Legal Elite 2021

ANTITRUST

UPSTATE

Rachael Anna

Wyche, P.A.

As a member of the Wyche PA Litigation Team, Anna focuses on complex litigation and has represented clients in a wide range of cases, including antitrust, trade secret, unfair trade practice, health care and professional malpractice disputes.

Anna is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States and a Certified Information Privacy Manager. She earned both her J.D. and her bachelor’s from Wake Forest University.

In addition to her professional work in the Upstate, Anna has also practiced with firms in both Washington, D.C., and Chicago. She has defended clients against antitrust claims and in government investigations led by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and state authorities. Anna advises clients on how to mitigate antitrust risk and on whether transactions will raise issues with antitrust enforcers.

She also regularly advises clients regarding data protection, privacy, information management and security, electronically stored information, and discovery matters. She works with clients and other outside counsel to coordinate discovery across litigation matters and provide consistent, defensible strategies for managing information subject to discovery.

Anna names her grandparents as her most influential mentors. She enjoys a range of sports, including triathlons. She most recently read “The Comfort Crisis,” by Michael Easter.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Laurel Blair

Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

Although she is originally from Alexandria, Va., Blair said she has had “the privilege of practicing law in South Carolina since 1993.”

As a partner with Womble Bond Dickinson in Charleston, Blair serves as a member of the firm’s Wealth Management Team, Financial Services, and Private Wealth sectors, representing clients across South Carolina and the Southeast. Her duties range from strategic advisor to negotiator and litigator, with more than 25 years of experience representing financial institutions (particularly in fiduciary roles) in the private wealth, private banking and wealth management areas.

Her considerable expertise includes matters regarding: trust modifications, breach of fiduciary duty issues, document construction, investment portfolio concentrations, asset valuation issues, tax issues, distributions, will contests (capacity/undue influence), inter-beneficiary disputes, special assets issues, corporate issues, declaratory judgment/judicial guidance petitions to resolve technical issues and facilitate trust and estate administration, fiduciary appointment/substitution matters, estate administration (including claims against estates), and certain financial institution regulatory and compliance issues.

She is a graduate of both the University of Virginia and Syracuse University, and has been a member of the Junior League since 1995.

BANKRUPTCY AND CREDITORS RIGHTS

UPSTATE

Josh Hudson

Smith Hudson Law, LLC

Hudson certainly knows his way around a courtroom. An experienced litigator, he has practiced law for more than 14 years in a variety of disciplines. Hudson handles trustee litigation in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and represents corporate clients and lenders in disputes that involve breach of contracts and collections. He also represents individuals in real estate litigation, personal injury litigation and general civil litigation.

The Kentucky native earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Wofford College and his J.D. from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law. He was admitted into the Kentucky state bar in 2006 and the S.C. state bar in 2012.

Hudson is also active in his community. He has served as a Mentor Greenville volunteer and on the YMCA Judson Community Center board of directors. He is the current chair of the Outreach Committee at Christ Church Episcopal. He was also a member of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s 45th Leadership Greenville class.

Lydon earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina. In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving, golf and fitness activities.

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 and 2020) 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.

Womble Bond Dickinson LLP

With more than 40 years of experience, Smith represents clients engaged in real estate acquisitions and dispositions, financing, development, and leasing. Smith maintains a balance in his representation of borrowers and lenders, and of landlords and tenants, to ensure an active working familiarity with the needs and requirements of all parties to transactions in which he is involved.

The Greenville native earned a BA in political science from Furman University and a J.D. from the UofSC. Smith has received a number of honors during his career. He is ranked in Chambers USA Leading Lawyers in Business in Real Estate, South Carolina (Band 1). He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Banking and Finance, Commercial Finance, and Real Estate since 2003, and received the Best Lawyers Real Estate “Lawyer of the Year” award in Greenville in 2021.

Smith serves as legal counsel for the Boy Scouts of America, Blue Ridge Counsel. He has served since formation (in 1997) as president of the Furman University Foundation Inc.

Among his many hobbies, Smith enjoys golf, hiking and reading. He recently completed “The Guns of August” by Barbara Tuchman.

MIDLANDS

David Wolff

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP

Wolff is co-managing partner of Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP and practices in commercial real estate, with an emphasis on shopping centers, mixed-use centers, apartments, offices and warehouses, and land development.

Wolff’s responsibilities include property acquisitions and sales, development issues, construction and permanent financing, title matters, environmental issues, contracts and leases. He often serves as local counsel for borrowers and lenders in connection with multi-state real estate transactions. Wolff also handles corporate and banking matters, primarily connected to real estate transactions, for the Columbia firm.

Wolff is a native of Toledo, Ohio, and received a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He authored the South Carolina chapter of the “State-by-State Guide to Commercial Real Estate Leases.”

Wolff says his most influential mentor was the late Rudolph C. Barnes, the firm’s founder.

He devotes time to church leadership activities and has served as a board member for several nonprofits.

The last book Wolff read was “One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love” by John M. Perkins. His hobbies include tennis, exercising and listening to classic rock.

LOWCOUNTRY

Daniel Orvin

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Orvin’s practice includes commercial transactions, real estate development and real estate and business litigation. He often represents clients in the development and establishment of condominium regimes and other common interest ownership developments.

Specific expertise includes extensive experience developing commercial, industrial and mixed-use properties, handling zoning matters, drafting and negotiating commercial leases and guiding companies in the acquisition, and development and sale of apartment and multifamily portfolios.

Orvin also 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.

So far, he has held leadership positions with the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, having served on the Section’s governing Council for six years.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Orvin cites his father, Thomas Clifton Orvin, as his most significant mentor who demonstrated that “success is achieved through hard work, an honest approach and balance between work and family.”

Hobbies include fishing and boating with his family, coaching youth sports and writing fiction. His latest read is “City of Margins” by William Boyle.

UPSTATE

Matthew Edwards

Thomas, Fisher & Edwards PA

Edwards concentrates his law practice in the areas of taxation, business formation and commercial law, complex estate planning, probate and trust law, business sales, mergers and acquisitions, and non-profit law.

The Greenwood native earned his bachelor’s degree from Furman University and his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law. While at UofSC, Edwards served on the SC Law Review and Moot Court Bar, and received several awards, including the CALI awards for Professional Responsibility and Fiduciary Administration. He also received a Master of Laws in taxation from the University of Florida. He is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in estate planning and probate law, and as a specialist in taxation law.

Edwards is an Eagle Scout who credits his father as his mentor. When he’s not at work, Edwards enjoys CrossFit, reading, riding motorcycles and gardening. He most recently finished “Extreme Ownership,” by author Jocko Willink. Edwards is also active in the community. He is on the boards of the Cancer Society of Greenville County and the Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County. He is also a member of the state and county bar associations.

MIDLANDS

Jake Rea

Burr & Forman LLP

Rea, an associate with Southeastern regional law firm Burr & Forman, focuses on estate planning, transactional matters, and business and tax planning. His experience includes preparing wills, powers of attorney and trust agreements.

Rea, who works from Burr & Forman’s Greenville office, has experience assisting with transactions, including leases, asset purchase agreements and stock purchase agreements. He has also assisted with various aspects of business and tax planning, including formation of limited liability companies, professional associations and corporations, preparing stock restriction agreements, operating agreements, partnership agreements and shareholder agreements.

Rea’s education saw him move from the small town, earning a bachelor’s at Emory and Henry College in tiny Emory, Va., to a mid-size metropolitan area, securing a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, to the nation’s largest city, earning a Master of Laws from New York University School of Law.

The Charlotte, N.C., native’s last book read was Shelby Foote’s “The Civil War: A Narrative.”

LOWCOUNTRY

Jim Buxton

Buxton & Collie, LLC

A Charleston native, Buxton leads the firm’s business law practice. He works regularly with corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships on shareholder buy-outs, private securities offerings, and business purchase and sale agreements, including business succession issues.

LOWCOUNTRY

JD Smith

McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC

JD Smith has practiced insurance defense and litigation for more than 20 years, with a focus on construction defect litigation, personal injury defense, products liability, professional liability, trucking and insurance coverage.

Smith regularly defends general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals in construction defect litigation brought along the counties of coastal South Carolina. His practice also includes the defense of insured defendants in automobile and trucking accidents, premises liability suits, products liability cases and other insurance based claims.

He also provides insurance coverage analysis for his insurance carrier clients. Smith said he strives to provide “timely reporting necessary to evaluate and update a claim.” He focuses on accurately analyzing the claim at an early stage to give the client the best option for a favorable resolution.

When away from the office, Smith spends time with his wife and three children and enjoys running and keeping up with college football, basketball and baseball.

Beattie Ashmore

Beattie B. Ashmore, P.A.

Beattie B. Ashmore is a former federal prosecutor with more than 35 years of civil and criminal trial experience. He has been named as one of the top 25 lawyers in South Carolina by SuperLawyers magazine for the last seven years, and he has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Ashmore has represented hundreds of individuals in state and federal criminal courts. His areas of legal practice include criminal defense, civil litigation, white collar crime, personal injury, wrongful death and appellate practice.

A graduate of College of Charleston and the UofSC School of Law, he cites his father as his most influential mentor. Outside of work, he enjoys golf and hunting, and his most recent book read is “Valley Forge” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin.

MIDLANDS

Neal Lourie

Lourie Law Firm, LLC

Lourie’s practice focuses on representing individuals who have been injured or charged with a crime. Lourie says he understands that being severely injured in an auto accident or a workplace mishap can have devastating effects. Similarly, a felony conviction can have lasting consequences, as well.

The Lourie Law Firm was founded in Columbia in 1956 by Lourie’s father Isadore Lourie. The elder Lourie served in the South Carolina General Assembly from 1965 until 1992, spending the last two decades as a state senator and rising to become Senate majority leader.

Neal Lourie says his father, who was first elected to the South Carolina House with the slogan, “The Man Who Will Stand Up For You,” was his most influential mentor.

Lourie, a native of Columbia, is a graduate of Tulane University and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

His hobbies include spending time with family, fishing and following University of South Carolina sports teams.

LOWCOUNTRY

Christopher A. Skipper

Skipper Law Firm LLC

Since April 2004, Skipper has been the sole practitioner of the Skipper Law Firm LLC. He 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.

Born and raised in Georgetown and Horry Counties, Skipper began his career in the Charleston legal community in 1990 while a student at the College of Charleston.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996, Skipper returned to the Lowcountry, working 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 six years as a prosecutor, Chris handled hundreds of cases that involved crimes from Driving Under Suspension to Murder.

Wyche, PA

Kolb focuses his practice on commercial litigation, education law, internal investigations and governmental representation. As the leader of Wyche’s Education Practice Group, he serves as outside general counsel to numerous colleges, universities and secondary schools, including independent schools and public charter schools. His work in education law has included litigation and appellate advocacy, internal investigations, policy and handbook reviews, student discipline and honor code matters, Title IX compliance, and contracting with vendors.

In addition to his education practice, Kolb has extensive experience in high-stakes commercial litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal court. He also serves on Wyche’s executive committee.

The Sumter native earned a bachelor’s degree from the South Carolina Honors College and his J.D. from the Duke University Law School. Prior to joining Wyche, Kolb clerked for Judge Ed Carnes on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Active in the community, Kolb is a member of numerous boards and nonprofit organizations, including the Palmetto Project and the Carolina Youth Symphony. He is also the president-elect of the Rotary Club of Greenville.

Kolb’s hobbies include running, gardening, hiking and singing with his church choir.

MIDLANDS

Grant LeFever

Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

LeFever’s education law practice includes Title IX, special education, school discipline, teacher employment, and academic tenure issues. She also practices employment law and family law.

LeFever joined Burnette Shutt & McDaniel as an attorney upon her admission to the South Carolina Bar in 2018. She had worked at the firm prior to that as its senior law clerk, preparing pleadings, motions and orders and conducting legal research.

She served as associate editor and co-authored the chapter on workers’ compensation for the fifth edition of Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyers. She also co-authored the employment law chapter for the South Carolina Bar’s book on workers’ compensation law and practice.

The Columbia native earned an undergraduate degree from Presbyterian College, a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

LeFever lists her most influential mentor as her mother, Malissa Burnette, a founding partner in Burnette Shutt & McDaniel.

She lists her last book read as “The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds” by Michael Lewis.

LeFever’s hobbies include outdoor activities with husband and goldendoodle Wheatley, traveling, breweries and gardening.

LOWCOUNTRY

Alice Paylor

Rosen Hagood

A hometown Greenvillian now living in Charleston, Paylor became the fourth female president of the South Carolina Bar in 2013 and third member of her firm to hold the position.

Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, employment litigation, school law and zoning law. Paylor represents all types of business entities in contract disputes, business torts, lender-borrower litigation and more.

She represented The Beach Company in a major appeal, in which she successfully challenged the City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review’s attempts to “rezone” the Sergeant Jasper site in Charleston and prevent its redevelopment.

She has also represented the Charleston County School District in various administrative and litigation matters from 1982 to the present.

Having graduated from both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Paylor serves as a member of the American Bar Association, the National Conference of Bar Presidents, the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, and the Charleston County Bar Association.

Her most influential mentor is Morris Rosen, her last book read is “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger, and her hobbies include bicycling, working out, and traveling to warm areas.

Goldin has represented clients in proceedings before the S.C. Supreme Court, the South Carolina Department of Insurance and the South Carolina Public Service Commission.

From Rockmart, Ga., northwest of Atlanta, Goldin is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Goldin lists his father as his most influential mentor and his most recent book read is “Where I Come From: Stories from The Deep South” by Rick Bragg. His hobbies include hunting, fishing and geography.

MIDLANDS (TIE)

Frank Ellerbe

Robinson Gray Stepp

& Laffitte, LLC

Ellerbe focuses on utility-related regulation and litigation for the Columbia firm, with an emphasis on matters involving the electricity and telecommunications industries. He also has significant experience in a range of environmental law issues, along with class-action litigation involving various industries including life insurance, cable television, replacement glass, securities and forest resources.

Ellerbe’s work in the utilities industry has included handling issues involving electricity, telephone, gas and water regulation before the South Carolina Public Service Commission.

Born in Latta, in Dillon County, Ellerbe is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Community involvement includes membership in the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

He lists his most influential mentor as Dukes Scott, former executive director of the Office of Regulatory Staff and a former administrative law judge.

The most recent book he read was “The Mirror & the Light” by Hillary Mantel. His hobbies include hiking and “chasing grandchildren.”

LOWCOUNTRY

Ashley Cooper

Parker Poe

Ashley Cooper chairs Parker Poe’s Energy Industry Team, and represents companies with energy interests before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and state utility commissions.

His duties are a wide range of energy transactional matters, from project development to sales and purchases of energy to transmission offerings.

He practices before federal and state commissions on contested proceedings, and counsels energy clients on compliance with government regulations relating to electric reliability rules, Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT) administration, generator interconnection processes, market manipulation rules, and transmission planning.

Rita Barker

Wyche PA

Barker is an experienced environmental attorney who represents clients in federal and state courts, as well as before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Her varied experience includes advising clients on matters arising under federal and state environmental statutes, including the Endangered Species Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the SC Pollution Control Act.

Barker advises clients on assessing environmental risks and incentives associated with corporate transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions and real estate deals, including numerous brownfields redevelopment projects through South Carolina’s Voluntary Cleanup Program.

The Anderson native graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University and received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

She has written and presented on numerous environmental law topics and has been an adjunct professor at Clemson University and Furman University. Barker is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and received the section’s Distinguished Environmental Advocate Award.

When not practicing law, Barker enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking and traveling.

MIDLANDS

Childs Thrasher

Law Office of Childs Cantey Thrasher, LLC

Thrasher possesses litigation and commercial law experience with a focus on business and commercial matters, including contracts, construction and environmental litigation, and corporate and individual representation.

Prior to founding her own firm, Thrasher served in both the public and private sectors, first as an assistant attorney general for the state of South Carolina, where she litigated both civil and criminal matters, and then as an attorney with one of the state’s leading law firms representing corporate and individual clients throughout the southeast.

Thrasher remains involved in the public sector, serving as chairman of South Carolina State Ethics Commission.

She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctor, and Vermont Law School, where she earned a Masters of Studies in Environmental Law.

Thrasher lists her hometown as both Columbia and Daniel Island.

She said her most influential mentor was Betsy Gray, an attorney with Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC. The last book Thrasher read was “Breath” by James Nestor, and her main hobby is spending time with family.

The Greenville native graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina Honors College and then earned a Master of Letters, with distinction, from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He received his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law.

He currently serves as president-elect of the Greenville County Bar Association and is a member of the South Carolina Bar Family Law Section Council. He is a certified family court mediator.

Sherard dedicates significant time to pro bono matters, is chair of the 2022 AHA Upstate Heart Walk, and previously served as president of the board of A Child’s Haven. He enjoys barbecues and is currently reading “The Berenstain Bears” – to his children.

UPSTATE (TIE)

Zandra L. Johnson

The Z Firm, LLC

A first-generation college student, Johnson is the managing principal of The Z Firm, LLC, which she founded in 2013.

Her law practice focuses on litigation, including personal injury, insurance coverage disputes, business and commercial matters, and domestic cases.

As a summa cum laude graduate of South Carolina State University, and from St. John’s University in New York, Johnson regularly mentors students of all ages as well as newly admitted members of the South Carolina Bar.

She serves the community as a frequent speaker at elementary, middle and high schools across the state, impressing upon students that their immediate circumstances do not dictate who or what they can be.

Additionally, Johnson serves as president of the Donald James Sampson Bar Association, and is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the National Bar Association and the Greenville County Bar Association. She has been appointed by the South Carolina Supreme Court as both an attorney to assist Disciplinary Council and a commissioner of Continuing Legal Education.

Part of her achievements include being honored by YWCA as a Dream Achiever, featured by Destiny Magazine as a Woman of Achievement, and selected by the National Black Lawyers as one of its Top 100.

MIDLANDS

Peter Currence

McDougall, Self, Currence & McLeod, LLP

Currence is a partner at Midlands firm McDougall, Self, Currence & McLeod LLP and his practice focuses on family law, mainly handling property and support issues, and custody and visitation cases. He also serves as a mediator. This year marks Currence’s 25th as a practicing attorney.

Currence, who works from his firm’s Columbia office, is admitted to the U.S. District Court of South Carolina. He is a member of the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute and a member of the family law section of the South Carolina Bar Association. He has attended the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute in Houston and the American Academy of Matrimonial Trial Lawyers Family Law Institute in Chicago.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

UPSTATE

William Wilkins

Nexsen Pruet LLC

Former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and former chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Wilkins leads Nexsen Pruet’s Appellate Advocacy and Shareholder Litigation/Corporate Compliance practice, co-chairs the White-Collar Criminal Defense practice, and is active in the Business Litigation Group. In these capacities, he leads attorneys concentrating their practices of defending or seeking reversal of lower-court decisions. He works with companies, officers and directors in lawsuits for claims made by shareholders, and he represents clients involved in various types of litigation in state and federal courts.

Wilkins also assists clients in developing and implementing programs to ensure total compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. He and the team conduct internal investigations for companies, review existing policies, and design processes and procedures to reduce the possibility of misconduct. Wilkins also played a pivotal role in bringing the Boeing facility to North Charleston.

The Greenville native is a graduate of Davidson College, and earned his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law.

Wilkins names his grandmother, GiGi, as his mentor, and notes that she taught him to set his sights high. He enjoys reading, and recently completed “Eisenhower in War and Peace” by Jean Edward Smith.

MIDLANDS

Ted Riley

Riley Pope & Laney, LLC

Riley provides government relations consulting services and practices in the areas of regulatory and administrative law. The Columbia firm, started by Riley, Lowndes Pope and Roy Laney in 2001, has provided strategic counsel and legislative representation for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits before the South Carolina General Assembly, the governor’s office, state agencies and local governments.

Prior to forming Riley Pope Laney, Riley practiced at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, and Haynsworth Marion McKay & Guérard, LLP and its successor, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA. He also served as a special prosecutor for the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s office.

Riley is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He served as an international affairs analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C., before returning to South Carolina to attend law school.

The Greenville native lists his most influential mentor as his father, Richard “Dick” Riley, former South Carolina governor and U.S. Secretary of Education.

The last book Riley read was “Educated: A Memoir’’ by Tara Westover. His hobbies are running and traveling with family.

LOWCOUNTRY

Newman Jackson Smith

Nelson Mullins

Smith practices in the areas of environmental law and litigation, administrative law, land use law, and constitutional law.

His experience includes: hazardous waste site management and remediation; land use planning and zoning law; environmental insurance and environmental regulatory permitting; coastal zone management with endangered species; disclosure counseling of corporate clients with CERCLA liability, and negotiation of contract language for contaminated property transactions and environmental insurance.

In addition to South Carolina, Smith also has legal experience with wetland regulatory permitting in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, and Massachusetts.

Along the way, Smith held attorney positions with the Office of Coastal Resources Management (1978–1980), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the S.C. Coastal Council (staff attorney, 1980–1989).

He has also served in many different additional capacities, including Environment and Natural Resources Section, Founding Chair, South Carolina Bar; Urban Land Institute, Sustainable Development Council and Coastal Forum; and adjunct professor, environmental law, Charleston School of Law. He cites professor Bernie Dunlap as his most influential mentor.

Never far from legal interests even in his free time, Smith enjoys the beach, biking, and reading; his most recent read is “The Color of Law’’ by Richard Rothstein.

Weikel Miller helps clients through the heavily regulated and often confusing health law and health care litigation landscape. Prior to practicing law, she worked for more than a decade as a registered nurse, including serving as a director of nursing. She represents hospitals, home health agencies, hospitals, long-term care facilities and other related health care providers. Weikel Miller represents health care providers in a variety of health-law-related issues, including federal and state fraud and abuse compliance, regulatory compliance, and public and private reimbursement issues.

Her extensive litigation experience includes qui tam litigation, Medicare fraud and abuse and the defense of hospitals, physicians, long-term-care facilities, and pharmacists against professional malpractice claims. Weikel Miller represented the physician qui tam relator in the landmark US ex rel. Drakeford v. Tuomey Healthcare.

She has also provided legal advice to clients on patient rights and research issues, and she is a state-certified mediator and has experience as an arbitrator.

The Tennessee native earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from East Tennessee State University and her Master of Nursing from the UofSC, where she also earned her J.D. from the School of Law.

Weikel Miller includes thoroughbred horseracing and gardening among her hobbies.

MIDLANDS

David Summer

Parker Poe

Summer, a partner with Parker Poe working from the firm’s Columbia and Charleston offices, practices in health care, government and public policy, and False Claims Act investigations and whistleblower defense. He has three decades of experience working with hospitals and health care providers throughout the country, and he has led Parker Poe’s multistate health care practice.

Summer was born in Charleston and grew up in rural Newberry County. He earned a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

When asked to identify his most influential mentor, Summer says that he has been fortunate to have worked with a number of mentors who emphasized that law is a profession, not just a job.

The last book he read was “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty. Summer says his hobbies, when he has free time, involves cooking and hosting friends and family for dinner and parties. He also enjoys gardening and collecting wine.

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

MIDLANDS

Trevor Eddy

The Eddy Law Firm

Eddy has spent the past 10 years working on civil litigation matters of nearly all varieties, from premises liability and medical malpractice to products liability and real estate litigation.

Eddy, who grew up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, opened The Eddy Law Firm in Columbia in 2018. The firm focuses on claims on behalf of victims of personal injury.

Eddy began his legal career at Nexsen Pruet, where he worked on a variety of hospital, pharmaceutical, state and federal government compliance, and intellectual property lawsuits.

Eddy earned degrees from the University of Maryland and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

He lists his most influential mentor as the late William “Bill” Besley, a Columbia attorney and a founding member of the firm of Howser, Newman & Besley, LLC.

Eddy, who spent his youth sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and was the captain of the University of Maryland sailing team, lists his hobby as sailing with his children.

INSURANCE

UPSTATE

Charles “Bo” Williams

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Williams’ practice focuses on civil litigation, including personal-injury actions that involve premises liability, products liability, construction-defect litigation and automobile negligence. A large portion of his practice focuses on retail and hospitality personal-injury claims. Prior to joining McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, Bo served as a law clerk to the Honorable L. Henry McKellar, Circuit Court Judge, Fifth Judicial Circuit.

Williams received his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law. He maintains a variety of professional memberships, including the SC Bar Association, the Richland County Bar Association, and the SC Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association. Williams is involved with the DRI (founded as the Defense Research Institute) Retail and Hospitality Committee and serves on its newsletter sub-committee. He is also a member of the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association.

He has been honored with Legal Elite recognition in 2020, 2019 and 2014.

Williams is also active in the community. He is involved with the First Tee of Columbia and is also a basketball coach for Upward Sports.

In his spare time, Williams enjoys playing golf, watching sports and spending time with his wife and three children.

MIDLANDS

Adam Ribock

McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC

Ribock’s practice focuses on litigation, including personal injury defense, premises liability, construction defect claims, automotive dealership and HOA litigation. He previously worked with McAngus Goudelock & Courie’s Real Estate Law Group, conducting residential and commercial closings.

Prior to joining McAngus, Goudelock & Courie in Columbia, Ribock served as a law clerk for Judge Michael P. Mills in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, as well as for Judge L. Casey Manning, Circuit Court Judge for the 5th Judicial Circuit of South Carolina.

Ribock is admitted to practice before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He serves on the board of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association.

Outside of McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, Adam spends his time with his wife, Amy, their two children and their golden retriever. He is a volunteer mentor with Epworth Children’s Home and also enjoys coaching, watching and playing sports.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND INNOVATION

UPSTATE

Tom Vanderbloemen

Vanderbloemen Law Firm P.A.

Vanderbloemen assists clients with intellectual-property matters, with a specific focus on trademarks and brand protection. The firm also works with franchise systems, including clients who are establishing and growing franchises and clients who are seeking to become franchisees. Additionally, the firm handles business matters and disputes, and serves as outside general counsel to emerging and established companies.

Drawing on his experience as a federal appellate court law clerk, Vanderbloemen also supports other attorneys and legal teams with litigation and appeal strategy, including as local counsel to out-of-state firms and as an advisor on intellectual property cases.

Vanderbloemen opened his firm in 2017 after more than 15 years practicing with large firms in Atlanta and Greenville.

A native of Lenoir, North Carolina, Vanderbloemen is a graduate of Davidson College and the Duke University School of Law. He says he has been fortunate to have had a variety of mentors over the years, and counts Art Howson and Howard Boyd as two of his closest advisors.

Vanderbloemen has a wide variety of hobbies, including music, golf, cooking and travel, and he especially enjoys spending time with his family. His recent reading includes Peter Stark’s true-adventure novel “Astoria.”

MIDLANDS

Tom Moses

Southeast IP Group

Moses practices intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, rights of publicity and related litigation. Moses is the lead attorney for Greenville firm, which also counsels clients, negotiates licensing deals and helps clients to develop strategies for leveraging their intellectual property in order to create competitive advantages in the marketplace.

Moses, originally from Columbia, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Wofford College and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

 

He lists his most influential mentor as his father, attorney Al Moses, who retired from the Columbia firm of Moses, Koon and Brackett.

The last book Moses read was from the Aubrey-Maturin series, a sequence of nautical historical novels set during the Napoleonic Wars, by Patrick O’Brien.

Moses enjoys the outdoors. He lists his hobbies as kayaking, snowboarding, camping, fishing and scuba diving, along with cooking and reading.

INTERNATIONAL

UPSTATE

Garrett Steck

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA

Steck represents international and domestic clients with regard to the cross-border movement of goods and personnel. He represents clients before US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of State, and the Department of Labor. His practice facilitates the movement of key personnel into the United States by obtaining and maintaining temporary and permanent visas for specialty occupation workers, NAFTA professionals, intracompany transferees, investors/traders, nonagricultural workers, exchange visitors and for aliens possessing extraordinary abilities.

Steck also provides strategic consulting and advice concerning foreign-workforce availability for new US start-up operations and the impacts to foreign workforce associated with mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and other downsizing efforts. He provides counseling and guidance with regard to E-Verify, I-9 and SCIIRA employment verification compliance matters and audits.

Steck offers a broad range of transactional services to his clients with a focus on corporate formation and governance, foreign sourcing and logistics, and contract negotiation. He assists clients in complying with the Federal International Traffic in Arms Regulation and US export-control laws as regulated by OFAC, BIS and DDTC, including regulation and licensing of noncitizen nationals.

The Greenville native counts among his hobbies restoring a BMW E30.

MIDLANDS

Wolfgang Buchmaier

Buchmaier Law Firm LLC

Buchmaier has several areas of practice including corporate law, immigration law, tax law and business law. A native of Munich, he also handles probate and administration of German-American estates and German law. In the latter category, Buchmaier handles general practice, coordination with local counsel in Germany, retention of German citizenship upon naturalization in the United States and the coordination of U.S. and German social benefit system contributions.

Buchmaier worked as a law clerk for the district court in Traunstein, Germany; for the county court in Rosenheim, German; for the public prosecutor’s office in Traunstein, Germany; for the county government of Mühldorf, Germany, and for the district government of Upper Bavaria handling regulatory oversight of guilds and trades.

He also worked as in-house counsel for a software-related technical customer support company in Munich and for many years with a major law firm in South Carolina.

Buchmaier is a graduate of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Tulane Law School.

 

He lists his most influential mentor as John Foster, and the last book Buchmaier read was “Milchgeld: Kluftingers erster Fall” (“Milk Money: Kluftinger’s First Case”) by Volker Klüpfel and Michael Ko .

His hobbies include squash, whitewater kayaking, electrical and mechanical engineering, and ewing.

LOWCOUNTRY

Jay Claypoole

Nelson Mullins

Claypoole is co-chair of the firm’s real estate group, and practices in the areas of commercial real estate and business law.

He represents real estate developers, sponsors, investors and financial institutions in transactions involving industrial, commercial, hospitality resort and planned community property, including project entitlement, plus timberland owners in connection with timberland purchase and sale agreements, fiber and wood supply agreements.

Part of Claypoole’s expertise includes development, documentation and operation of planned and mixed-use communities, condominiums, condominium hotels, hotels, rental management programs, and homeowners’ associations.

His other practice areas are alternative energy, banking & financial services, commercial and syndicated lending hospitality, tourism and leisure.

A graduate of Duke University and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Claypoole is a member of the South Carolina Bar; the Hotels, Resorts, and Tourism Committee; the American Bar Association; the Forest Resources Committee; on the Board of Elders with French Protestant Huguenot Church; and past chairman with the City of Charleston Board of Architectural Review.

His most recent read is “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

UPSTATE

Josh Smith

Smith Hudson Law

Smith’s practice areas include business litigation, trade-secret and unfair-competition cases, and employment. He focuses on representing businesses in simple and complex business litigation and acting as outside general counsel for companies of all kinds, from start-ups to large established businesses. Smith works first to understand each client’s business so that he can provide informed, intelligent and cost-effective solutions to a client’s unique legal issues, whether they are in the courtroom or boardroom. He litigates in both state and federal court and handles a matter from the trial level through any appeal.

The native of Greenville earned his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law. Super Lawyers has recognized Smith as a Rising Star in Business Litigation annually since 2014. His peers have deemed him one of the Upstate’s Legal Elite since Greenville Business Magazine established the award in 2012 in Environmental Law (2012-present), Business Litigation (2014-present), Labor and Employment (2014-present), and Government Law (2017-present). Smith was listed as one of America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators in 2018 to present, and nominated as one of America’s Top 100 Bet-the-Company Litigators in 2020.

When he’s not at work, Smith enjoys whitewater kayaking and reading.

Midlands

Joseph D. Dickey Jr.

Dickey Law Group, LLC

Dickey is the managing partner of the Dickey Law Group in West Columbia. His practice focuses on employment and labor law, education law and corporate law. Since establishing his firm in 2014, Dickey has grown a niche Japanese practice using his knowledge and experience.

Dickey earned a pair of bachelor’s degrees from Clemson University: in management, with a concentration in international management; and in Japanese and international trade. He earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Dickey is a native of Wellford, in Spartanburg County. Prior to attending law school, Dickey worked in Fukuoka, Japan, at an economic development firm where he conducted market research

 

to assist in recruiting foreign investment. Conversant in Japanese and knowledgeable of Japanese business practices, Dickey assisted in making presentations to local government officials about ongoing development and targeted industries in Japanese while overseas.

Dickey is admitted to the United States District Court for South Carolina and the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

He lists his most influential mentor as his mother. The last book Dickey read is “Batman Year One,” and he lists tennis as his chief hobby.

Lowcountry

Amy Jenkins

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Having specialized in employment law since 1993, Jenkins is a South Carolina Supreme Court Certified Specialist in Labor & Employment Law, as well as a certified mediator.

She currently chairs her firm’s employment law practice group, and handles all aspects of employment law, including: litigation pending in federal and state courts; and claims pending with state and federal agencies.

Jenkins also has extensive experience in drafting and evaluating policies, handbooks and contracts, and regularly conducts training for clients, such as anti-harassment training.

She helps employers conduct internal compliance audits and routinely counsels clients in matters related to hiring, terminations, wage and hour issues, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, wrongful discharge, ERISA, non-compete agreements, trade secrets and other issues.

A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, and the University of New Hampshire Honors Program, she is a member of both the South Carolina and the North Carolina bar associations, and a past president and board director of the Rotary Club of Charleston.

Jenkins is married, and enjoys traveling and cheering on her two daughters at soccer matches.

PERSONAL INJURY

UPSTATE

J. Matthew “Matt” Whitehead

The Carolina Law Group, LLC

In his more than 15 years of practice, Whitehead has represented hundreds of clients of diverse backgrounds, from small-business owners to local governments and some of the nation’s largest corporations. He joined the Carolina Law Group 10 years ago to focus his practice on personal injury, catastrophic loss, wrongful death and complex litigation matters in state and federal court.

Whitehead received his J.D. from the UofSC School of Law, where he served on the Law Review. He credits W. Howard Boyd Jr. as his mentor in the law. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, South Carolina Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice and the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys. Whitehead also earned the most votes for Legal Elite in Personal Injury for four of the past five years.

The Hartsville native moved to the Upstate in 2005, where he currently lives with his wife, three children and the family dog. When he’s not at work, Whitehead can be found entertaining friends and family, coaching and playing music trivia. Among his hobbies, he counts “cooking with fire.” He recently completed the book “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien.

MIDLANDS

Mark Stanley

The Stanley Law Group

Stanley’s track record with personal injury cases has made The Stanley Law Group one of South Carolina’s most widely recognized African American owned law firms. He handles catastrophic injury cases, including injuries resulting from automobile, tractor trailer, and motorcycle accidents, along with slip and fall and wrongful death suits.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Stanley received his B.S. in business administration from the University of South Carolina. He earned an MBA and a master’s degree in information science from North Carolina Central University in Durham and graduated from Florida A&M University College of Law. In his off time, he works out at the gym and travels with family. The book he’s currently reading is “The One Thing” by Gary Keller.

Stanley and his father, H. Ronald Stanley, are co-owners of The Stanley Law Group, which was established over 30 years ago, and is comprised of a group of attorneys with more than 80 years of combined legal experience, along with a staff that prides themselves on being honest, aggressive, competent and dependable.

LOWCOUNTRY

 

Nick Riley

Moore Bradley Myers

Riley maintains a dynamic practice in criminal, civil, and family law, as well as worker’s compensation, personal injury, and public body law. He is an esteemed member of the Lexington and Richland County Bars, and the SC Association of Justice.

Nick credits his father with instilling in him the belief that a diversified professional knowledge base is essential to serving the members of your community. His father has been a family physician in Saluda, S.C. for 36 years.

Prior to graduating the University of South Carolina School of Law 2009, Riley grew up watching his father practice medicine and make house calls, never knowing what the next patient might need but always being prepared to help. He takes that same approach to legal matters, customizing solutions to meet his clients’ needs in both the Midlands and Saluda.

Riley enjoys golf, hunting, and helping with civic affairs and nonprofit fundraisers in Saluda. He also serves on the Board for the West Metro Chamber of Commerce, in West Columbia.

His most influential mentor is Jake Moore, and his most current read is “Talking to Strangers” by Malcolm Gladwell.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

UPSTATE

David Ross

McAngus, Goudelock & Courie

Ross represents clients in a variety of residential and commercial real estate transactions, as well as business formations. Since he joined McAngus, Goudelock & Courie in 2007, he has taken the practice from a small, localized group to a full-service statewide practice.

Prior to McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, Ross served as a law clerk for the Honorable L. Casey Manning of the Fifth Judicial Circuit and began his career with a real estate firm in Columbia. Recognized in 2013 as a South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, he has been repeatedly honored as one of Columbia Business Monthly’s Legal Elite of the Midlands, earning distinction with the Residential Real Estate Law Top Attorney Vote award in 2011 and 2012 and from 2015 through 2019.

 

When he’s not serving his clients, Ross coaches the boys basketball team at Hammond School. As a former team captain for the University of South Carolina, he is also an ardent supporter of Gamecock basketball. His community involvement includes service to the Urban Land Institute, the City of Columbia Design/Development Review Commission (former chair), the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (board member) and the Columbia Tip Off Club (board member).

Ross and his wife, Kelley, have two children, Jackson and Ellie.

LOWCOUNTRY

Chris Digby

McAngus, Goudelock & Courie

Digby’s practice focuses on all things related to real estate. He takes a teacher’s approach to real estate transactions so clients truly understand exactly what they are committing to and what their rights are in relation to their property and financing agreements.

He believes the most important things clients need from an attorney include competence and trustworthiness. To this end, Digby strives to ensure that all parties meet their commitments in an honest way.

Before passing the bar in 2010 and becoming an attorney, Digby graduated from both Presbyterian College and Charleston School of Law.

Away from law circles, he serves as president of the Summerville High Athletic Club, and is a member of the School Improvement Council for Summerville High School, the South Carolina Basketball Officials Association, and the Coach Louis Mulkey Scholarship Committee.

In his free time, Digby enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and dog, exercising and being outdoors, and playing, coaching, attending and officiating sporting events.

RETAIL & CONSUMER PRODUCTS

UPSTATE

Inez M. Tenenbaum

Wyche, P.A.

Tenenbaum, a former U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) chairman, practices in both the Columbia and Greenville offices of Wyche, P.A., advising clients on matters involving the CPSC including consumer product testing and certification, internal compliance programs, risk assessment and management, regulatory oversight, product reporting and recalls and corporate responsibility.

During her CPSC tenure from 2009 to 2013, she worked with staff and industry and consumer stakeholders to complete all major safety rules required by the Consumer Product Safety

Improvement Act of 2008, a law that reformed and empowered the CPSC. Tenenbaum’s term has been recognized as one of the most transformative in the history of the agency.

With a notable background in education, Tenenbaum also provides consulting services on education policy for national and state organizations. Prior to her time with the CPSC, she was elected as South Carolina’s state superintendent of education in 1999 and again in 2002. Under her leadership, more than 140 new schools were built, using a combination of state and local voter-approved bonds. At the end of her time in office, Education Week ranked South Carolina No. 1 in the country for the quality of its academic standards, assessment and accountability system.

TAX ESTATE PLANNING

UPSTATE

David Merline

Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in taxation law, estate planning and probate law, Merline has been serving clients since 1984 in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, business and transactional law, succession planning, estate planning and estate administration, taxation, LLCs, partnerships, family limited partnerships and corporations, asset protection planning and ERISA.

Merline’s recent honors include ranking by Chambers Professional Advisers (2019-2020) as a Leading Attorney in Private Wealth Law in South Carolina. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for 2021 in multiple fields including corporate law, for which he was named Lawyer of the Year in Greenville for 2021. He has been a Greenville Business Magazine Legal Elite Award recipient since 2012 and was the 2020 Top Vote Recipient in the Upstate for Tax and Estate Law.

The author of numerous publications, Merline co-authored the book “South Carolina Limited Liability Companies.” He’s a member of the Rotary Club of Greenville (Paul Harris Fellow) and Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, and he enjoys tennis, fishing and skiing. Dave and his wife, Barby, have four children.

MIDLANDS

Alan Reyner

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson, LLP

As a partner at Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson, LLP, Reyner counsels his clients on business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and transitions. Bringing years of practical knowledge and a solution-oriented approach to each client’s unique situation, he is a certified tax specialist who handles tax issues for both individuals and businesses and advises them on matters involving estate planning and probate law.

Reyner received his B.A. degree from The Citadel and his law degree from the University of South Carolina. Additionally, he received an LLM in taxation from New York University.

He has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© and the Super Lawyers list in the area of tax law and named among Midlands Legal Elite in the areas of tax law and estate planning.

LOWCOUNTRY

Jennifer Davis

Nelson Mullins

A native of Landrum, S.C., Davis earned her bachelor’s degree from Wofford College and her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe and received an American Jurisprudence Award in State and Local Tax and Advanced Civil Procedure. Additionally, she earned an LLM in taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Davis’s awards include: The Best Lawyers in America©, Tax Law (2012-2021), Trusts and Estates (2021); The Best Lawyers in America© Lawyer of the Year, Charleston, S.C., Tax Law (2021); and Charleston Business Magazine Legal Elite of the Lowcountry, Tax and Estate Planning (2018-2020).

She enjoys hiking, gardening and snow skiing, and she is currently reading “The President’s Daughter” by James Patterson and Bill Clinton.

WORKERS COMPENSATION

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.

MIDLANDS

Jason Lockhart

McAngus, Goudelock & Courie

For over 19 years, Lockhart has defended the interests of employers and their insurance carriers before the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission. Having tried hundreds of cases, he has been instrumental in the creation of an evolving McAngus, Goudelock & Courie business model, which is designed to satisfy client needs for alternative fee arrangements and increase client value through informed workers’ compensation business strategies.

Serving as the Workers’ Compensation Group leader for McAngus, Goudelock & Courie’s South Carolina offices, Lockhart strives to understand his clients’ businesses and modifies his approach to achieve the particular goals of each one in the most cost-effective manner. He provides his clients with an honest assessment of their exposure while simultaneously formulating a realistic and systematic plan to best defend their interests.

Originally from Graniteville, S.C., Lockhart is a graduate of the South Carolina Honors College and the UofSC School of Law. He names Buster Holland, Hugh McAngus and Rusty Goudelock as his most significant mentors. Outside of work, he spends his time with his wife and two children and enjoys watching sports, running, serving at St. John’s Episcopal Church and helping lead F3 Columbia.

LOWCOUNTRY

Mark Davis

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Davis opened the Charleston office of McAngus, Goudelock & Courie in 2001. He has practiced in the area of workers’ compensation defense since 2000 and works with clients to identify positive outcomes, set goals and reach those results.

Named the 2018 Lawyer of the Year in Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers for the Charleston metro area by The Best Lawyers in America®, Davis routinely defends carriers, employers and self-insured companies in the hospitality, retail, restaurant, construction, manufacturing and healthcare industries. He frequently appears before the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission and has appeared before various Circuit Courts, the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court. He is a Certified Circuit Court Mediator.

Davis has lectured before various national and state organizations concerning national trends, return to work issues, cost-control, advanced workers’ compensation law, trial tactics and fraud. He has a particular interest in improving delivery of legal services through knowledge management and technology. When he is not representing clients, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son and daughter, and his hobbies include fishing, boating, grilling, playing guitar and running.