Since 2010, Columbia Business Monthly has honored Midlands attorneys by publishing our Legal Elite feature. Winners are chosen not by our staff, but by area attorneys themselves. Legal Elite is the only award program in the region that gives every active attorney the opportunity to participate.

This year, Columbia Business Monthly features the top vote getters in 20 categories with some interesting facts about each.

Voting this year were polled Midlands attorneys. While attorneys are allowed to nominate members of their own firm, for each in-firm nomination, there had to be an out-of-firm nomination. Voters are not allowed to vote for themselves.

The winners are the Legal Elite for 2017 and we are pleased to honor them.

Marguerite Willis loves a good challenge. And no issue is too big or too small for her to handle – whether she’s defending clients in complex commercial litigation or doing her part to build the next generation of women business leaders. In the courtroom, she’s established a reputation for delivering highly effective and highly successful litigation strategies. As the co-chair of Nexsen Pruet’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition Practice, she leads a team of attorneys in developing proactive solutions to help clients achieve business objectives while avoiding issues with federal and state antitrust and trade regulation laws. With a track record that spans decades, Willis has been involved in some of the firm’s biggest verdicts.  She has served as national counsel for a number of cases, including federal and state class actions, and prosecuted major antitrust matters involving a wide range of claims, from unfair trade practices and false advertising to monopolization and vicarious corporate liability. Clients routinely rely on Willis for her broad depth of experience in matters governing competition, including pricing, distribution agreements, marketing programs, competitor collaboration, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and advertising issues.

Manton Grier | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Travis Wheeler | Nexsen Pruet

Ray Jones has always had a passion for business and finance. It drove him to pursue a finance degree at the University of South Carolina and an international MBA along with his law degree. His passion has grown as he has built a practice in bank and finance law over the past two decades, working with local governments, investment banks and other clients to navigate complexity and close transactions. 

“When you’re putting a deal together, the pieces can be extremely complicated,” said Clay Killian, county administrator for Aiken County. “With Ray’s depth of knowledge, even when he’s on the other side of the table, you can trust what he’s telling you. He knows the details and you know his answer is right.”

Ray enjoys taking intricacies of a transaction and breaking them down so that clients can easily understand what’s going on and be comfortable with all the steps. He also sees closing a transaction as a team sport, with multiple parties and various counsel working together toward a common goal. 

He is especially proud of the leading role he has played in building Parker Poe’s public finance team in South Carolina. This accomplishment dovetails with one of his most significant personal achievements: most of the people he has worked with or led on that team are still with Parker Poe. Seeing the attorneys and staff grow gives him a lot of personal satisfaction, and he is honored by the loyalty, productivity and overall job satisfaction among his team. 

Jennifer Ashburn | Ashburn LLC

Kyle Brannon | Nexsen Pruet

M. Todd Haynie III | Parker Poe

Amy Hill | Gallivan White & Boyd

Matt Hill | Adams and Reese LLP

Alan Lipsitz | Nexsen Pruet

Ian McVey | Turner Padget

Michael M. Beal founded the boutique law firm Beal, LLC, in July 2016 primarily to represent middle market businesses in financial distress. In addition to his restructuring practice, Beal LLC represents creditors’ committees, bankruptcy trustees, secured lenders, landlords, and asset purchasers in bankruptcy cases, as well as federal and state court receivers. Prior to founding Beal, LLC, Michael led the bankruptcy practice at McNair Law Firm, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable J. Bratton Davis, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge, District of South Carolina. He has served as the president of the Carolinas Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association; as a member-at-large of the Global Board of Trustees of the Turnaround Management Association; and as president of the South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association. Beal has been listed in South Carolina Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America  for many years, and he has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating.

Barbara Barton | Barton Brimm, PA

Jody Bedenbaugh | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Sabrina Sable Burgess | Sherpy & Jones

John Butler | John B Butler III P.A.

Mary M. Caskey | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

George B. Cauthen | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Janet B. Haigler | Haigler Law Firm LLC

John Kelchner | Hutchens Law Firm

Theodore von Keller | Crawford & von Keller, LLC

Ian McVey | Turner Padget

Rick Mendoza | Nexsen Pruet

Martin Page | Bell Carrington & Price, LLC

Harrison Penn | McCarthy Reynolds & Penn

Bill Short | Short Law Firm

Mary Michael Smeloff | Law Offices of Mary Michael Smeloff

Tommy Lydon’s practice focuses on probate litigation, business litigation and ADR. Lydon is also a certified mediator. He earned both his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Science from the University of South Carolina. Lydon is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association’s Consumer Law Section and the Richland County Bar Association. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and South Carolina Super Lawyers.

Keith Babcock | Lewis Babcock L.L.P.

John Beach | Adams and Reese LLP

Mcihael M Beal | Beal LLC

Freeman Belser | Belser and Belser

Shaun Blake | Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC

Eric Bland | Bland Richter

Richard Detwiler | Callison Tighe & Robinson, LLC

David Dukes | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Sean Forester | Rogers Townsend and Thomas

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

Elizabeth Van Doren Gray | Sowell Gray

Tracey C. Green | Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A.

Mark Goddard | Turner Padget

Will Johnson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

John T Lay | Gallivan White & Boyd

Ian McVey | Turner Padget

Hamilton Osbourne | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Peter Protopapas | Rikard & Protopapas

Anthony E. Rebollo | Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.

Robert Rikard | Rikard & Protopapas

Kirby Shealy | Adams and Reese LLP

Jessie Waller | Gallivan White & Boyd

David Wolff is one of the founding members of Barnes, Alford, Stork and Johnson, LLP and has served as a managing partner for several years.  His primary practice area is commercial real estate, with particular emphasis on shopping centers, mixed-use centers, office buildings and apartments, including acquisition, development, financing, leasing and sales.  He focuses on being prompt and efficient in the delivery of quality work to clients, and completing transactions in a timely and practical manner. 

Matt Hill | Adams and Reese LLP

Edward Kluiters |  Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Bill McElveen | Adams and Reese LLP

Priti Patel | LawyerLisa, LLC

Trippett Boineau’s practice focuses on general litigation, premise and products liability, transportation and trucking, insurance defense, and construction litigation. He has practiced law for more than 10 years, with a focus on insurance defense for eight years. Prior to joining MGC Insurance Defense, Boineau served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable James R. Barber, III. Boineau earned both his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, Richland County Bar Association (Young Lawyers Division), Defense Research Institute, South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association and John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court. He is also involved in the Urban Land Institute and serves as a long-range planning committee member of City Center Partnership. Boineau has been recognized by South Carolina Super Lawyers and Columbia Business Monthly’s Midlands Legal Elite.

Henry Brown | Nexsen Pruet

Kelley Shull Cannon | Howser, Newman & Besley

Caitlin C. Heyward | Bruner, Powell, Wall & Mullins, LLC

Thomas Jackson | Tyler Jackson Peace & Silver LLC

Shelley Montague | Gallivan White & Boyd

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

Franklin J. Smith Jr. | Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.

Robert T. Strickland | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

William M. Umbach has been practicing law since 2010 with Adams and Reese in the firm’s Columbia, office. Umbach represents corporations, manufacturers and retailers in acquisitions, corporate contracts, governance, supplier agreements and tax matters. 

He has experience with a wide variety of matters that arise throughout the lifetime of a business including entity formation, governance, restructuring, business planning, corporate divisions, mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations and divestitures. Umbach’s advanced tax training enables him to represent his clients in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service and structure transactions and settlements in a tax-advantageous manner. He also serves as outside counsel for clients in the retail and manufacturing industries.

An active member of the Taxation sections for both the American Bar Association and South Carolina Bar, Umbach earned his bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 2004, graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 2010 and received his LL.M. in taxation from New York University in 2011.

He is active in the community, performing pro bono work for a charitable entity that provides affordable housing for low-income families and for a charitable entity that provides temporary housing and assistance for recovering addicts and recently released convicts. Receiving numerous recognitions for his work, Umbach was also honored among the Legal Elite of the Midlands by Columbia Business Monthly in 2016.

In his spare time, Umbach enjoys spending time with his wife, son, dogs, and extended family and friends. He also enjoys cooking, writing and watching Duke basketball.

Rob Bethea | Adams and Reese LLP

Gus Dixon | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Will Johnson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Roy F. Laney | Riley Pope & Laney, LLC

Tucker Player | The Player Law Firm

John W. Roberts | Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A.

Chris Rogers | Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC

Sherri Lydon, a former federal and State Grand Jury prosecutor, now practices primarily in the areas of criminal defense and government investigations. She is well known for her prosecution of Lost Trust, a public corruption sting in the 90s, and the prosecution of the state’s largest securities fraud cases involving HomeGold and Carolina Investors in 2004. 

After graduating from The University of South Carolina School of Law, Lydon joined the law firm of Nexsen Pruet Jacobs and Pollard. From there, she went to the United States Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted drug cases, public corruption and white-collar fraud. In 2003, former South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster asked Sherri Lydon to head up the State Grand Jury where she prosecuted, among other cases, former Lt. Governor Earle Morris, Jr. She recently finished a term on the State Ethics Commission, where she served as the vice chair.

Deborah Barbier | Deborah B. Barbier, LLC

John Delgado | Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson & Delgado, LLC

A. Randolph Hough | Law Office of A. Randolph Hough

Alex Imgrund | Caskey & Imgrund, LLC

Chris Leonard | Kendrick and Leonard

Clarke Newton | Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson & Delgado, LLC

Alex Postic | Postic Law Firm

Jack Swerling | Law Offices of Jack Swerling

Aimee Zmroczeck | AJZ Law Firm

South Carolina’s deep roots in agriculture and industry date back to its founding as one of America’s original 13 colonies in the late 1600s. Tommy Lavender recognizes how that history, combined with the state’s abundant natural resources, and the regulation of them, can create complex problems. To understand how he can help executives see through the weeds, consider his background. Lavender studied mechanical engineering at Clemson and after law school went to work for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control as an environmental engineer. A year and a half later, he was promoted to assistant general counsel of the state regulatory agency. From there, he went on to work for a capital corporation where he worked the legal side of multifamily resort development projects - issues such as land acquisition, permitting, zoning, and other entitlements. Lavender has been in private practice now for more than 30 years. He heads up the environmental law group at Nexsen Pruet, and is based in the firm’s Columbia office.  

Pam Baker | McNair Law Firm, P.A.

Phil Conner | Williams Mullen

Karen Aldridge Crawford | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Jessie King | Williams Mullen

Kathleen McDaniel | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Wendy Parker | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Elizabeth Partlow | Law Offices of Elizabeth Partlow

Cody Smith | Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC

Childs Thrasher | Gallivan White & Boyd

Pete Currence is a partner with the firm of McDougall, Self, Currence & McLeod, LLP. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1985 with a B.A. in economics and business management and

with a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in December 1996. He has been licensed to practice law in the State of South Carolina since May 1997.

Currence is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the South Carolina Bar’s Family Law Division. He has attended the American Bar Association Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute in Houston and the American Academy of Matrimonial Trial Lawyers Family Law Institute in Chicago.

Currence devotes 100 percent of his time to the practice of domestic litigation and has lectured at numerous Continuing Legal Education seminars concerning Family Law. He served on the Board of Directors for Sandhills School in 2008. As a member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, he served on the Building Committee from 2007 to 2010 and on the Parish Council from 2008 through 2010. He has been listed in Strathmore’s Who’s Who for several years and has a Peer Review.

Bryan D. Caskey | Caskey & Imgrund, LLC

Anthony Charles | Finkel Law Firm LLC

Rebecca Creel | Lester and Hendrix

Susan Rawls Edwards | Gaffney Lewis & Edwards, LLC

Stephanie Fajardo | The Fajardo Law Firm, LLC

Ashby Jones | Kinard & Jones

Olivia Jones | Olivia Jones Law

Michelle Boykin Matthews | Gaffney Lewis & Edwards, LLC

Sandra R. Parise | Parise Law Firm

Joe Underwood | Law Office of Joe Underwood

Theodore D. “Ted” Riley provides strategic counsel and legislative representation for clients before the South Carolina General Assembly, governor’s office, state agencies and local governments. 

Riley earned his B.A. in political science at the University of South Carolina and went on to serve as an international affairs analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C., before returning to South Carolina to earn his J.D. from University of South Carolina School of Law.  

Riley began his legal career with the government law team of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP and also served as a special prosecutor for the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s office.  Riley was an associate with Haynsworth Marion McKay & Guérard, LLP and its successor, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA, from 1997 until 2001, providing government relations services to clients on both the state and federal level.  

In July 2001, Riley, along with lifelong friends and business partners Lowndes Pope and Roy Laney, formed Riley Pope & Laney, LLC with a vision of building a law firm their own way while providing exceptional client service. For more than 20 years, Riley has represented clients ranging from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies and encourages prospective clients to contact any chairman of any legislative committee regarding RPL’s reputation, abilities and work ethic.  

An avid runner who shares a love of sports, travel and adventure with his family, Riley enjoys coaching basketball, volunteering for numerous community organizations, and serving on the boards of the National Dropout Prevention Network, Palmetto Project and Winston’s Wish.  

Bob Coble | Nexsen Pruet

Danny C. Crowe | Crowe LaFave, LLC

John Frick | The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina

David Lyon | Duff & Childs

Burnet Maybank | Nexsen Pruet

Anthony Quatrone | Adams and Reese LLP

A. O’Neil Rashley Jr. | S.C. Bankers Association

Rob Smith | Moore & Van Allen

Jonathan Yarborough | SCANA

In the late 1980s, David Summer began helping clients in the health care industry address their legal needs. Nearly three decades later, he is proud of the relationships he has built with hospital executives and other providers all across the country. He believes that developing relationships of trust with clients is the most important aspect of what a true counselor does – and he views these relationships as the defining achievement of his career. 

“It was always very comfortable working with David Summer, even through some uncomfortable litigation situations,” said Doug White, retired CEO of Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach. “Of many attorneys I’ve worked with in my 30-year hospital administrative career, David without a doubt was the most professional, knowledgeable and helpful.”

Today, Summer still thoroughly enjoys working with the providers he represents, assisting them with the law so that they can focus on their patients. Hospital executives and other providers face daily challenges in running their operations while following complex federal and state regulations. Summer knows about this firsthand from his prior experience as a business owner and hospital board member. That experience, combined with his extensive legal career, enables him to serve as a trusted advisor, helping clients navigate day-to-day compliance. His business acumen is recognized by his partners as well, as he leads Parker Poe’s multi-state health care practice. 

Outside of the law, the personal achievements Summer is most proud of are his two children. He has loved watching them become caring, successful adults. 

Stuart Andrews | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Ralph Barbier | Nexsen Pruet

George C. Beighley | Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.

Rob Bethea | Adams and Reese LLP

Frederick A. Crawford | Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.

Liz Crum | McNair Law Firm, P.A.

Craig Garner | McNair Law Firm, P.A.

Charles Henshaw | Furr and Henshaw

Wes Jackson | Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC

Weldon R. Johnson | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Benjamin P. Mustian | Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A.

Matthew Roberts | Nexsen Pruet

Kelli Sullivan | The McKay Firm

William R. Thomas | Parker Poe

Howard P. West | Palmetto Health

Brett Bayne’s practice focuses on general litigation. Prior to joining MGC, Bayne served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable G. Thomas Cooper Jr. He also serves as an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the University of South Carolina School of Law and as the faculty advisor and coach of the USC School of Law Mock Trial Program. Bayne earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, Richland County Bar Association and South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association.

Andy Delaney | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

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

George V. Hanna | Howser, Newman and Besley

Mary D. LaFave | Crowe LaFave, LLC

Brandon Jones | The McKay Firm

Charles Kinney | The McKay Firm

Charlie Moore | Turner Padget

Kirby Shealy | Adams and Reese LLP

Breon Walker | Gallivan White & Boyd

Tom Moses considers himself to be an adventurer who happens to be an attorney.  Over the years, he has backpacked through Denali, snowboarded the steep slopes of the Rocky Mountains, been on nighttime scuba dives on the Great Barrier Reef, Grand Cayman and St. Lucia, and has raced stock cars around the Atlanta Motor Speedway. For a while, Moses ran a summer 4-wheeling wilderness tour business in Seldovia, Ala. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Wofford College, and a J.D. from the USC School of Law. Moses’ legal career began in a less-than-illustrious fashion as his first paycheck bounced. Since then, however, he has written, filed and prosecuted hundreds of U.S. patents (including a couple of his own) and thousands of U.S. trademark registrations. 

Moses has argued cases at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, S.C. State and Federal Courts, the S.C. Supreme Court, and even a trademark dispute at the S.C. Realtors Commission. His clients range from individual inventors to small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. One of his clients is a local sushi restaurant, and they were kind enough to name a sushi roll after him: The Holy Moses. According to Moses, it is delicious, and he is very proud of that.

Mark Dukes | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Corky Klett | Nexsen Pruet

Steve Matthews | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Robert McWilliams | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Todd Serbin | Nexsen Pruet

Reb Thomas | The Thomas Law Firm

Sara Svedberg is an employment and labor law attorney in Columbia, and she concentrates her practice on advising businesses on employment law matters — including ADA, ADEA, FLSA, FMLA, and Title VII compliance — and representing companies in civil litigation in both state and federal courts. She also advises federal contractors on their legal compliance responsibilities. Before beginning her law career, she was business editor of The State newspaper in Columbia from July 2006 to January 2010. She earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, cum laude, and her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, magna cum laude, with a B.A. in journalism.

Wolfgang Buchmaier | Buchmaier Law Firm LLC

Edward Kluiters | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Mike Pinilla | Pinilla Law Firm

Val Stieglitz | Nexsen Pruet

Regina Lewis focuses her defense practice in the areas of tort and employment litigation and represents companies in a wide range of lawsuits including premises, products, trucking, and Title VII actions. Lewis is also an experienced appellate attorney, having handled appeals in the Maryland and South Carolina state and federal courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

In addition to her litigation practice, Lewis is a certified mediator. Since 2008, she has mediated primarily employment and tort cases in the South Carolina federal and state courts. Her communication style and ability to develop a rapport with both parties render her an effective mediator and she has consistently assisted parties in achieving resolution of disputes. Her approach to mediation and results have led to requests to serve as mediator from both defense and plaintiff counsel.

Lewis is AV rated by Martindale‐Hubbell and is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. She also serves on the board of South Carolina Legal Services Corporation.

Sarah Alphin | Wilson Jones Carter & Baxley

Vance Bettis | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis LLP

Sheila M. Bias | Fisher & Phillips

Malissa Burnette | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Jack Cohoon | South Carolina Legal Services

Kiosha Dickey | Ogletree Deakins

Allison Aiken Hannah | Halligan, Mahoney & Williams

Hayne Hodges | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis LLP

Reyburn W. Lominack III | Fisher & Phillips

Marshall Newton | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis LLP

J. Paul Porter | Cromer Babb Porter & Hicks, LLC

Janet Rhodes | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Stephen T. Savitz | Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis LLP

Frank Shuler | Turner Padget

Nekki Shutt | Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

Charles T. Speth II | Ogletree Deakins

Hannah Stetson | Turner Padget

Ashley Story | White & Story, LLC

J. Hagood Tighe | Fisher & Phillips

Robert Goings admits he was never an athlete or the top of his class growing up in the small, rural town of Union, but he always loved to perform. His love of music and his passion to perform continued while he was at Union High School and then at Wofford College where he took to the stage in numerous theatrical productions, but Goings said he knew early on that he would never make a living chasing after Broadway.  

 

That’s where his granddaddy–a hard-working dairy farmer and a man of the utmost integrity–came in and unknowingly helped steer Goings towards a career in the law. Paw Paw taught him from an early age that treating people “right,” being honest, and doing good by others was a nonnegotiable in life. Although his grandfather left big shoes to fill, Goings believes the honors of being student body president at Wofford; the recipient of the Claude Sapp Award—a prestigious award presented to one member of the University of South Carolina’s graduating law school for possessing the best combination of scholarship, leadership, and industry; and the recipient of the Compleat Lawyer Award—a distinguished award given annually to a select group of alumni who exemplify the highest standards of professional competence, ethics, and integrity—are all a recognition that in some small way, he is following in his Paw Paw’s footsteps. 

 

Now that Goings is “grown up” with a wife and two little girls, his time to pursue the passion of theatrical performance from his childhood is limited.  So, as a trial lawyer, the courtroom has become his stage. Being a trial lawyer has allowed him to marry his passion and his profession. He says the challenge of a trial lawyer is that his audience is always changing. The juries are never the same, the judge is always different, and the facts and the witnesses are never static.  The one thing that never changes is Goings ‘s desire to tell a story, to connect with the jury, and to be authentic, truthful, and compassionate, in the courtroom as he represents his client to the best of his ability.  

Jenkins Mann | Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC

Theile McVey | Kassells and McVey

Clarke Newton | Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson & Delgado, LLC

Matthew Nickles | Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook, & Brickman

Allison Sullivan | Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson & Delgado, LLC

Richard Thomas | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Brett D. Woron | Branch and Dhillon, PC

David Ross represents clients in a variety of residential and commercial real estate transactions, as well as business formations. Since he joined MGC in 2007, he has taken the practice from a small, localized group to a full servicing statewide practice. Prior to MGC, Ross served as law clerk for the Honorable L. Casey Manning of the Fifth Judicial Circuit and began his career with a real estate firm in Columbia. Ross received both his Juris Doctor and his Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of South Carolina. He is involved in a number of organizations, including the South Carolina Bar Association, Columbia Homebuilders Association, Central Carolina Association of Realtors, S.C. Bankers Association and S.C. Mortgage Bankers Association. Ross has been recognized by South Carolina Super Lawyers, Columbia Business Monthly’s Midlands Legal Elite and The State’s 20 Under 40. Ross is also involved with the Urban Land Institute, City of Columbia Design/Development Review Commission (Former Chair), S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame (Board Member), Columbia Tip Off Club (Board Member) and serves as the Boys Basketball Coach at Hammond School.

Bryan D. Caskey | Caskey & Imgrund, LLC

Philip Etheridge | The Etheridge Law Firm

Andrew Montgomery | Rogers Townsend and Thomas

Kathleen Muthig | Finkel Law Firm LLC

Thomas Peterman | Thomas Peterman, PA

Pam Price | LawyerLisa, LLC

Mark Thomas | Thomas Law Firm

Dawn Watkins | Lucero & Watkins, LLC

Alan J. Reyner has practiced tax and estate planning law for many years. Having grown up in a family business, he enjoys working with clients who own their own businesses. He tries to keep things as simple as possible for his clients in an increasingly complex world.  His goal is to find common sense, practical solutions for his clients. 

             

He has been married for 39 years to Anne who grew up in Paris, France. She earned an engineering degree in France and an MBA from USC. Anne retired after 33 years with Wilbur Smith Associates, Inc. They have three children: Charles, a scientist with the Department of Defense; Claire, who works for a global health nonprofit and is married to Michael; and Claudia, a veterinarian who just finished an equine surgical residency at N.C. State University.

In addition to family, one of Reyner’s great joys is spending time with his friends doing various activities, some of which he’s done with the same friends on the same schedule for more than thirty years. 

In his spare time, Reyner likes to play golf and do a little bird and duck hunting. He also enjoys taking coastal cruises in his 22’ center console, offshore fishing with friends, and travel (mostly in France). His newest venture is to become proficient in ballroom dancing. Although dancing has been a lot of fun and he shows small signs of improvement, Reyner believes a reasonable level of proficiency just may elude him.

David C. Sojourner Jr. is a shareholder of the firm. Sojourner has been certified as a taxation specialist and an estate planning and probate specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court. Sojourner focuses his practice in the areas of complex estate and gift tax planning, wealth transfer planning, business succession planning, and asset protection strategies for individuals, professionals, landowners, and family-owned businesses.

Sojourner is a fellow in The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Trusts and Estates 2003 to present) and South Carolina Super Lawyers (Estate Planning and Probate – 2008 to present).

Sojourner has extensive experience in assisting clients in developing and implementing effective estate planning solutions, including multi-generational trust planning, irrevocable life insurance trusts, family business entities, charitable giving strategies, premarital agreements, and conservation easements.

Sojourner has served as president of the Columbia Estate Planning Council and as chairman of other professional organizations including the Estate Planning and Probate Specialization Advisory Board, the South Carolina Bar Tax Section, and the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. He currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Foundation and the Heathwood Hall Episcopal School Foundation. He is a former senior warden of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, a former chairman of the board of trustees of the Central Carolina Community Foundation and Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, and a former member of the board of trustees of Providence Hospitals.

Erin A. Cook | Estate Planning of SC, LLC

Jonathan P. Lee | Sojourner, Caughman & Thomas, LLC

Marshall Minton | Turner Padget

Karen Hudson Thomas | Sojourner, Caughman & Thomas, LLC

Jason Lockhart has practiced workers’ compensation law for more than 15 years, having tried hundreds of cases on behalf of employers and carriers before the Commission. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina Honors College. Lockhart is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Educational Association and Defense Research Institute. He is a 2015 graduate of iTs|SC Leadership Insurance. Lockhart is also involved in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Carolina Alumni Association and F3 Columbia. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America.

David Bornemann | Hedrick Gardner

Kay G. Crowe | Barnes, Alford, Stork & Johnson, LLP

Will Harbison | Gallivan White & Boyd

Rocky Hughey | McAngus Goudelock & Courie

Ernie Lawhorne | Adams and Reese LLP

Jamie Newman | Howser, Newman & Besley

Scott Shirley | Popowski, Callas & Shirley, P.A.

Allison Sullivan | Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson & Delgado, LLC