midlands

Keith M. Babcock | Lewis Babcock L.L.P.

*William C. Dillard, Jr. | Belser & Belser, PA

Sean M. Foerster | Rogers Townsend, LLC

David L. Paavola | Lewis Babcock L.L.P.

Upstate

Max T. Hyde, Jr. | Hyde Law Firm, PA

Ryan McCarty | KD Trial Lawyers

Howard “Pat” W Paschal | Howard “Pat” W Paschal PA

Bill Wilson | Wyche, P.A.


Employee Benefits

Midlands

Jack Cohoon

Burnette, Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

 






Cohoon is a partner with Burnette, Shutt & McDaniel in Columbia. His practice focuses on helping clients resolve difficult legal challenges. 

Cohoon’s cases include whistleblower cases for government workers, discrimination claims, wage disputes, administrative appeals, and litigation regarding employee benefits. Cohoon primarily represents employees, but he also serves nonprofits and small businesses.

In addition to employment law, Cohoon has represented clients in cases brought under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act to promote government transparency, and he represents clients in civil rights cases. 

Cohoon said he has had the benefit of having many great mentors during his career, but Malissa Burnette is the most significant. He said the last book he read was “The Daily Stoic,” by Ryan Holiday.

A native of Augusta, Cohoon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Outside of work, he enjoys hiking with his family. He also serves as a scout leader for his sons’ Boy Scout troop.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

*Amy Y. Jenkins | McAngus Goudelock & Courie 

Midlands

Palmer Freeman | Whetstone Perkins & Fulda

Shannon Polvi | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Frank Shuler | Turner Padget

Upstate

Ashley Bryan Abel | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Nathaniel Bax | Foster Law Firm, LLC

*Thomas M. Christina | Ogletree Deakins

Joel A. Daniel | Ogletree Deakins

William L. Dennis | Fox Rothschild LLP

Chris Gantt-Sorenson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Robert E. Hoskins | Foster Law Firm, LLC

Debbie Kleman | Parker Poe

Camden Massingill | Wyche, P.A.

Marie Monroe | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

John Peace | Perkins Law Firm


Employment – Defendant 

Midlands

Stephen Savitz

Gignilliat, Savitz & Beattie LLC

 






Savitz has exclusively practiced labor and employment law for more than three decades, and he is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in labor and employment law.

Before going into private practice, Savitz served as Assistant Attorney General for South Carolina. 

Savitz is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth and 11th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. 

He is a member of the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates and has served as an adjunct professor in Legal Aspects of Counseling at the University of South Carolina Graduate School of Education.

His most influential mentor was Attorney General Dan McLead, and the last book he read was “Hard Work” by Roy Williams. His hobbies include golf and spending time with his four grandchildren.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Elliot Condon | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Madelyn Dukes | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Alissa Fleming | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Allan Holmes | Gibbs & Holmes

Greg Horton | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

*Amy Jenkins | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Ashley Kutz Kelley | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Mary Stuart King | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Lucy Sanders | Bloodgood and Sanders, LLC

Midlands

Samantha Albrecht | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Brittany Clark | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Jack Cohoon | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Blaney Coskrey | Coskrey Law Office

Sarah J.M. Cox | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Joseph Dickey | Dickey Law Group

Foster Haselden | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis, LLP

Christopher Johnson | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis, LLP

Regina Lewis | Gaffney Lewis, LLC

Denny Major | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Sheila Willis | Fisher Phillips

Grant Wills | Fisher Phillips

Upstate

Courtney Atkinson | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

Sarah Batson | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Emily Bridges | Parker Poe

Debbie Brown | Gallivan, White & Boyd

John Connell | Burr & Forman LLP

Ashley Cuttino | Ogletree Deakins

Chris Gantt-Sorenson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

William Gignilliat | Jackson Lewis P.C.

James K. Gilliam | Burr & Forman LLP

Phillip Kilgore | Ogletree Deakins

Stephanie Lewis | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Camden Massingill | Wyche, P.A.

John Merrell | Ogletree Deakins

Randy Moody | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Alexander Paterra | Paterra Law Firm, LLC

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Chase Samples | Jackson Lewis P.C.

*Andy Satterfield | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Giles Schanen | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Tom Stephenson | Stephenson and Murphy

Frank Stern | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Jeremy Summerlin | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Zach Weaver | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Sandi Wilson | Lockheed Martin


Employment – Plaintiff 

Lowcountry

Lucy Sanders

Bloodgood & Sanders LLC

 






Sanders has been practicing employment law for the majority of her career. Following law school, she worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Deadra L. Jefferson of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

She has more than a decade of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal employment litigation.

Sanders also advises employees and small businesses on employment-related issues, helps clients understand employment law, and helps clients seek meaningful resolution of employment claims through mediation and negotiation.

A native of Russellville, Kentucky, Sanders earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Furman University and her Juris Doctor from the Charleston School of Law.

She is a board member of Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation and a co-founder of the Compass Collegiate Academy Charter School in Charleston.

Sanders counts her father, a Harvard Law School graduate who taught her the value of education and giving back to the community, as her most influential mentor. 

Midlands

Joseph Dickey

Dickey Law Group

 






Dickey works as a legal advocate for businesses, governmental entities, and individuals.

Prior to attending law school, he worked at an economic development firm in Fukuoka, Japan, and as a result is conversant in Japanese and knowledgeable of Japanese business practices.

A native of Wellford, Dickey earned his Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and International Trade and Bachelor of Science in Management from Clemson University, and his Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law.

During law school, Dickey served as associate student works editor for the South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business, was president of the International Law Society, and manager of the Black Law Students’ Association’s Moot Court Bar. 

He currently serves on the boards of the Japan America Association, Midlands Education and Business Alliance, and Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina.

Upstate

W. Andrew Arnold

Law Office of W. Andrew Arnold

 






Arnold has practiced law for nearly 30 years, specializing in high-stakes cases, starting with a multimillion-dollar verdict against a chain of nursing homes.

He has litigated cases involving employment law, business disputes, wrongful death, and serious personal injury. These days, he primarily handles employment litigation, business litigation/shareholder oppression, noncompete cases, and nursing home abuse and neglect. 

Arnold has been named a Super Lawyer for 10 of the past 12 years, and has been included in our Legal Elite recognition for 10 consecutive years.

He received his Bachelor of Arts from Furman University and his Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina. Arnold’s hobbies include indoor rowing, reading, weightlifting, and hiking. The last book he read was “A Brief History of Equality” by Thomas Piketty.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Allan Holmes | Gibbs & Holmes

Midlands

Samantha Albrecht | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Jay Babb | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Beth Bowen | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Malissa Burnette | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Jack Cohoon | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Sarah J.M. Cox | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Robin R. McLean | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Elizabeth Millender | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Paul Porter | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Kathy Mahoney | Halligan Mahoney & Williams

Jake Moore, Sr. | Moore Bradley Myers

Andrea White | White & Story, LLC

Upstate

Brian Arnold | Arnold Law Firm

Courtney Atkinson | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

Emily Bridges | Parker Poe

Ashley Cuttino | Ogletree Deakins

Jeff Dunlaevy | Dunlaevy Law Firm

Joshua Hawkins | Hawkins and Jedezniak Law Firm

Josh Hudson | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Phillip Kilgore | Ogletree Deakins

Wade Kolb | Wyche, P.A.

Stephanie Lewis | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Camden Massingill | Wyche, P.A.

John Merrell | Ogletree Deakins

Randy Moody | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Alexander Paterra | Paterra Law Firm, LLC

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Chase Samples | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Andy Satterfield | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Tom Stephenson | Stephenson and Murphy

Fred Suggs | Ogletree Deakins

Jeremy Summerlin | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Zach Weaver | Gallivan, White & Boyd


Energy and Utilities

Lowcountry

Jamey Goldin

Google LLC

Charleston

 






Goldin is energy counsel on Google’s Global Energy Policy and Market Development Team. As part of the division responsible for the company’s data center and global-energy portfolio, he is primarily responsible for managing Google’s energy policy and markets work in the Eastern and South-Central regions of the United States. 

Prior to joining Google, Goldin was a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, where his practice focused on energy and regulatory law. He has represented and advised clients in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, multiple state public utility commissions, federal and state appellate courts, and federal and state administrative agencies. Goldin served as chief counsel to the South Carolina House of Representatives’ Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee before he entered private practice.

A native of Rockmart, Georgia, Goldin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law.

In his free time, Goldin enjoys hunting, fishing, field trials, and retriever hunt tests. He also enjoys reading, and recently began “The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture,” by Wendell Berry.

Midlands

Weston Adams

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

 






Adams practices energy and environmental law. 

His work is divided into two areas: energy litigation practice before the South Carolina Public Service Commission, North Carolina Utilities Commission, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and environmental practice before the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Adams has served as lead counsel on more than 100 appeals to the S.C. Supreme Court, S.C. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

He is the former chairman of the S.C. Conservation Bank Commission, on which he served from 2004-2014, and he currently chairs the board of directors of the S.C. Clean Energy Business Alliance.

A Columbia native, Adams earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of the South, a Master of Arts from the University of Florida, and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Upstate 

Luke Burke

Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

 






Burke, a partner at Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey in Greenville, focuses on civil litigation with a primary emphasis on business litigation, eminent domain/right-of-way acquisition, and family law. 

A 2011 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Notre Dame in 2002. Burke worked as a software engineer and developer for several years before entering law school and embarking on a career in jurisprudence.

He has been with Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey for nearly 10 years, and Burke lists Bill Bannister, the firm’s founding partner, as his most influential mentor.

The Chicago native relocated to Greenville in 2006 after observing the exciting revitalization occurring in the Upstate. He and wife Megan live in Taylors with their daughter.

His most recent reads include “Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League, et al.”, by E.M. Rauch, and he counts chess and cooking as hobbies.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Ashley Cooper | Parker Poe

Midlands

John Boyd | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jake Moore, Sr. | Moore Bradley Myers

Benjamin Nicholson | Burr & Forman LLP

Matthew Richardson | Wyche, P.A.

Belton Zeigler | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Upstate

Bruce Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

David Dill | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Ryan McCarty | KD Trial Lawyers

Will Middleton | Parker Poe

Heather Smith | Duke Energy

R. Taylor Speer | Fox Rothschild LLP

Josh Spencer | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Sarah Spruill | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Rivers Stilwell | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP


Environmental 

Upstate

Rita Bolt Barker

Wyche PA

 






Barker is a veteran litigator with experience in environmental, commercial and insurance coverage areas. 

Her work includes helping clients navigate the wide range of laws that protect natural resources, including compliance and litigation, permitting challenges and enforcement actions before administrative agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  

The chair of the firm's recruiting committee, Barker has also taught administrative law at Clemson University and environmental law at Furman University.  

A native of Anderson, she earned her law degree from Harvard University and her undergraduate degree from Clemson University. 

Lowcountry

Newman Jackson Smith

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

 






Newman Jackson Smith, a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in the firm’s Charleston office, practices in the areas of environmental law and litigation, administrative law, land-use law, and constitutional law.

He has experience in several areas, including an environmental practice involving hazardous waste-site management and remediation, contaminated property liability negotiation, litigation, redevelopment, and related regulatory counseling. 

 

Smith is also experienced in matters of administrative law, land-use planning, and zoning law, and he’s involved in brownfields redevelopment, environmental insurance, and environmental regulatory permitting.

Other focuses include experience with wetlands regulatory issues, compliance counseling, and Superfund site counseling.

Smith is the founding chairman of both the Governing Council of the Environment and Natural Resources Section of the S.C. Bar Association and the Urban Land Institute Coastal Forum.

Smith lists his most influential mentor as Sen. Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings. His hobbies include reading, spending time at the beach, and biking, and the last book he read was “Count Zero” by William Gibson.

The Columbia native earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Midlands

Weston Adams

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

 






Adams practices energy and environmental law. 

His work is divided into two areas: energy litigation practice before the South Carolina Public Service Commission, North Carolina Utilities Commission, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and environmental practice before the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Adams has served as lead counsel on more than 100 appeals to the S.C. Supreme Court, S.C. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

He is the former chairman of the S.C. Conservation Bank Commission, on which he served from 2004-2014, and he currently chairs the board of directors of the S.C. Clean Energy Business Alliance.

A Columbia native, Adams earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of the South, a Master of Arts from the University of Florida, and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Elizabeth Dieck | Parker Poe

Mary Shahid | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Midlands

Karen Crawford | KLAC Law Firm LLC

Joan Hartley | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Tommy Lavender | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Kathleen McDaniel | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Ashley McMahan | McMahan & Taylor

Childs Cantey Thrasher | Law Office of Childs

Cantey Thrasher, LLC

Ethan Ware | Williams Mullen

Upstate

Michael Bogle | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Bill Coates | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Michael Corley | South Carolina Environmental  Law Project

Robert A. Deholl | Elmore Goldsmith Kelley& deHoll, P.A.

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

Gene McCall | McCall Environmental

Gary Poliakoff | Poliakoff and Associates

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC


Estate and Trust – Litigation 

Lowcountry 

Laurel Blair

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

 






Laurel R.S. Blair is a partner based in the Charleston office of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. She is a strategic adviser, negotiator, certified mediator, and litigator, with more than 25 years of experience representing financial institutions (particularly in fiduciary roles such as trustee and personal representative) in the private wealth, private banking, and wealth management areas, and representing individuals in estate and trust matters.

A member of the firm's wealth management team serving the private wealth and financial services sectors, Blair represents clients across South Carolina and the Southeast. She has been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, and the United States Tax Court.

She has received several honors and awards, including being recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL rankings), litigation – trusts and estates, and trusts and estates from 2013 to present; and receiving the Lawyer of the Year Award in the field of litigation – trusts and estates (Charleston) in 2022.

Blair earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia before receiving her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.

Midlands

Thomas Kilpatrick

Murphy & Kilpatrick P.A.

 






Kilpatrick, of Columbia firm Murphy & Kilpatrick, practices in several areas of law, including estate planning, probate administration and litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, trust and fiduciary administration and litigation, elder law, business formation and governance, and real estate.

His duties involve serving as a court-appointed fiduciary, including as special administrator and personal representative for estates, and as conservator for minors and incapacitated adults.

The Charleston native graduated from the College of Charleston in 2009, and he earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2012. He earned a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2020.

After graduating from law school, Kilpatrick served as judicial law clerk to the Judge Mary Blunt, judge of probate for Dorchester County. Kilpatrick says Blunt was his most influential mentor. His hobbies include traveling and eating.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Jeff Bogdan | Parker Poe

Andrew Chandler | Evans, Carter, Kunes

   & Bennett

Elizabeth J. Palmer | Saxton & Stump

R. Bruce Wallace | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

 

Midlands

George S. Bailey | Sojourner, Caughman

   and Thomas

Lyndey R. Z. Bryant | Adams and Reese LLP

A. Bennett Evers | Todd & Johnson, LLP

Amy Hill | Gallivan, White & Boyd

James L. McCutchen | McCutchen McLean, LLC

William G. Newsome III | Newsome Law, P.A.

Greg Parker | Parker Law, LLC

Creighton Segars | Stuckey Fata & Segars, LLC

Jonathan E. Spitz | Todd & Johnson, LLP

Kenneth B. Wingate | Sweeny, Wingate

   & Barrow, P.A.

 

Upstate

James Anderson | Anderson Law Firm

Mike Bridges | Dobson Law Group

Ian Conits | Gallivan White & Boyd

Perry Deloach | The Law Offices of Perry B. 

   DeLoach, Jr., LLC

James B. Drennan, III | Dennis Shaw Drennan

   & Pack, LLC

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

E. Zachary Horton | Horton & Horton Law Firm, LLC

Charles Marchbanks | The Marchbanks Law Firm

R. David Massey | Brown Massey Evans

   McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Ryan F. McCarty | KD Trial Lawyers

Tyler E. Mcleod | Brown Massey Evans

   McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Keith G Meacham | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Tanner Riley | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

Zach Weaver | Gallivan White & Boyd

Marshall Winn | Wyche, P.A.


Estate and Trust – Planning 

Lowcountry 

Laurel Blair

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

 






Laurel R.S. Blair is a partner based in the Charleston office of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. She is a strategic adviser, negotiator, certified mediator, and litigator, with more than 25 years of experience representing financial institutions (particularly in fiduciary roles such as trustee and personal representative) in the private wealth, private banking, and wealth management areas, and representing individuals in estate and trust matters.

A member of the firm's wealth management team serving the private wealth and financial services sectors, Blair represents clients across South Carolina and the Southeast. She has been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, and the United States Tax Court.

She has received several honors and awards, including being recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL rankings), litigation – trusts and estates, and trusts and estates from 2013 to present; and receiving the Lawyer of the Year Award in the field of litigation – trusts and estates (Charleston) in 2022.

Blair earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia before receiving her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.

Midlands

Jeffrey Hopkins

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson, LLP

 






Hopkins practices in the areas of estate planning and administration taxation, probate litigation, business transactions and commercial real estate. His primary practice includes the preparation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and other estate planning documents. 

He also guides fiduciaries in the administration of trusts and estates while navigating tax laws. A native of Greenville, Hopkins has received the Compleat Lawyer Award, Bronze for his recognition in professional competence, ethics, and integrity and earned a CALI award for his studies in real estate transactions. 

A graduate of University of South Carolina (B.A. and J.D.) Hopkins also earned a LLM degree in Taxation from the University of Alabama School of Law. 

Besides his affiliation with the Lexington County Bar Association and the Richmond County Bar Association he is also a board member of Columbia nonprofit The FriendShip, serving the elderly in the community. Hopkins lives in Columbia with his wife and daughter, where he enjoys running and gardening.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Maria Averill | Averill Law Firm

Jeffrey Bogdan | Parker Poe

Brent Bullock | Taylor Foley Law Firm

Cecile Crogan | Buxton & Collie, LLC

Jennifer Davis | Nelson Mullins Riley

   & Scarborough LLP

J. Aaron Nelson | The Nelson Law Firm

Anne Kelley Russell | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Jennifer Williams | Law Office of Jennifer

   K. Williams, LLC

Midlands

Lisa Hostetler Brown | LawyerLisa

Rita Bragg Caughman | Sojourner, Caughman

   and Thomas

W. Steven Johnson | Todd & Johnson, LLP

Johnny Kornegay | Todd & Johnson, LLP

James L. McCutchen | McCutchen McLean, LLC

W. Verne McGough, Jr. | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Matt Myers | Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow, P.A.

William M. Reynolds, III | Todd & Johnson, LLP

Creighton Segars | Stuckey Fata & Segars, LLC

Jonathan E. Spitz | Todd & Johnson, LLP

Ryan Wallace | Sojourner, Caughman

   and Thomas

Upstate

James Anderson | Anderson Law Firm

Robert E. August | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Matthew Couvillion | Wyche, P.A.

Aaron DeBruin | De Bruin Law Firm

Perry Deloach | The Law Offices of Perry B.

   DeLoach, Jr., LLC

James B. Drennan, III | Dennis Shaw Drennan

   & Pack, LLC

Cary Hall | Wyche, P.A.

Justin Hamrick | Hamrick Law

Michelle H. King | Fox Rothschild LLP

Phillip J. Martin | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

R. David Massey | Brown Massey Evans McLeod

   & Haynsworth LLC

Mac McLean | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Keith G. Meacham | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Andrew D. Merline | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Marie Monroe | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Hall Provence | Ashmore, Leaphart, Rabon LLC

Neal Rabon | Ashmore, Leaphart, Rabon LLC

Jake Rea | Burr & Forman LLP

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

David A. Thompson | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.


Family 

(Tie) Lowcountry

Daryn R. Barker

Barker Family Law

 






Barker practices family law in the Charleston tri-county area. She is a fierce advocate for her clients both in and out of the courtroom. She has a passion for helping others, and she works with determination to achieve the best possible outcome for her clients.

Barker earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina, and received her J.D. degree and children’s law certificate from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was honored as the recipient of the S.C. Bar Foundation’s I.M. Goldberg Award for her demonstrated commitment to family law. While in school, Barker served as an editor of the Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Journal, an extern to the Honorable Judge Dorothy Mobley Jones of the Richland County Family Court, and a volunteer guardian ad litem.

The Mount Pleasant native’s most-influential mentor is Douglas A. Barker. When not practicing law, she enjoys all water-related activities, as well as spending time with family and friends, and reading. She most recently read “Beach Music” by Pat Conroy.

(Tie) Lowcountry

Elizabeth Rast

Family Advocacy Law Firm LLC

 






Rast began her law career in the area of business transactions but soon shifted her focus to Family Court cases.

She has worked as an associate attorney in complex cases of domestic litigation, served as a guardian ad litem, and spent a year as staff attorney for the South Carolina Department of Social Services working in abuse and neglect cases. Rast joined Family Advocacy Law Firm in 2020, where she handles matters involving divorce, custody, name changes, abuse and neglect, contempt, and custody and support modifications.

Rast earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wofford College and her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

She is a member of the Charleston County Bar Association, South Carolina Bar Association, and the South Carolina Women Lawyer’s Association. Rast plays competitive USTA League Tennis and volunteers on the Island Turtle Team.

Her hobbies include outdoor activities, live music, travel, and spending time with her niece and nephews.

Midlands

Peter Currence

McDougall Self Currence & McLeod

 






Currence is a partner at McDougall Self Currence & McLeod, focusing on family law. His areas of practice include property and support issues, and custody and visitation cases. He also serves as a mediator.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Management from North Carolina State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Currence is a member of the South Carolina and Richland County Bars, and he was admitted to the South Carolina District Court in 1997.

In addition to his work with McDougall Self Currence & McLeod, Currence is a member of the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute and the family law section of the South Carolina Bar Association.

Upstate

Reid Sherard

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

 






Sherard leads Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd's Family Law practice group, representing clients in agreements including divorce, custody, separation, complex financial issues, international jurisdictional disputes, and premarital and postnuptial.

His experience includes a variety of courts and ten appeals, and his honors include recognized by his peers in our Legal Elite listings for seven consecutive years.

Sherard is consistently listed in The Best Lawyers in America and South Carolina Super Lawyers and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers as well as a founder of the South Carolina Family Law American Inn of Court. 

Currently serving as the president of the Greenville County Bar Association, Sherard, a certified family court mediator, is also on the South Carolina Bar Family Law Section Council. 

He also does extensive pro bono work and has served as chair of the 2022 AHA Upstate Heart Walk and as president of the board of directors for A Child's Haven. 


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Maria Averill | Averill Law Firm

Anne Frances Bleecker | Bleecker Family Law

Rene Dukes | Hall Booth Smith

Britton Hawk | Hawk & Hawk Law Firm

Sean Keefer | Sean F. Keefer, LLC

Marie-Louise Ramsdale | Ramsdale Law Firm

Sara Turner | The Law Office of Sara Turner

Midlands

Chris Archer | Archer Swearingen Divorce Attorneys, LLC

Jessica Boylan | The Sullivan Firm, LLC

Michael A. Brooks | Cordell & Cordell

Rebecca Creel | Creel Family Law, LLC

Claire Dorbandt | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Stephanie Fajardo | Fajardo Law Firm, LLC

Paul Fata | Stuckey Fata & Segars, LLC

Katharine Fisher | Kinard & Jones, LLC

Amber Cary Fulmer | Jewitte Dooley Law

Ashby Jones | Kinard & Jones, LLC

Ryan Lane | The Lane Law Firm, LLC

Ken Lester | Ken H. Lester, Attorney at Law

Michelle Matthews | Strom Family Law

James T. McLaren | McLaren & Lee

Robin R. McLean | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Eric Mohn | Eric Mohn Attorney at Law

Amanda Mueller | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Sandra Parise | Parise Law Firm

Mackenzie Pearson | Cordell & Cordell

Kana Rahman | Kana Law, LLC

Ralph Nichols “Nick” Riley, Jr. | Moore Bradley Myers

Christine Robbins | Cordell & Cordell

Shelia Robinson | Moore Bradley Myers

Tripp Rush | The Rush Law Firm

Stephanie Smith | Cordell & Cordell

Susan Strom | Strom Family Law

Reed Swearingen | Archer Swearingen Divorce

   Attorneys, LLC

Douglas Truslow | Truslow & Truslow

Dale Turner | Moore Bradley Myers

Rebecca West | Harling & West

Richard Whiting | Law Offices of Richard G. Whiting

Upstate

Tripp Atkins | Atkins Law Firm, P.A.

Courtney Atkinson | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

Bruce Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Jenny Barwick | Clawson and Staubes

Carlisle Brice | Offit Kurman

Rachel I. Brough | Cate & Brough, P.A.

Megan Burke | Law Office of Megan Goodwin Burke

Amie Carpenter | Anderson Carpenter LLC

Jessica Christophillis | Christophillis & Gallivan, P.A.

Stephen L. Chryst | Offit Kurman

Will Davis | Davis Law Group

Joy Davis | White Davis & White

Scott Dove | Dover Law Firm

Allison Dunham | KD Trial Lawyers

Jason Elliott | Jason Elliot Law Firm

Leslie R. Fisk | Cate & Brough, P.A.

Angela Frazier | Elliott Frazier Law Firm, LLC

Amanda Gallivan | Christophillis & Gallivan, P.A.

Lydia Angelica Hernandez | Hernandez & Cabra

   Attorneys at Work

Chip Howard | Howard Law Firm, P.A.

Zandra Johnson | The Law Firm of Zandra L. Johnson, LLC

Vanessa Kormylo | Vanessa Hartman Kormylo, PA

Alex Kornfeld | Alex Kornfeld, Attorney at Law, LLC

Elizabeth McCool | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Danielle Mitchell | Mitchell Ramseur, LLC

Sidney Mitchell | Mitchell Ramseur, LLC

Jennifer Mook | Law Office of Jennifer Mook

Travis V. Olmert | The Olmert Law Firm, LLC

Jordan Peeler | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

James H. Price | Price Law Firm, P.A.

Joseph Ramseur | Mitchell Ramseur, LLC

Alex Stalvey | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

J. Benjamin Stevens | Offit Kurman

James C. Todd IV | Cordell & Cordell

Marcelo Torricos | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Thomas W. Traxler | Carter, Smith, Merriam,

   Rogers & Traxler, P.A.

J. Michael Turner, Jr. | Cordell & Cordell

Ashlea White | White Davis & White

David Wilson | Wilson & Englebardt, LLC

Amos Workman | Wyche, P.A.


Foreclosure 

Midlands

Jane H. Downey

Moore Bradley Meyers PA

Downey, a partner at Moore Bradley Meyers PA, leads its bankruptcy section and represents debtors and creditors in consumer and business cases. 

Her experience includes litigating and mediating in Chapter 7, 9, 11, 12 and 13 cases. 

A graduate of Emory Law School, after spending seven years as an associate at the firm Nelson Mullins she started her own firm and practiced alone for 11 years. Downey joined Moore Bradley Meyers PA in 2008. 

For more than 25 years, she has been a certified specialist in both bankruptcy and debtor/creditor law as recognized by the South Carolina Supreme Court. She is also board certified in business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification. 

Downey is on the editorial board of SC Lawyer magazine and a member of the American Inns of Court.  She is also on the board of directors of CARE and the IWIRC International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC).


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Midlands

Kevin T. Brown | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Mary Caskey | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Paul Hoefer | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Upstate

Michael Bagwell | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

*Jim Cassidy | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

M. Kevin McCarrell | Fox Rothschild LLP

Rory D. Whelehan | Whelehan Law Firm, LLC

Bill Wilson |Wyche, P.A.


Government – Relations 

Lowcountry

Newman Jackson Smith

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

 Newman Jackson Smith, a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in the firm’s Charleston office, practices in the areas of environmental law and litigation, administrative law, land-use law, and constitutional law.

He has experience in several areas, including an environmental practice involving hazardous waste-site management and remediation, contaminated property liability negotiation, litigation, redevelopment, and related regulatory counseling. 

Smith is also experienced in matters of administrative law, land-use planning, and zoning law, and he’s involved in brownfields redevelopment, environmental insurance, and environmental regulatory permitting.

Other focuses include experience with wetlands regulatory issues, compliance counseling, and Superfund site counseling.

Smith is the founding chairman of both the Governing Council of the Environment and Natural Resources Section of the S.C. Bar Association and the Urban Land Institute Coastal Forum.

Smith lists his most influential mentor as Sen. Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings. His hobbies include reading, spending time at the beach, and biking, and the last book he read was “Count Zero” by William Gibson.

The Columbia native earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Midlands 

Katie Nilges

South Carolina Department of Education

 







Nilges serves as Director of Government Affairs for the South Carolina Department of Education, and her main responsibility is to serve as the legislative liaison for the Department of Education. Each year, she completes the agency’s budget proposal and advocate for the budget requests in front of the General Assembly.

She also is in charge of the policy side of the department’s operations.

Nilges earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications with a focus on Interpersonal and Organizational Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from East Carolina University and her Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law.

During her undergraduate years, Nilges interned with the late U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones, and during law school, she worked as law clerk for the South Carolina Department of Education.

In 2018, she began working as a staff attorney for SCDE, and in 2019, she transitioned into her current role.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Charlie Condon | Charlie Condon Law Firm, LLC

James Goldin | Google, LLC

Stephanie L. Yarbrough | Womble Bond

   Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Todd Atwater | Atwater & Associates

Bob Coble | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Dwight Drake | Nelson Mullins Riley &

   Scarborough LLP

Linda Edwards | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis, LLP

Burnie Maybank | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Kyle Michel | Kyle Michel Law Firm

John Moylan | Wyche, P.A.

Matthew Richardson | Wyche, P.A.

Ted Riley | Riley Pope & Laney

Sally Rogers | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Ronald C. Scott | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Upstate

Bruce Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Rita Barker | Wyche, P.A.

Ryan Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

Lane Davis | Nelson Mullins Riley

   & Scarborough LLP

John Devlin | Devlin & Antley

Jason Elliot | Jason Elliot Law Firm

Frank Eppes | Eppes & Plumblee

Michael Kozlarek | King Kozlarek Law LLC

Michael S. Pitts | Parker Poe

*Amy Snyder | Clawson and Staubes

Rivers Stilwell | Nelson Mullins Riley

   & Scarborough LLP

Logan Wells | Greenville City Attorney’s Office

David Wilkins | Nelson Mullins Riley

   & Scarborough LLP

Billy Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet, LLC


Lowcountry

Stephanie L. Yarbrough | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Elizabeth “Beth” Atwater | Atwater & Associates

Todd Atwater | Atwater & Associates

Bob Coble | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Dwight Drake | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Angelia J. Grant | Scott & Corley, P.A.

Ray Jones | Parker Poe

David Jones | South Carolina Office of the

   Attorney General

Upstate

Eric Amstutz | Wyche, P.A.

Bruce Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Rita Barker | Wyche, P.A.

Lane Davis | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Jason Elliot | Jason Elliot Law Firm

Frank Eppes | Eppes & Plumblee

Michael Kozlarek | King Kozlarek Law LLC

Brad Love | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Kathy McKinney | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Michael S. Pitts | Parker Poe

Tyler Smith | Parker Poe

Logan Wells | Greenville City Attorney’s Office

David Wilkins | Nelson Mullins Riley

   & Scarborough LLP


Health Care

Lowcountry

Alissa Fleming

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LP

 






Fleming advises national and regional healthcare providers on a broad range of legal issues.

Fleming is an attorney as well as a registered nurse, and her firsthand experience enables her to address her clients' industry challenges. Working with large hospital systems, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, pharmacies and doctors, her counsel extends into nearly every aspect of the healthcare industry.  

Regulatory compliance, operations and risk management as well as certification, reimbursement and Medicare and Medicaid are just some of the areas she regularly addresses for clients.  Fleming has litigated jury and nonjury cases at the trial and appellate levels, including trials and hearings on behalf of healthcare providers and professionals. 

Additionally, she advises and represents public and private employers on employment issues with a concentration in the healthcare field.  

She serves on the board of directors of the South Carolina Biotechnology Innovation Organization (SCBio) and is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, South Carolina Bar, Charleston County Bar and the American Association of Nurse Attorneys. 

Midlands

Judah VanSyckel

Saluda Law, LLC

 






Sole proprietor Judah VanSyckel focuses on criminal defense and whistleblower matters. A graduate of Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel began his career in York as an assistant public defender, where he tried more than 20 cases to a jury verdict. The position gave him exposure to many different kinds of criminal cases.

VanSyckel found that he particularly enjoyed working on white-collar crime cases, especially insurance fraud and securities fraud.

Next, he moved to the state attorney general’s office, where he focused on health care fraud prosecution in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. While there, VanSyckel became familiar with complex investigations and the interplay between white-collar criminal and whistleblower matters. 

Since going into private practice, he has worked mostly on criminal defense and whistleblower matters but has also taken on a limited number of other civil matters. 

VanSyckel says his most influential mentor was C. William “Bill” Gambrell. The last book he read was “Gentle and Lowly,” by Dane C. Ortlund. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and golf.

In addition to Charleston School of Law, VanSyckel graduated from the University of South Carolina.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Marshall Allen | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Bradley Banyas | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Stephen Bittinger | K&L Gates

Spencer Craig Gill | Hall Booth Smith

Lauren Gresh | Hall Booth Smith

Lauren Spears Gresh | Hall Booth Smith

Nathan Hughey | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Charles M. Jordan, Jr. | Moore & Van Allen

Caroline Niland | Copeland, Stair Valz & Lovell, LLP

Kristen Thompson | Copeland, Stair Valz & Lovell, LLP

Midlands

George Beighley | Richardson Plowden

   & Robinson, P.A.

John Bradley | Moore Bradley Myers

Emily Brown | Barnes, Alford, Stork

   & Johnson, LLP

Wes Jackson | Rogers Lewis

Weldon Johnson | Barnes, Alford, Stork

   & Johnson, LLP

Ashley Johnson | Parker Poe

Chandler Martin | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

E. Wade Mullins III | Bruner, Powell, Wall

   & Mullins, LLC

Jim Parham | Jim Parham & Associates

David Summer | Parker Poe

Will Thomas | Parker Poe

Upstate

Ben Alexander | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Rachael Anna | Wyche, P.A.

Ella Barbery | Shelly Leeke Law Firm

Walker Barnes | Boulier Thompson & Barnes, LLC

Perry Boulier | Boulier Thompson & Barnes, LLC

Sarah Clemmons | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Harvey Cleveland | Bon Secours Mercy Health

*Anne Culbreath | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Rachel O. Gilbert | Burr & Forman LLP

Bobby Jones | Bobby Jones Law

Collie W. “Trip” Lehn, Jr. | Huff, Powell

   & Bailey, LLC

Sandy Miller | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Joe Mooneyham | Mooneyham & Berry

Brown Parkinson | Holcombe Bomar

Henry Parr | Wyche, P.A.

Clark Price | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Sally Purnell | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Meghan Riordan | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Ken Shaw | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Trey Suggs | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Matt Utecht | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Catherine Wrenn | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP


HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Foster Gaillard | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Trevor Eddy | Eddy Law Firm

Upstate

Aimee V. Leary | Fox Rothschild LLP

Chase Samples | Jackson Lewis P.C.


Insurance

Midlands

Brett Bayne

McAngus, Goudelock & Courie

 






Bayne is a partner with McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, working in the firm’s Columbia office.

His practice focuses on general civil litigation defense, including automobile negligence, premises liability, products liability, and construction defects.

Bayne specializes in trial litigation and seeing cases through to verdict. In his spare time, he teaches trial advocacy at the University of South Carolina School of Law, and he has served as the director and head coach of the USC School of Law Mock Trial Bar since 2013. During that time, the Mock Trial Bar has won multiple regional and national championships, and the program was recently ranked sixth in the country.

A native of Dallas, Bayne graduated from Baylor University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He named Andy Delaney, an attorney with Williams & Williams, as his most influential mentor.

Bayne enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters. He also enjoys smoking different varieties of meat, Mexican food, and all things Baylor. The last book he read was “Based on a True Story,” the autobiography of comedian Norm Macdonald.

Upstate

Amanda Bradley

McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC

 






Bradley has been a trial lawyer for 25 years, during which she has focused on litigating personal injury, class action, bad faith, premises liability, products liability, insurance coverage, and toxic tort cases. She has presented seminars on defense litigation strategies, approaches to solving ethical dilemmas in litigation, toxic-mold litigation, and interviewing techniques.

In her role as a certified mediator, Bradley assists others in identifying key issues to help resolve cases involving all types of civil litigation. She is a strong believer in mediation and has found it to play a vital role in our legal system.

The Greenville native earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University and her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, where she graduated cum laude.

When she’s not practicing law, Bradley, who is married with two children, enjoys spending time with her family, as well as running, outdoor activities, the beach and reading. She most recently began reading “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. She names Doc Morgan as her most influential mentor.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Shawn Bevans | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

*Allison Carter | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Dawes Cooke | Barnwell Whaley

Ben Davis | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Madelyn Dukes | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Daniel Fuerst | Hall Booth Smith

Blanton O’Neal | Hood Law Firm, LLC

Christie Perrin | Copeland, Stair Valz & Lovell, LLP

Matt Tillman | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Elizabeth Freeman Wieters | Hall Booth Smith

Mary Skahan Willis | Etheridge Law Group

Midlands

Mark Barrow | Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow, P.A.

Ward Bradley | Moore Bradley Myers

James Brogdon | Whetstone Perkins & Fulda

Todd Carroll | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Curtis Dowling | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Aaron Hayes | Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow, P.A.

Ryan Holt | Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow, P.A.

Austin Hood | Clawson and Staubes

Richard McLawhorn | Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow, P.A.

Shelley Montague | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Julie Moose | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

John R. Murphy | Murphy & Grantland

Adam Ribock | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Drew Richardson | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Thom Salane | Turner Padget

Samantha Sanders | Smith Robinson

Makenzie Polston Segars | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Daniel Settana | McKay Law Firm

Markey Stubbs | Baker, Ravenel & Bender, LLP

Michael Trask | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Upstate

Adam Bach | Eller Tonnsen Bach

Rita Barker | Wyche, P.A.

Zach Brown | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Andrew Carson | Clardy Law Firm

Langdon Cheves | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Clay Custer | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Konstantine Diamaduros |Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Vernon Dunbar | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Natalie Ecker | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

Jennifer Eubanks | Canal Insurance

Nick Farr | Rogers Townsend, LLC

Wally Fayssoux | Fayssoux & Landis

Shelby Herbkersman | Clawson and Staubes

Jennifer Johnsen | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Frankie Marion | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Carter Massingill | Gallivan, White & Boyd

David Moore | Turner Padget

Kristen Nowacki | Moseley Marcinak Law Group

Tim Nowacki | Clardy Law Firm

Nihar Patel | The Carolina Law Group

David Price Jr. | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Derrick Quattlebaum | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Phillip Reeves | Gallivan, White & Boyd

David Rheney | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Kurt M. Rozelsky | Spencer Fane LLP

Amy Snyder | Clawson and Staubes

Trey Still | Clawson and Staubes

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

Alex Timmons | Moseley Marcinak Law Group

Kyle White | White Davis & White

Matt Whitehead | The Carolina Law Group

Bo Williams | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Catherine Wrenn | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP


Intellectual Property and Innovation 

Lowcountry

John McElwaine

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

 






As the managing partner of NMR&S’ Charleston office, McElwaine focuses his practice on the fields of intellectual property, internet, domain name and technology litigation. In the area of litigation, he has been involved with numerous court actions and arbitration proceedings under the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers’ Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy. 

His work in the area of strategic counseling involves advising clients on intellectual property matters, including the assignment, licensing, and development of applications and other technology, as well as brand-protection measures on the internet and within online social media networks. McElwaine is an active member of the Intellectual Property Constituency serving as its representative to the policy-making council of ICANN since 2020.

In 2015, McElwaine was appointed by the World Intellectual Property Organization to be a panelist arbitrator for UDRP proceedings. Also, with the International Trademark Association, he has served as chair of the Internet Committee and prior to that was the vice-chair and sub-committee chair of the New gTLD Registry Issues Subcommittee.

The McLean, Virginia, native received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina. He enjoys running and playing bass guitar.

Midlands

Todd Serbin

Nexsen Pruet, LLC

 






Serbin is a member of Nexsen Pruet’s Intellectual Property Group, working from the firm’s Columbia office.

His practice focuses on matters related to patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and entertainment law.

He has more than two decades of experience counseling clients ranging in size from individuals to Fortune 500 companies.

His range of experience includes intellectual property-related litigation; preparation and prosecution of domestic and foreign patent and trademark applications; negotiation of IP-related agreements such as assignments, license, and joint research/venture agreements; and providing patentability and infringement opinions.

Serbin, who graduated from the University of Vienna along with the University of Michigan and Villanova University School of Law, has considerable experience practicing in foreign countries. 

Previously, he practiced with a Philadelphia-based firm in Columbia, a large patent boutique in Tel Aviv, Israel, and an intellectual property boutique in Miami.

Serbin enjoys cooking, along with an array of athletic activities, including ice hockey, fly fishing, and cornhole. He also likes spending time with his three children as they participate in a variety of activities, including helping him work in the garden.

Upstate

Neil Batavia

Dority & Manning, P.A.

 






Batavia has practiced intellectual property law at Dority & Manning in Greenville for nearly 20 years. His practice includes patent portfolio management and related prosecution, opinion work, and client counseling. 

He specializes in electrical and computer-implemented subject matter and has experience that spans related technical areas, including computer hardware and software, autonomous robotics, computer vision, wearable technologies, telecommunications, and data compression/encoding. 

He enjoys the opportunity to partner with high-technology companies to develop innovative IP strategies. 

Batavia serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, and he is particularly enthusiastic about access to early childhood education.

Prior to law school, he designed and implemented a bioinformatics software for genetic sequencing.

Batavia earned undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and computer science from Clemson University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

He lists his father as his most influential mentor, and he enjoys being outdoors with wife Lindsey and their two daughters.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

*David Cox | Barnwell Whaley

Brent Sausser | Sausser Summers PC

Midlands

Meliah Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Steve A. Matthews | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Upstate

Thomas W. Epting | Fox Rothschild LLP

Hunter Freeman | Burr & Forman LLP

Amy Hinson | Parker Poe

Heidi Hood | Dority & Manning

Meliah Bowers Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Doug Kim | Kim, Lahey and

   Killough Law Firm

Allison Ko | Dority & Manning

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Doug Lineberry | Burr & Forman LLP

Alan Marshall | Dority & Manning

Bennett Mullinax | J. Bennett Mullinax LLC

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Tim St. Clair | Parker Poe

Matthew Sutch | Dority & Manning

Tom Vanderbloemen | Vanderbloemen Law Firm

Zach Weaver | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Rhoades White | Dority & Manning

Parks Workman | Dority & Manning


International 

Midlands

Joseph Dickey

Dickey Law Group

 






Dickey works as a legal advocate for businesses, governmental entities, and individuals.

Prior to attending law school, he worked at an economic development firm in Fukuoka, Japan, and as a result is conversant in Japanese and knowledgeable of Japanese business practices.

A native of Wellford, Dickey earned his Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and International Trade and Bachelor of Science in Management from Clemson University, and his Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law.

During law school, Dickey served as associate student works editor for the South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business, was president of the International Law Society, and manager of the Black Law Students’ Association’s Moot Court Bar. 

He currently serves on the boards of the Japan America Association, Midlands Education and Business Alliance, and Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina.

Upstate

Joseph Rohe 

6125 Trade LLC

 






Rohe is a licensed United States Customs broker and NCBFAA Certified Customs Specialist who represents and advises clients in matters pertaining to international trade, transportation and logistics, and customs and regulatory compliance. 

He works with clients to help them reduce import duty exposure, mitigate fines and penalties, and develop in-house trade compliance programs. His experience spans many industries, including cosmetics, automotive, cannabis and cannabis derivatives, food and beverage, and electrical systems and components.

Rohe previously practiced with a national firm, and in March 2022, he left to form 6125 Trade LLC, which focuses exclusively on international trade law, consulting, and advisory services.

A graduate of The Citadel and the University of Durham in England, Rohe is a Charleston native.

He counts Stephen L. Brown of Clement Rivers LLP as his most influential mentor, and Rohe’s hobbies include sailing, mountaineering, and automotive restoration.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

*Olivia Froncillo | Froncillo Law Firm

Julius H. Hines | Hines & Gilsenan LLC

John H. Wilkinson | John H. Wilkinson ADR

Midlands

Wolfgang Buchmaier | Buchmaier Law Firm

David Dubberly | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Dayton Riddle | Parker Poe

Upstate

Henry Burwell | Nelson Mullins Riley &

   Scarborough LLP

Frank Davis | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Eric Graben | Wyche, P.A.

Amy Hinson | Parker Poe

Allen Ladd | Allen C. Ladd, Attorney

Philip Land | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jay Rogers | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Garrett Steck | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Elizabeth (Betty) Temple | Womble Bond

   Dickinson LLP

Knox White | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Billy Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Marshall Winn | Wyche, P.A.


Labor

(Tie) Lowcountry

Elliot Condon

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

 






Condon, an associate with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, focuses on products liability and insured defense litigation. She represents clients in contract and bad-faith actions as well as coverage disputes. Condon also works with employers on employment agreements, wage-payment matters, and other state employment-related regulations.

Condon earned an undergraduate degree from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Prior to joining Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, she served as a judicial clerk to Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr., U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. 

The Charleston native has had many wonderful mentors over the years, both inside and outside the legal world, including her parents. She lists her most influential mentor as the late John Tiller, a noted trial attorney.

Condon lists her hobbies as spending time outdoors, traveling, and watching Clemson football. The most recent book she read was “The Impossible Mock Orange Trial,” by Thad G. Long.

(Tie) Lowcountry

Lucy Sanders

Bloodgood & Sanders LLC

 






Sanders has been practicing employment law for the majority of her career. Following law school, she worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Deadra L. Jefferson of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

She has more than a decade of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal employment litigation.

Sanders also advises employees and small businesses on employment-related issues, helps clients understand employment law, and helps clients seek meaningful resolution of employment claims through mediation and negotiation.

A native of Russellville, Kentucky, Sanders earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Furman University and her Juris Doctor from the Charleston School of Law.

She is a board member of Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation and a co-founder of the Compass Collegiate Academy Charter School in Charleston.

Sanders counts her father, a Harvard Law School graduate who taught her the value of education and giving back to the community, as her most influential mentor. 

Upstate

Stephanie Lewis

Jackson Lewis PC

 






Lewis is the office managing principal of the Greenville and Charlotte offices of Jackson Lewis. She also serves on the firm’s board of directors and is co-leader of the litigation practice group. She represents employers in employment litigation and advises businesses on practices and policies to foster employee engagement and avoid litigation.

She has handled all aspects of employment law but focuses on pay equity, sexual harassment training, investigations, litigation, reductions in force, and multi-state compliance for Fortune 500 companies in the retail, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries.

Lewis served as a law clerk for Karen Johnson Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Patrick Michael Duffy of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Lewis received her Bachelor of Arts from N.C. State University and her J.D. from UNC. While attending law school, she served as articles editor of the North Carolina Law Review.

When she’s not practicing law, Lewis enjoys gardening, Orangetheory Fitness, and reading. She most recently began reading “The Lincoln Highway: A Novel,” by Amor Towles.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Amy Jenkins | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Ashley Kutz Kelley | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Samantha Albrecht | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Beth Bowen | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Jack Cohoon | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A.

Angus Macaulay | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Robin R. McLean | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Elizabeth Millender | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Paul Porter | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Stephen Savitz | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis, LLP

Sheila Willis | Fisher Phillips

Grant Wills | Fisher Phillips

Upstate

Brian Arnold | Arnold Law Firm

Courtney Atkinson | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

Sarah Batson | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Jennie Cluverius | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Ashley Cuttino | Ogletree Deakins

Chris Gantt-Sorenson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

William Gignilliat | Jackson Lewis P.C.

James K. Gilliam | Burr & Forman LLP

Joshua Hawkins | Hawkins and Jedezniak Law Firm

Phillip Kilgore | Ogletree Deakins

Camden Massingill | Wyche, P.A.

John Merrell | Ogletree Deakins

Randy Moody | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Alexander Paterra | Paterra Law Firm, LLC

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Chase Samples | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Andy Satterfield | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Josh Smith | Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Tom Stephenson | Stephenson and Murphy

Frank Stern | Jackson Lewis P.C.

Fred Suggs | Ogletree Deakins

Jeremy Summerlin | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Zach Weaver | Gallivan, White & Boyd


Maritime

Lowcountry

Ryan Gilsenan

Hines & Gilsenan LLC

 






As an experienced litigator, Gilsenan solves problems with creativity, responsiveness, and diligence. With a maritime practice defending ship owners, charterers, and pilot associations, Gilsenan also drafts and negotiates transportation agreements, charter parties, and vessel-financing transactions. In other aspects of his law practice, Gilsenan defends contractors and building-supply manufacturers in construction-defect cases and litigates a variety of tort cases and contract disputes.

As a former seagoing engineer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, Gilsenan has firsthand experience in the technical design, operation, maintenance, and repair of a wide range of seagoing vessels. Gilsenan has represented vessel owners and charterers alike hailing from Bermuda and the Caribbean, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New York, Russia, Scandinavia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Gilsenan received a bachelor’s in marine engineering systems from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and a master’s in journalism and mass communication from UNC Chapel Hill before earning his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was recognized with a CALI Award for Excellence in Product Liability.

He includes ice hockey among his hobbies. Gilsenan recently started reading “Coming into the Country,” by John McPhee.

Midlands

Rebecca “Becky” Laffitte

Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC

 






Laffitte has a diverse practice that includes focus on disputes involving alternative resolution, dram shop, health care, product liability, premises liability, and commercial transportation and trucking.

She is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers as well as the Litigation Counsel of America, and she’s a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the American Board of Trial Advocates. 

She’s also a member of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN), among other professional associations. 

In the community, Laffitte is a former board member of the Columbia College Board of Trustees and has served as a president of the Junior League of Columbia.

A native of Allendale, Laffitte earned her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College, an MAT from University of South Carolina, and her Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law. 

Upstate

Joseph Rohe 

6125 Trade LLC

 






Rohe is a licensed United States Customs broker and NCBFAA Certified Customs Specialist who represents and advises clients in matters pertaining to international trade, transportation and logistics, and customs and regulatory compliance. 

He works with clients to help them reduce import duty exposure, mitigate fines and penalties, and develop in-house trade compliance programs. His experience spans many industries, including cosmetics, automotive, cannabis and cannabis derivatives, food and beverage, and electrical systems and components.

Rohe previously practiced with a national firm, and in March 2022, he left to form 6125 Trade LLC, which focuses exclusively on international trade law, consulting, and advisory services.

A graduate of The Citadel and the University of Durham in England, Rohe is a Charleston native.

He counts Stephen L. Brown of Clement Rivers LLP as his most influential mentor, and Rohe’s hobbies include sailing, mountaineering, and automotive restoration.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

David Collins | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Paul Gibson | E. Paul Gibson, P.C.

Julius Hines | Hines & Gilsenan LLC

Randell Stoney | Barnwell Whaley

Upstate

Mark Bakker | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Stephen Layne | Wyche, P.A.


Mediation

Midlands

Costa Pleicones

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA

 






Pleicones, a former Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, advises Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd clients on complex litigation and appellate matters. His practice primarily involves alternate dispute resolution. He is certified as a mediator in both state and federal courts, and as an arbitrator in South Carolina. Since joining HSB in 2018, Pleicones has conducted hundreds of mediations and numerous arbitrations.

The Columbia native received his undergraduate degree from Wofford College before attending the University of South Carolina, where he earned his J.D. After graduating from UofSC, Costa began a 30-year active-duty and reserve-service military career in the Army, serving as a captain in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps for four years and as colonel in the Army Reserve for 26 years.

Pleicones has received a host of honors and awards during his career, including the Richland County Bar John W. Williams Distinguished Service Award and the Wofford College Charles H. Gray ’72 Distinguished Service Award.

Pleicones enjoys solving crossword puzzles and reading. He recently began reading “The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason,” by Douglas Murray.

(Tie) Upstate

Amanda Bradley

McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC

 






Bradley has been a trial lawyer for 25 years, during which she has focused on litigating personal injury, class action, bad faith, premises liability, products liability, insurance coverage, and toxic tort cases. She has presented seminars on defense litigation strategies, approaches to solving ethical dilemmas in litigation, toxic-mold litigation, and interviewing techniques.

In her role as a certified mediator, Bradley assists others in identifying key issues to help resolve cases involving all types of civil litigation. She is a strong believer in mediation and has found it to play a vital role in our legal system.

The Greenville native earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University and her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, where she graduated cum laude.

When she’s not practicing law, Bradley, who is married with two children, enjoys spending time with her family, as well as running, outdoor activities, the beach and reading. She most recently began reading “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. She names Doc Morgan as her most influential mentor.

(Tie) Upstate

Thomas W. Traxler

Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers & Traxler P.A.

 






Traxler has practiced law in his hometown of Greenville for more than 40 years. His work focuses on complex civil litigation and mediation, and he has worked as a mediator for 25 years.

He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

Traxler served on the South Carolina Board of Bar Examiners from 2001-2009, and he was an adjunct instructor in Business Law at Furman University from 1981 to 2011.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in German from Davidson College and Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law.

Traxler has received the Greenville County Bar Tommy Thomason Award and the South Carolina Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from ABOTA.

He cites his father as his most influential mentor, and the last book Traxler read was Lisa Wingate’s “Before We Were Yours.”


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Christie Allen | Wills Massalon & Allen LLC

*Jack Gresh | Dodds Hennessy & Stith Law Firm

Marvin Infinger | Barnwell Whaley

Todd Manley | Manley & Halverstadt

Marie-Louise Ramsdale | Ramsdale Law Firm

Darren Sanders | Sanders ADR, LLC

Randell Stoney | Barnwell Whaley

Trenholm Walker | Walker Gressette & Linton, LLC

Tom Wills | Wills Massalon & Allen LLC

Midlands

Anthony Charles | Anthony J. Charles

   Mediation Services, LLC

Angus Macaulay | Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Robin R. McLean | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Upstate

Steven Buckingham | The Law Office of Steven

   Edward Buckingham

*Anne Culbreath | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Eric Englebardt | Wilson & Englebardt, LLC

Leslie R. Fisk | Cate & Brough, P.A.

Jack Griffeth | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

Meliah Bowers Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

C. Stuart Mauney | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Henry Parr | Wyche, P.A.

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm

Joseph M. Ramseur, Jr. | Mitchell Ramseur, LLC

Kurt M. Rozelsky | Spencer Fane LLP

Kenneth P. Shabel | Kennedy & Brannon

Amy Snyder | Clawson and Staubes


Medical Malpractice – Defendant 

Midlands

George Beighley

Richardson Plowden

 






Beighley concentrates his practice on medical malpractice defense. Before joining Richardson Plowden, Beighley was assistant attorney general for the state of South Carolina from 1975 to 1978.

For more than 45 years, Beighley has represented insurance companies in major medical malpractice claims; defended physicians, dentists, and practices in medical and professional malpractice cases; and provided legal risk management services to major hospital networks and physician practices.

He is certified as a mediator and arbitrator by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Beighley earned a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University and Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

He is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Upstate

Sally Purnell

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

 






With over 30 years of experience defending and litigating medical malpractice claims, Purnell has successfully tried many cases, including wrongful death cases. 

She also advises hospitals and physicians on matters of risk management, informed consent, patient confidentiality and peer review. 

Purnell has been recognized by Best Lawyers as Medical Malpractice Law Defendants' "Lawyer of the Year" for 2021 and 2017. 

She is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates South Carolina Chapter and the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel and International Society of Barristers. 

Her community involvement includes having served on the boards of the Piedmont Health Foundation and the Greenville County Free Medical Clinic. 

An Alabama native, Purnell is a graduate of Auburn University and earned her law degree at the University of Alabama.  


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Mary Agnes ‘’Molly’’ Hood Craig | Hood Law Firm, LLC

Spencer Craig Gill | Hall Booth Smith

*Jack Gresh | Dodds Hennessy & Stith Law Firm

Lauren Spears Gresh | Hall Booth Smith

Caroline Niland | Copeland, Stair Valz & Lovell, LLP

Midlands

William C. McDow | Richardson Plowden &

   Robinson, P.A.

G. Murrell Smith, Jr. | Smith Robinson

Upstate

Ben Alexander | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

Collie W. “Trip” Lehn, Jr. | Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC

Ken Shaw | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Trey Suggs | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, PA

David Williford | Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC


Medical Malpractice – Plaintiff 

Midlands

Kenneth Suggs

Janet, Janet & Suggs, LLC

 






Suggs is a litigation principal with Janet, Janet & Suggs and practices as a trial lawyer, exclusively representing injured people against negligent corporations, medical personnel, and manufacturers of dangerous products. 

Suggs has also argued before the South Carolina Supreme Court in matters that ultimately changed the law for the benefit of consumers. He has more than 40 years of legal experience. 

Suggs has held a broad range of leadership positions in many organizations devoted to law and education, including serving as president of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) from 2005-2006, and president of the South Carolina Association for Justice.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Prior to law school, he served in the United States Navy, including two years during the Vietnam War.

He lists his most influential mentor as Harry Philo, a noted trial attorney, and said the last book he read was “The 1619 Project.” The Greenville native’s hobbies include photography.

Midlands

Francis M. “Brink” Hinson IV

HHP Law Group LLC

 






Hinson co-founded HHP Law Group LLC, and for more than one-and-a-half decades, he has sought justice for individuals who were injured through carelessness, neglect, and indifference.

He focuses his work on catastrophic injury cases, with most cases related to medical negligence. Hinson also litigates cases dealing with neglect and abuse in jails and detention centers. 

As both a first- and second-chair attorney, Hinson has tried cases and obtained multimillion-dollar jury verdicts and settlements for clients. 

In 2014, he was named one of South Carolina’s Top 40 Under 40 attorneys by National Trial Lawyers, and he was named to the Super Lawyers list of South Carolina Rising Stars in 2016-2018.

His most influential mentor was Ken Suggs, and the last book he read was “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman.

A native of Bennettsville, Hinson earned his undergraduate degree from Furman University, an MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business, and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Bradley Banyas | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Nathan Hughey | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Justin Kahn | Kahn Law Firm

*Julie Moore | Duffy and Young, LLC

Mark C. Tanenbaum | Mark C. Tanenbaum, PA

Midlands

John Eric Fulda | Whetstone Perkins & Fulda

Robert Goings | Goings Law Firm, LLC

Randall Hood | McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips LLC

John Moylan | Wyche, P.A.

Robert B. Ransom | Leventis & Ransom

Matthew Richardson | Wyche, P.A.

Upstate

Jennifer Burnett | Harbin Law

Will Davis | Davis Law Group

Bill Dodson | Parham Smith & Archenhold, LLC

William L. Dodson Jr. | Parham Smith & Archenhold, LLC

Meliah Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Bobby Jones | Bobby Jones Law

Wes A. Kissinger | KD Trial Lawyers

T. Ryan Langley | Hodge & Langley

Blake Smith | Parham Smith & Archenhold, LLC

Tom Traxler | Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers  & Traxler, P.A.


Personal Injury – Defendant 

Midlands

Richard Thomas

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson, LLP

 






Specializing in insurance defense, product liability and professional liability, Thomas' extensive trial experience includes state and federal court. 

The cum laude honors Duke University graduate received his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1981 and joined Alford, Johnson & Salane in 1982 after clerking with Circuit Court Judge James B. Stephen. 

Thomas has been with Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP since its founding in 1983. He has been a speaker and seminar faculty member for insurance companies and continuing legal education organizations, addressing topics like trial and discovery techniques. 

Thomas is a member of the American Bar Association, the Richland County Bar Association and has served as a lecturer at the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association at its annual trial academy. 

A member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Thomas is active with Shandon United Methodist Church, where he has taught Sunday School for over 15 years and volunteered for local and international mission projects.  


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Madelyn Dukes | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Christy Fargnoli | Clawson Fargnoli Utsey, LLC

Lauren Ellison Fox | Helmly & Good

Daniel Fuerst | Hall Booth Smith

Spencer Craig Gill | Hall Booth Smith

*David Haselden | Rosen Law Firm, LLC

Connor Hoy | Barnwell Whaley

Nathan Hughey | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Chris Kovach | Barnwell Whaley

Mary Linton | Barnwell Whaley

Trey Thompson | Hall Booth Smith

Scott Wallinger | Barnwell Whaley

Midlands

Hank Burris | Burris and Ridgeway

Johnston Cox | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Paul John Coyle | Walker Law, LLC

Rebecca Laffitte | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Tyler Lee | Lee Injury Law

Stanley Myers | Moore Bradley Myers

Steven Price | Clawson and Staubes

Jerry Reardon | Law Office of Jerry Reardon

Wayne Ridgeway | Burris and Ridgeway

Michael Trask | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Upstate

Andy Arnold | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Drew Bradshaw | White Davis & White

Zach Brown | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Mark Chappell Jr. | Chappel, Smith and Arden, PA

Clay Custer | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Will Davis | Davis Law Group

Perry Deloach | The Law Offices of Perry B. DeLoach, Jr., LLC.

Charles Groves | Charles M. Groves, LLC

Shelby Herbkersman | Clawson and Staubes

Wilson Jackson | Moseley Marcinak Law Group

Zandra Johnson | The Law Firm of Zandra L. Johnson, LLC

Ryan Langley | Hodge & Langley

Michael Melonakos | Melonakos Law Firm

Ryan Montgomery | Ryan Montgomery Law

Andy Moorman | Moorman Law Firm

Elizabeth Philpot | Philpot Law Firm PA

David Price, Jr. | Howard, Howard, Francis, & Reid

James H. Price, IV | Price Law Firm, P.A.

Michael Rabb | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Phillip Reeves | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Hunter Reid | Howard, Howard, Francis & Reid

David Rheney | Gallivan White & Boyd

Kurt M. Rozelsky | Spencer Fane LLP

Amy Snyder | Clawson and Staubes

Alex Stalvey | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Trey Still | Clawson and Staubes

Jeremy Summerlin | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Sam Tooker | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Genevieve Weaver | Clardy Law Firm

Marshall Winn | Wyche, P.A.


Personal Injury -- Plaintiff

Midlands

Clarke Newton

Bluestein Attorneys

 






A partner with Bluestein Attorneys, Newton specializes in criminal defense, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and personal injury. 

Newton is a member of the South Carolina Young Lawyers Division and the South Carolina Bar Leadership Academy.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. 

Newton formerly served on the Community Advocate Membership Program for Brookland Cayce High School and is on the board of directors of Trinity Learning Center. His hobbies include reading, baseball, golf, and hiking. The last book he read was “Nasty, Brutish, and Short” by Scott Hershovitz.

Upstate

J. Matthew Whitehead

The Carolina Law Group LLC

 






For the past decade, Whitehead’s focus has been on personal injury, catastrophic loss, wrongful death, and complex litigation in state and federal court. After years of representing local government and national corporations, he wanted to use that experience to fight for people harmed through no fault of their own and hold those who cause such harm accountable – regardless of size. He also works for the rights of those who have been victims of crime.

Whitehead graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College and School of Law, where he served on the South Carolina Law Review. Whitehead’s mentor, Howard Boyd, preached the instrumental value of the American civil jury system and the significance of being prepared. Those trial attorney values are further reinforced by Whitehead’s memberships in Million Dollar Advocates Forum, SCAJ, AAJ, and National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys. He also earned the most votes for Legal Elite in Personal Injury each of the last four years.

The Hartsville native moved to Greenville in 2005, where he lives with his wife Kristin, their three children, and dog. When not practicing law, Whitehead enjoys cookouts, music trivia, and coaching.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Bradley Banyas | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Christy Fargnoli | Clawson Fargnoli Utsey, LLC

Lauren Ellison Fox | Helmly & Good

Nathan Hughey | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

Mark Joye | Joye Law Firm

Justin Kahn | Kahn Law Firm

*Scott Wallinger | Barnwell Whaley

Midlands

Kenneth Berger | Law Office of Kenneth Berger

Hank Burris | Burris and Ridgeway

Paul John Coyle | Walker Law, LLC

Claire Dorbandt | McCutchen McLean, LLC

Michael Emmer | Kennedy Law Firm, LLC

John Eric Fulda | Whetstone Perkins & Fulda

Robert Goings | Goings Law Firm, LLC

Jessica Gooding | Goings Law Firm, LLC

Joel Hughes | Law Office of Kenneth Berger

John Kassel | Kassel McVey

Micah Leddy | Leddy Law Firm, LLC

Tyler Lee | Lee Injury Law

Will Lewis | Richardson Thomas

Jake Moore | Moore Bradley Myers

Lori Murray | Law Office of Lori S. Murray

Christopher Paschal | Goings Law Firm, LLC

Amanda Pittman | McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips LLC

Steven Price | Clawson and Staubes

Jason Reynolds | Samuels Reynolds Law Firm

Matthew Richardson | Wyche, P.A.

Wayne Ridgeway | Burris and Ridgeway

Jamie Rutkoski | Kassel McVey

Joseph Thickens | Cavanaugh and Thickens

Upstate

Jay Anthony | Anthony Law, LLC

Andy Arnold | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

W. Andrew Arnold | Law Office of W. Andrew Arnold, P.C.

Beattie Ashmore | Beattie Ashmore, Attorney at Law, PA

Scott Bradley | The Joel Bieber Firm

Mark Chappell Jr. | Chappel, Smith and Arden, PA

Harold Christian | Christian and Christian

Allen Clardy | Clardy Law Firm

Gene Covington | Covington Patrick Hagins Stern & Lewis, PA

Richard Davis | Davis Law Group

Will Davis | Davis Law Group

Perry Deloach | The Law Offices of Perry B. DeLoach, Jr., LLC.

Wally Fayssoux | Fayssoux & Landis

David Hartman | Clardy Law Firm

Knox Haynsworth | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Meliah Jefferson | Wyche, P.A.

Zandra Johnson | The Law Firm of Zandra L. Johnson, LLC

Tom A. Killoren Jr. | KD Trial Lawyers

Wes Kissinger | KD Trial Lawyers

Patrick Knie | Knie & Shealy Law Offices

Paul Landis | Fayssoux & Landis

Ryan Langley | Hodge & Langley

Jeffrey Martin | Grimes Teich Anderson

Will Maxey | Thomason & Pracht, LLP

Ryan McCarty | KD Trial Lawyers

Elizabeth McFarland | Thomason & Pracht, LLP

Tyler McLeod | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Eric Montalvo | Whalen Montalvo, LLC

Ryan Montgomery | Ryan Montgomery Law

Raymond P. Mullman, Jr. | Poliakoff and Associates

Tim Nowacki | Clardy Law Firm

Ryan Pasquini | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Nihar Patel | The Carolina Law Group

Doug Patrick | Patrick, Lewis & Watts, P.A.

Eric Philpot | Philpot Law Firm PA

Elizabeth Philpot | Philpot Law Firm PA

Christopher Pracht | Thomason & Pracht, LLP

David Price Jr. | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Hunter Reid | Howard, Howard, Francis & Reid

James Sproat | Chappell Smith & Arden, P.A.

Alex Stalvey | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Sam Tooker | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Thomas W. Traxler | Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers & Traxler, P.A.

Genevieve Weaver | Clardy Law Firm

Raymond Wooten | Smith Jordan, P.A.

Bill Young | Ryan Montgomery Law


Product Liability – Defendant 

Lowcountry 

Ainsley Tillman

Ford Wallace Thomson LLC

 







Tillman is a litigator who truly enjoys research and legal writing. She especially enjoys appellate work, real property litigation, and analyzing lengthy contracts with copious fine print.

While she has handled an array of cases, including those involving property development, products liability, corporations, trusts and estates, and contract disputes, Tillman especially enjoys appellate work and real property litigation.  She is particularly fond of easement disputes, litigation over covenants and restrictions, and really anything involving dusty old deeds and plats.

When she is not at work,  Ainsley may be found sitting quietly at home with her husband, Matt, and their three children.  She also enjoys the outdoors, and counts herself fortunate to spend several weeks each summer teaching canoeing at Camp Greystone in North Carolina. 

She enjoys books, and most recently began reading “Profits and Politics in Paradise: The Development of Hilton Head Island,” by Michael N. Danielson.

She credits Jim Myrick as being “the best mentor anyone could ask for.”

Midlands

Dave Maxfield

Dave Maxfield, Attorney, LLC

 






Maxfield runs a boutique consumer protection law practice in Columbia. He has represented thousands of individual consumers in cases against banks, credit reporting agencies, and insurance companies. 

He is the four-time chairman of the consumer law section of the South Carolina Bar, and he the past president of the Richland County Bar Association.

A self-described “systems geek,” Maxfield became obsessed years ago with how law firms could use lean methods and technologies pioneered by the manufacturing world to run more profitable practices.

He and co-author Larry Port wrote an ABA top-selling book, “The Lean Law Firm,” a manual for translating lean and agile methods into a simple, month-by-month template that law firms can use to become more profitable. 

Besides co-hosting “The Lean Law Firm” podcast, Maxfield consults with other law firms to help them transform their practices through lean methods. 

Maxfield’s hobbies include soccer, one-wheel riding, and nonfiction writing. He lists his most influential mentor as Gene Trotter, the attorney who hired him out of law school. The last book the Marietta, Ga., native read was “Hivemind: The New Science of Tribalism in Our Divided World,” by Sarah Rose Cavanaugh.

Upstate

Inez Tenenbaum

Wyche PA

 






Tenenbaum focuses her practice on consumer product safety and recalls, crisis and risk management, and internal operations for manufacturers and retailers. She serves as an expert witness in consumer product litigation and the operations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and also practices in the area of education public policy.

Tenenbaum was elected South Carolina superintendent of education in 1998 and again in 2002. She continues to draw on that experience to counsel clients on public policy issues regarding pre-K-12 education on a state, regional, or national level.

In 2009, she was nominated to serve as chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a post she served in through 2013. Her experience as chairman of the commission has made her a trusted adviser to clients on product-safety issues including compliance, prevention, crises, and consumer education. 

Tenenbaum is also certified as a state circuit court mediator and a federal district court mediator for civil cases in South Carolina.

The Georgia native received her undergraduate and Master of Education degrees from the University of Georgia before earning her J.D. from the UofSC School of Law.

When not practicing law, Tenenbaum enjoys hiking, gardening, and cooking.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Jeremy Bowers | Barnwell Whaley

David Cox | Barnwell Whaley

Greg Horton | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Joseph Thompson | Hall Booth Smith

Barbara Wagner | Barnwell Whaley

Jeff Wiseman | Clement Rivers

Midlands

Brian Boger | Brian Boger Law Firm

Gray Culbreath | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Upstate

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

Stephanie G. Flynn | Fox Rothschild LLP

Shelby Herbkersman | Clawson and Staubes

Amy Hinson | Parker Poe

William Maurides | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Keith Munson | Rimon PC

Phillip Reeves | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Kurt M. Rozelsky | Spencer Fane LLP

Rivers Stilwell | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

Allyson Twilley | Fox Rothschild LLP

Daniel White | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Trevor White | White & Story, LLC

Ronald K. Wray | Gallivan, White & Boyd


PRODUCT LIABILITY - PLAINTIFF RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Brad Banyas | Hughey Law Firm, LLC

David Cox | Barnwell Whaley

Justin Kahn | Kahn Law Firm

Ainsley Tillman | Ford Wallace Thomson, LLC

Midlands

Brian Boger | Brian Boger Law Firm

Dave Maxfield | Dave Maxfield, Attorney, LLC

Matthew Richardson | Wyche, P.A.

Upstate

*Gene Covington | Covington Patrick Hagins Stern & Lewis, PA

Amy Hinson | Parker Poe

Inez Tenenbaum | Wyche, P.A.

Allyson Twilley | Fox Rothschild LLP

Trevor White | White & Story, LLC


PROFFESSIONAL LIABILTY RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

*Jeremy Bowers | Barnwell Whaley

D. Jay Davis, Jr. | Clement Rivers

Midlands

Desa Ballard | Ballard & Watson, Attorneys at Law

Eric S. Bland | Bland Richter, LLP

John T. Lay | Gallivan, White & Boyd

John Moylan | Wyche, P.A.

David L. Paavola | Lewis Babcock L.L.P.

Upstate

*Anne Ross Culbreath | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Paul Landis | Fayssoux & Landis

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

C. Stuart Mauney | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Sam Outten | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP


Residential Real Estate

Midlands

David Ross

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

 






Ross represents clients in the areas of residential and commercial real estate transactions and business formations.

After working for a time in real estate, Ross joined McAngus Goudelock & Courie in 2007, helping to move it from a small regional firm to a full-service statewide practice.

 Ross previously was a law clerk for the Honorable Casey L. Manning of the Fifth Judicial Circuit.

He is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, Columbia Homebuilders Association, Central Carolina Association of Realtors, and the South Carolina Bankers Association and S.C. Mortgage Bankers Association.

Ross earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina and Juris Doctor from University of South Carolina School of Law. In his spare time, Ross coaches the boys basketball team at the Hammond School, supports Gamecock basketball, and enjoys spending time with his wife Kelley and their two children.


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

David Bevon | Bevon Law Firm, LLC

Guy Dabbs | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Chris Digby | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

*Catherine LaFond | LaFond Law Group, PA

Andrew McLester | McLester & Niemiec

Lenord Mitchum | Buxton & Collie, LLC

Anthony Stith, Jr. | Dodds Hennessy & Stith Law Firm

Brent Suttles | Suttles Law Firm

Mark Weeks | Weeks Law Firm

Midlands

Renique Brabham | McDonnell & Associates

Lisa Hostetler Brown | LawyerLisa

Robert Grimm | Law Office of Robert J. Grimm, LLC

Trey Harrell | Harrel, Martin & Peace

James B. Hindersman | Law Offices of James B. Hindersman, LLC

Thomas Kilpatrick | Murphy and Kilpatrick, P.A.

Jimmy Knight | Caskey & Imgrund

Jonathan Moore | The Law Office of Johnathan Moore, LLC

Tiara Pitts | SC Association of Realtors

Matthew E. Rupert | The Dial Firm, LLC

Creighton Segars | Stuckey Fata & Segars, LLC

James Segars | Stuckey Fata & Segars, LLC

Upstate

JJ Andrighetti | Culbertson Andrighetti LLC

Michael Bagwell | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Hunter Baughman | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Griffin Bell | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Kevin Brady | Guest & Brady, LLC

Adam Breaux | Breaux & Callahan, P.A.

Aaron De Bruin | De Bruin Law Firm

Courtney Camferdam | Camferdam Law Firm, LLC

Daniel Craig | Johnson Smith Attorneys at Law

Bailey Crosby | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Erin Culbertson | Culbertson Andrighetti LLC

Bryan DeBruin | De Bruin Law Firm

Tommy Dugas | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Chris Edwards | Edwards Law Firm, LLC

Doug Evans | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Jason Gainey | Gainey & Gainey, LLP

Nathan Galbreath | Nelson & Galbreath

Brad Gower | Nelson & Galbreath

Steven Hammett | Blair Cato Pickren and Casterline

Jan Horton | Horton & Horton Law Firm, LLC

Danny Hoy | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Robert S. “Trey” Ingram III | Holliday Ingram Law Firm

Clayton Jennings | Jennings Law Firm LLC

Kim Keable | Keable & Brown, PA

John Kehl | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Josh Lonon | Wyche, P.A.

Jack McDonald | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Cristine Oyer | Cristine Oyer Law

Brian Ponder | Nelson & Galbreath

Bradley K. Richardson | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

*Cam Salle | Salle Law Firm

Scott Sanders | E. Scott Sanders, LLC

Bracknell Shuler | B. Bracknell Shuler, LLC

Henry Sullivan | McKinney Sullivan, LLC


Tax and Estate Planning

Lowcountry

Jennifer Williams Davis

Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP

 






Davis assists high-net-worth individuals and families with estate planning, charitable giving, and business succession planning. 

She also guides companies through state and local economic development issues and tax incentives. A Wofford College graduate, Davis received her law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1998 and has business experience working with a "Big Four" accounting firm. 

A certified specialist in taxation law with the South Carolina Supreme Court, she has served as the chair of the Taxation Law Specialization Advisory Board.  

She is a member of the Charleston Tax Council, South Carolina Bar, Tax Section of the American Bar Association, Charleston Estate Planning Council, Charleston Lawyers Club, South Carolina Economic Developers Association and the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association. 

Davis is also the co-author of “South Carolina Taxation and Economic Tax Initiatives (Third Edition, 2013).”

Midlands

David Ford

Ford Law Firm LLC

 






Ford practices in the areas of taxation, business transactions and advisory services, exit/succession planning, and estate planning.

He helps business owners in every aspect of a company’s life cycle, including purchase, funding and financing, expansion, tax planning and tax compliance, and exit and succession planning. He also assists clients with tax-deferred like-kind exchanges involving real estate investments.

Ford earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from University of South Carolina, his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law.

His most influential mentor was W. Alexander Weatherly Jr., J.D. and CPA, and the last book he read was “Rediscovering Americanism” by Mark R. Levin.

Ford is an assistant basketball coach at Cardinal Newman School. In his spare time, he enjoys being involved with his children’s activities, including his daughter’s dance, voice, and acting activities, and his son’s tennis and basketball games. 

Upstate

David Merline Jr.

Merline & Meacham, P.A.

 






A South Carolina Supreme Court-certified specialist in taxation law, estate planning and probate law, Merline is also an American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Fellow and is a member of many estate planning associations and community groups. 

For 38 years, the graduate of University of Miami and University of South Carolina School of Law has advised clients in the Greenville area on mergers and acquisitions, business and transactional law, succession planning and family limited partnerships, corporation, and asset protection planning. 

His many recognitions and honors include being named a 2020 Top Vote Recipient in the Upstate for Tax & Estate Law and inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in the over 12 fields including corporate law, employee benefits, closely held companies, litigation and family business law.  

He is also the co-author of “The Evolution of Legal Malpractice in Estate Planning in South Carolina, South Carolina Lawyer (2016),” and two South Carolina Bar Division books. 

He and his wife Barby have four children. 


ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Laurel Blair | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Jeff Bogdan | Parker Poe

Brent Bullock | Taylor Foley Law Firm

Cecile Crogan | Buxton & Collie, LLC

G.P. Diminich | Shumaker Loop & Kendrick, LLP

David Kunes | Evans, Carter, Kunes & Bennett

J. Aaron Nelson | The Nelson Law Firm

Graeme Philip | Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani, LLC

Anne Kelley Russell | Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Midlands

Jeff Z. Brooker, III | The Brooker Law Firm, P.A.

Rita Caughman | Sojourner, Caughman and Thomas

Erin Cook | Estate Planning of SC, LLC

Frank Cureton | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

John Ecton | Ecton Law Firm

Jeffrey Hopkins | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Thomas Kilpatrick | Murphy and Kilpatrick, P.A.

Angela Kirby | Kirby Law, LLC

Johnny Kornegay | Todd and Johnson, LLP

James L. McCutchen | McCutchen McLean, LLC

W. Verne McGough, Jr. | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Williams Newsome | Law Office of Billy Newsome

Charles Prescott | The Prescott Law Firm, LLC

Alan Reyner | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Aaron M. Scheuer | The Brooker Law Firm, P.A.

David Sojourner | Sojourner, Caughman and Thomas

Jonathan E. Spitz | Todd & Johnson, LLP

Derek Swindall | Jolley Law Group

Ryan Wallace | Sojourner, Caughman and Thomas

Kenneth B. Wingate | Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow, P.A.

Upstate

James Anderson | Anderson Law Firm

Robert E. August | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Ella Barbery | Shelly Leeke Law Firm

Jonathan R. Colao | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Matthew Couvillion | Wyche, P.A.

Aaron DeBruin | De Bruin Law Firm

William L. Dennis | Fox Rothschild LLP

Matthew B. Edwards | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

Alexander M. Evans | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Madison Felder | Parker Poe

Randy E. Fisher | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

Cary Hall | Wyche, P.A.

Justin Hamrick | Heritage Law

Jim Hardin | Offit Kurman

E. Zachary Horton | Horton & Horton Law Firm, LLC

J. Tod Hyche | Fox Rothschild LLP

Ben Leaphart | Ashmore, Leaphart, Rabon LLC

Phillip J. Martin | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

David Massey | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Mac McLean | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Tyler McLeod | Brown Massey Evans McLeod & Haynsworth LLC

Keith G. Meacham | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Andrew D. Merline | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Lesley Moore | Freeman & Moore

Douglas B. O’Neal | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Michael Pack | Dennis Shaw Drennan & Pack, LLC

Jake Rea | Burr & Forman LLP

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson and Staubes

David A. Thompson | Thomas, Fisher & Edwards, P.A.

Chuck Verdin | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP


SOCIAL SECUTRIY DISABILITY RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

*Tom White | Steinberg Law Firm

Midlands

D. Michael Kelly | Mike Kelly Law Group, LLC

Upstate

Daniel Hughes | Duggan & Hughes

Linda B. McKenzie | Bowen McKenzie & Bowen, LLP

*Danny Smith | Smith Legal Group, P.C.


Workers’ Compensation – Defendant 

Midlands

Kay Gaffney

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP

 






Gaffney has been a partner with the firm since its inception and practices defense litigation with a concentration on hospital and medical malpractice as well as workers’ compensation. In addition, she is a certified circuit court mediator and serves as chancellor of the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. Gaffney has a loyal client base that appreciates her hardworking, thoughtful, involved approach.

She is a graduate of the University of California and the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Wig and Robe and received American Jurisprudence awards in Torts, Close Corporations, and Estate Planning. She is admitted to practice in South Carolina and before the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Gaffney has been an active member of the South Carolina Bar and was the first woman elected president of the South Carolina Defense Attorneys Association. She currently serves on the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession, a commission of the state Supreme Court.

The native of Gaffney enjoys traveling when she’s not practicing law.

 

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Dan Addison | Hall Booth Smith

Blakely Bellamy | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Mark Davis | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Madelyn Dukes | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Phillip Ferderigos | Barnwell Whaley

Zach Jarrett | Turner Padget

Jill King | Trask & Howell, LLC

*Brian O’Keefe | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

 Midlands

Grady Beard | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Ben Calhoun | Turner Padget

Mundi George | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

J. Russell Goudelock | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Candace Hindersman | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Tyler Lee | Lee Injury Law

Stanley Myers | Moore Bradley Myers

Shannon Poteat | Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Lauren Trask | Collins & Lacy

Upstate

Scott Anderson | Grimes Teich Anderson

Bill Bouton | Mitchell Law Firm

Graham Buckner | Smith Jordan, P.A.

Kristie Commins | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Carole Dennison | The Dennison Law Firm, P.C.

Vernon Dunbar | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Amity Edmonds | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Dan Eller | Eller Tonnsen Bach

Cory Ezzell | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Patrick Fant | Fant Law Firm

Mike Farry | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Mills Gallivan | Gallivan White & Boyd

Casey Gonyea | Gallivan White & Boyd

Katie Grove | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Tyler Hembree | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Erroll Anne Hodges | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Jeff Jones | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Ryan Langley | Hodge & Langley

Ryan Montgomery | Ryan Montgomery Law

Timothy Nowacki | Clardy Law Firm

David Padgett | Holder, Padgett, Littlejohn & Prickett, LLC

Irvin Philpot | Philpot Law Firm PA

Jared Pretulak | Gallivan, White & Boyd

Ben Renfrow | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Wes Shull | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Zach Smith | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Jim Sproat | Chappell Smith & Arden, P.A.

T.J. Twehues | Gallivan White & Boyd

Hal Willson | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.


Workers’ Compensation – Plaintiff 

Midlands

Allison Sullivan

Bluestein Attorneys

 






Sullivan works in the areas of workers' compensation and personal injury to level the playing field for those who have been injured in South Carolina. She is a partner with Bluestein Attorneys, which also assists disabled people with Social Security and veterans' disability claims.

Sullivan learned firsthand from her parents how compassionate and committed leadership can impact lives. She strives to apply those core principals in the representation of her clients, many of whom are going through some of the most difficult times of their lives.

Sullivan is recognized by her peers for her advocacy in personal injury and workers' compensation. She also frequently assists other law firms with complex/catastrophic injury claims.

The Florence native received her undergraduate degree in political science from Furman University before earning her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

She includes among her hobbies gardening, travel, photography, and golf. She also recently began reading “Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting that Launched the War on Drugs,” by Jason Ryan.

Upstate

Mitchell Byrd 

The Carolina Law Group

 






A graduate of Wofford College and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Byrd has dedicated his practice almost entirely to helping injured workers gain access to workers’ compensation benefits. He feels privileged to represent those who have been injured.

Language is not a barrier, as many of Byrd’s clients are non-English speaking. With 16 years of litigation experience, he considers himself a trial attorney and enjoys the complex process that is often necessary to secure benefits for his clients.

Byrd names his Carolina Law Group partners, Nihar Patel and Monty Desai, as his most influential mentors. Outside the office, he enjoys biking and playing guitar. Currently, he is reading “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett.

ALSO RECOGNIZED:

Lowcountry

Dan Addison | Hall Booth Smith

Phillip Ferderigos | Barnwell Whaley

Michael Jordan | Steinberg Law Firm

*Tom White | Steinberg Law Firm

Midlands

William Alexander | Law Office of William H. Alexander

Kenneth Berger | Law Office of Kenneth Berger

Marti Bluestein | Bluestein Attorneys

Tyler Lee | Lee Injury Law

Zachary D. Linowski | Lee Eadon Isgett Popwell & Owens

*Preston McDaniel | McDaniel Law Firm

Andrea Roche | Mickle & Bass LLC

Ramie Shalabi | Dayson & Shalabi Law Firm, LLC

George Taylor | Chappel, Smith and Arden, PA

Upstate

Scott Anderson | Grimes Teich Anderson

Bill Bouton | Mitchell Law Firm

Graham Buckner | Smith Jordan, P.A.

Jeremy A. Dantin | KD Trial Lawyers

Richard Davis | Davis Law Group

Carole Dennison | The Dennison Law Firm, P.C.

Brad Easterling | Clardy Law Firm

Dan Eller | Eller Tonnsen Bach

Michael Farry | Horton Law Firm, P.A.

Walter Frye | Eller Tonnsen Bach

Dana Mitchell | Mitchell Law Firm

Ryan Montgomery | Ryan Montgomery Law

Timothy Nowacki | Clardy Law Firm

Irvin H. Philpot III | Philpot Law Firm PA

Sheally Venus Poe | Venus Poe, PA

David Price Jr. | David R. Price Jr., P.A.

Ben Renfrow | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Logan Rollins | Hawk Law PA

James Segura | Varner and Segura

Wes Shull | Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A.

Jim Sproat | Chappell Smith & Arden, P.A.

James Sproat | Hawk Law PA

Alex Stalvey | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey

Bill Young | Ryan Montgomery Law