Top best W Lawyers in Columbia | 355 available

WIlliam "Bill" Smith is a founding partner of Smith, Born, Leventis, Taylor & Vega, LLC. He concentrates his practice in workers’ compensation and mediation. Bill graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1984. In his years of practice, he has handled thousands of cases for injured workers. He uses his knowledge and experience in workers’ compensation to pursue justice, obtain the compensation and improve conditions for workers.. Practice Area. • Workers’ Compensation. Admitted to Practice. • South Carolina, 1984. Education. • University of South Carolina School of Law, JD, 1984. • Limestone College, BA, summa cum laude, 1981. Professional Memberships, Awards and Accomplishments. • Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group, Board of Directors. • South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Educational Association, Past President. • Past President of Injured Workers’ Advocates, 1999-2001. • Legislation Committee of South Carolina Association for Justice. • Past Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the South Carolina Bar. • South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Educational Association representing the South Carolina AFL-CIO, Board Member. • Kids Chance of South Carolina (an organization that provides scholarships to children of workers who are killed or sustain permanent disability injuries as a result of on-the-job injuries), Board of Directors. • Governor’s Advisory Committee for Workers’ Compensation. • Best Lawyers in America, Recipient. • Limestone College, Board of Trustees, 2013

What is it like working with you?. I am easy to get in contact with and always diligent in returning my calls. I make sure my clients are comfortable reaching out to me about any problem they encounter, and I always try to get them the best answer I can. Sometimes my answer may be, “I don’t know, but I will find out!” And I always do.. I strive to be a good listener. If my clients have something to say, I listen. Listening is one of the most important aspects of good communication.. Do you have experience doing exactly what I need?. I have experience in many areas of law. The focus of my firm is to provide goal-oriented representation in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation. What I mean by “goal-oriented” is that I strive to achieve the goal my client is setting out to reach, and it can be different for every client. I do this by putting my client’s best interest above all things.. Approximately how many cases have you handled?. I have handled countless cases in various areas of the law which gives me a unique global perspective when dealing with an injured party’s legal, medical and financial concerns. When someone is injured, it’s not just their medical issue that is troubling them. Issues like the ability to work, the ability to pay a mortgage, or other financial decisions can become unbearable. An attorney needs to listen carefully so they can recognize a client’s needs.

Stephen Vicari was born and raised in South Carolina and has made defending justice an integral part of who he is.. After the September 11th attacks in 2001, Stephen felt called to enlist in the US Navy. He eventually earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. His dedication and service to others are also evident in his work, fighting for the justice his clients deserve. He says, “I am very grateful I became a personal injury lawyer because making a positive, concrete difference in someone’s life adds meaning to mine.”. Not only is Stephen dedicated to our country, but his dedication to his clients is clear in his results. He has received numerous accolades, including admission to the Million & Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum* for earning his clients millions in settlements, and as a member of the Top 40 Under 40 National Trial Lawyers as an outstanding young lawyer.. When Stephen is not in the courtroom or our Columbia, SC office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, being outdoors at Lake Murray, and reading.. *Prior results do not guarantee any future outcomes. After recovery is made, attorney fees will be computed before deduction of incurred expenses. For more information on criteria for selection, please click the links of awards.

Stan Lacy co-founded Collins & Lacy in 1984, and he practices in the area of workers’ compensation.  Stan graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1967. While at the University of Virginia, he served as President of the Engineering School, President of Sigma Pi Fraternity and was a member of the Trigon Society.  He then served four years in the United States Air Force, becoming a captain, where he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for the work he did on the Vietnamization of the war in Southeast Asia.  He also received the Vietnam Service Medal and the National Defense Ribbon. He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1974 and was admitted to practice in South Carolina during the same year.  He began teaching workers’ compensation as an adjunct instructor at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1981 and has continued to teach ever since. He also frequently conducts workshops on compensation laws.. Former S.C. Governor Carroll Campbell appointed Stan to the Advisory Committee for the Improvement of Workers' Compensation Laws in South Carolina, where he worked with the legislature to review and revise legislation affecting the state’s workers' compensation system. He is considered one of South Carolina’s pre-eminent attorneys according to peers and Martindale-Hubbell and also was selected by his peers to be included in The Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. Best Lawyers has also named Stan as the “Columbia, SC Best Lawyers Workers' Compensation Law - Employers Lawyer of the Year” for 2012. The “Lawyers of the Year” is a designation awarded within high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”

Sarah W. Guthrie has been with McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC since 2017. She focuses on workers compensation insurance defense. Ms. Guthrie graduated Magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina in 2007 with a B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She then worked as a paralegal before attending the University of South Carolina of Law. While in law school, Ms. Guthrie was a member of Phi Delta Phi and the editorial staff for the ABA Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Journal. Ms. Guthrie graduated and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2013. She is currently an active member of the Richland County Bar Association and the South Carolina Bar Association, serving on the Ethics Advisory Committee and the Law Related Education Committee. She is also a member of the Junior Woman's Club of Columbia and and is serving as President for the 2017-2018 club year.

Sander Sowers represents people in a variety of types of litigation. His practice includes representing individuals in serious personal injury, workers’ compensation, and employment cases, including wage and hour class and collective actions.. Sander is involved in many community activities. Currently, Sander is a member of the Boone County Bar Association, of which he serves as the Young Lawyers Committee Chairperson and the Columbia Chapter of Rotaract. Sander was elected by his peers to serve as the Missouri Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Council District Representative for the mid-Missouri area.. When not practicing law, Sander enjoys many hobbies, including golf, water sports, following the University of Missouri basketball and football teams, and spending time with his family.

Richard L. Montgomery, Jr., founding member of MONTGOMERY LAW, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 1990 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1993 from the University of Missouri. He was admitted to the Bar of the State of Missouri in 1993 and the Bar of the State of Illinois in 2012. His primary area of practice has been workers' compensation defense of employers and insurers throughout the state of Missouri and Illinois, along with a general trial and appellate practice.. Montgomery has previous experience as Managing Attorney of CompLegal, an in-house law firm at Missouri Employers Mutual (MEM), from 2018 to 2022. In this role, he led a team of litigation attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants based across multiple office locations. Montgomery and his team handled and litigated the workers' compensation claims for MEM and its policyholders. Prior to that role, he was founding member and managing partner at Montgomery & Wulff, Attorneys at Law, L.L.C., in 2018, and a founding member and partner in the law firm of Atwill & Montgomery, Attorneys at Law, L.L.C. from 2000 to 2017 in Columbia,. Montgomery is a member of several professional organizations, including the Missouri Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Boone County Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Committee, AM Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys, Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also sat on the Board of Directors for the charitable organization Kid’s Chance, Inc. of Missouri, and the Heart of Missouri United Way. Among his achievements is a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating awarded to only those lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability.

Ramie Shalabi practices personal injury and workers’ compensation law. He was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina by a textile mill worker and a seamstress. He began working at a local grocery store at the age of 14 and has not stopped working since. He later attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science while minoring in Business Administration.. Upon graduation, Ramie attended and earned his Juris Doctorate from one of the top law schools in the southeast – Wake Forest University School of Law. While in law school, Ramie was an editor for the Wake Forest University School of Law Journal of Law and Policy, which is still in publication today. Ramie began his legal career interning at the Richland County Solicitor’s Office before going on to intern at BB&T’s in-house legal department as well as the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.. After earning his law degree, Ramie began working as a full-time prosecutor at the Richland County Solicitor’s Office where he met his current law partner, Curtis Dayson. Ramie spent hundreds of hours before judges in the courtroom prosecuting cases that ranged from property crimes to attempted murder. Ramie’s jury trial skills and confidence in the courtroom were developed as a prosecutor and carries those skills in confidence with him today as he takes on billion dollar insurance companies.. Ramie later began practicing at a local prominent insurance defense law firm representing some of the largest insurance companies in the world. His job used to be to pay as little to injured people as possible to save the insurance company money. He now uses everything he learned from his last job to fight against them to get every penny his injured clients are entitled to under the law.. Ramie stopped representing insurance companies and began representing people that were injured on the job or in motor vehicle accidents for a large law firm in South Carolina before starting his own law firm, Dayson & Shalabi Law Firm. Ramie has recovered millions of dollars for his clients since he began representing people instead of insurance companies. For Ramie, there is no greater feeling than helping a person in need of help. It is his calling in life and he works hard every day to achieve that. There is no greater feeling for Ramie than seeing his clients in a much better position at the end of the case than they were at the beginning.. Ramie currently represents injured individuals from all kinds of different industries – anywhere from construction workers to nurses and teachers – for their car accident cases or workers’ compensation claims. Most recently, Ramie was named one of the 2021 Best Lawyers in America for Workers’ Compensation Law – Claimant’s.

Peter concentrates his practice in workers’ compensation and mediation, representing the rights of injured workers. Peter obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA in 1999. He was commissioned as a Special Agent for the United States Secret Service 2000. Peter was assigned to the New York Field office, and served in both special protective and investigative missions for the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security while he was an agent. Peter returned home to South Carolina to attend law school and received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2007. Peter has represented clients in hundreds of workers’ compensation trials, including appeals before South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court. Peter has argued and litigated all types of disputed workers’ compensation matters, including occupational exposure, repetitive trauma, brain injuries as well as workers’ compensation matters that involve third party liens and subrogation claims. Peter is also a certified Circuit Court Mediator in South Carolina.

Paul is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law. This specialty designation was obtained after Paul was approved to sit for and passed a rigorous exam covering the comprehensive body of Employment and Labor law as it effects South Carolina workers.. Paul handles:. • Wrongful Termination• Discrimination• Sexual Harassment and Assault (on behalf of employees and members of the public)• Business Disputes• Tort Litigation• Whistleblower Retaliation• Appellate Law• Governmental Liability. Paul has argued appeals before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of South Carolina, and Court of Appeals for South Carolina.. Paul has tried employment law and other cases to a jury verdict in South Carolina state and federal courts.

Our firm handles many types of cases, but I like helping people to get their affairs in order (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills). I also like helping people to navigate the probate system (administration of estates, guardianships, and conservatorships.) If I can't help, I try to point people in the right direction.

One of the reasons I chose to become a lawyer is to help people with their problems. I have assisted only plaintiffs and claimants my entire legal career and I am proud of that. I have three children and one grandson. I graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina in May 1990, with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and received my J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1994. I was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November 1994. After joining Army ROTC at the University of South Carolina during my undergraduate studies, I was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Reserves in 1990 and served for 21 years before retiring as a Major in August 2011. I was assigned to the 108th Training Division at Fort Jackson, South Carolina for the first 10 years of my career before switching to the 12th Legal Support Organization as a judge advocate for the last 11 years of my military career at Fort Jackson, South Crolina. I am a member of the South Carolina Association for Justice, the Injured workers' Advocates, the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Educational Association, and the Richland County Bar Association. I have enjoyed speaking engagements as an attorney over the years ranging from career days as local middle and high schools, to presenting at University of South Carolina law school classes, as well as presentations for workers' compensation seminars sponsored by the National Business Institute, the South Carolina Bar Association, and the Richland County Bar Association.. Any result our firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.

Natalie helps families protect their assets from the devastating cost of long-term care.  Over the last two decades, Natalie has worked with nursing homes and their patients, fighting the beleaguered and complex government process of securing benefits for seniors - a process which can cause unnecessary frustration for families in their greatest time of need. Natalie's firm, Senior-Legal, is the solution. Natalie will ensure that your family has the legal tools to protect your lifetime savings from long-term care costs, all while accessing government benefits available to help pay those expenses. Senior-Legal provides today's solutions to protect tomorrow.

Mr. Milling handles civil litigation, corporate litigation, criminal defense, white collar criminal defense and appeals in all South Carolina state and federal courts. He is a former criminal prosecutor and is a CJA Panel attorney for the District of South Carolina and Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Milling is a member of the South Carolina Bar and licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, DC Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Michael Jeffcoat, the visionary behind The Jeffcoat Firm Injury Lawyers, commenced his legal career after earning a B.A. in Political Economy and Philosophy from Wofford College in 1994. Following this, he pursued a Juris Doctor degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating in 1997. During law school, Jeffcoat honed his skills through participation in Moot Court and clerkships in U.S. Attorney's Offices in Columbia and Seattle, as well as the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.. Although he initially defended corporations in environmental regulatory matters at a prominent Columbia law firm, Jeffcoat's passion for advocating for the injured led him to establish his plaintiff's personal injury practice in 1999. What began as a solo venture has transformed into The Jeffcoat Firm, a distinguished law firm in Columbia, SC, that has recovered millions for clients.. Jeffcoat's transition from defending corporations to championing the rights of the injured reflects a commitment to justice. The firm's growth, marked by the addition of talented lawyers and a widening scope, speaks to The Jeffcoat Firm's unwavering dedication to clients and its impressive track record in securing favorable outcomes. Michael Jeffcoat's journey underscores not only his evolution as a plaintiff's lawyer but also the enduring pursuit of justice for those harmed by the negligence of others.

Matthew Kunka is a Owner and CEO at Kunka Law, LLC, he is a licensed member in good standing with Maryland's Bar and the United States Federal Bar. Mr. Kunka distinguished himself at Gettysburg College where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Political Science and played college football.. Directly following college, Mr. Kunka continued his education at the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. While in his third year of law school Mr. Kunka worked as a Rule-16 (law students trying cases in court) in the Broward County Public Defender’s Office. Mr. Kunka continued his distinguished professional career working as an Assistant Public Defender in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. As an Assistant Public Defender, Mr. Kunka provided a vigorous and aggressive defense for those in need of criminal counsel. He handled a wide variety of criminal matters and developed an outstanding reputation for providing his clients with aggressive and effective representation.. After investing years aggressively defending Maryland's less fortunate defendants at the Public Defender's Office, Mr. Kunka elected to advance his career by opening his own office for the practice of law focusing primarily on helping criminal defendants. As a private attorney, Mr. Kunka successfully defended a large number of defendants ranging from major felonies and serious crimes to DUI and related traffic matters. Mr. Kunka worked diligently to garner his reputation as an excellent and committed trial attorney. Many attorneys will routinely take the easy way out and automatically accept a plea agreement. While in some instances a plea agreement may be beneficial to a criminal client, Mr. Kunka prefers to try the case and will only recommend a plea if he believes all other alternatives are exhausted and that such an avenue is clearly in the best interest of the client.. After having represented numerous client in all walks of life and for all types of criminal matters ranging from felony to misdemeanor, Mr. Kunka has decided to focus his trial talent specifically on the defense of DUI cases throughout Maryland. He felt that his well honed trial skills would be best utilized to help individuals accused of various alcohol related matters.. In 2024, to better serve his clients neds Mr. Kunka opened Kunka Law LLC, where he is the owner. Mr. Kunka has 2 office locations one in Columbia and one in Glen Burnie. He handles matters in most jurisdictions in Maryland.

Luke Shealey graduated from The University of South Carolina with a B.A. in 2001. After clerking for two years at a major Columbia law firm Luke decided to pursue the practice of law. Mr. Shealey graduated law school in Boston, Massachusetts from the New England School of law. While there he was elected to the Student Bar Association and invited to write for one of the school’s several journals.. In 2006 Luke moved back to Columbia, SC and began working as an Assistant Public Defender, where he would diligently represent indigent clients on criminal cases for almost seven years. Mr. Shealey was a tireless advocate for his clients, and for the majority of his time as a public defender he represented only the most serious crimes. Mr. Shealey has taken countless cases to trial with exceptional results, earning an uncanny amount of not guilty verdicts to include murder, all levels of assault, domestic violence, kidnapping and driving under the influence cases. Luke was a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, GA in 2008, and in 2012 he taught trial advocacy to the inaugural class of the South Carolina Defense College. In 2013 Mr. Shealey was appointed to his first death penalty case. He and the other team members were tasked with literally trying to save this man from execution by the State of South Carolina. In 2015 Mr. Shealey and the other members of the team were able to secure a life sentence for their client. Mr. Shealey has trained in the Colorado Method of Captial Voir Dire at the Colorado School of Law and also in death penalty defense at the Santa Clara University School of Law. Mr. Shealey is a member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and active within his community. Mr. Shealey strives to provide powerful representation, and his vast courtroom experience allows him to achieve maximum results for his clients.. Mr. Shealey is admitted to practice in all South Carolina State and Federal Courts.

Julie Carrell Heffington has been with the firm Tisher, Wolaver, Free, Carter & Lynn, PLLC since the firm was founded in February 2015. Prior to the new firm being established, Julie was an associate with Tisher & Wolaver, PLLC, beginning in 2014 after her move back to the Columbia area from a firm based in Franklin, Tennessee. Julie’s practice focuses on insurance litigation, divorce, adoption, property disputes, as well as wills and estates.. Julie received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Nashville School of Law in December 2013 and was admitted to the practice of law in April 2014. As part of her honors, she was elected by her professors as recipient of the esteemed Moot Court award for outstanding presentation and performance in the courtroom.. Prior to attending law school, Julie earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Middle Tennessee State University. She enjoyed a long career as a Registered Nurse, working approximately fourteen years with Maury Regional Medical Center in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Recovery, Pediatrics as well as other specialties within the hospital. She remains licensed in the State of Tennessee and active in promotion of the nursing profession.. When asked how being a nurse and a lawyer are different, Julie explains that they are actually very similar in that a person is coming to you in their time of need, not knowing what to expect – whether it is surgery or a lawsuit – and your job as both a nurse and lawyer is to help them navigate through the process, making the journey as easy as possible. Because of her unique educational background, Julie has a true understanding of legal issues that involve medical components.. As stated above, part of Julie’s practice is devoted to adoption, which is very near and dear to her heart due to the fact that she became a mother through the process of adoption – both international and domestic. Julie’s daughters, Anna and Isabell, were adopted from Russia and her son, Alex, was adopted within the state.. Julie is admitted to practice in both State and Federal Court.. Julie is part of the following associations and memberships:. Maury County Bar Association. Maury County Young Lawyers Division. Tennessee Bar Association. American Bar Association. Tennessee Nurses Association. American Nurses Association. Kiwanis International

Joseph “Joe” Wideman, Jr., joined the Atkins Law Firm in the spring of 2019. Prior to coming to Atkins Law Firm, Joe spent roughly three years with one of the Carolinas’ leading workers’ compensation defense firms representing businesses and insurance companies. It didn’t take Joe long to realize that he wanted to make the switch to representing injured workers. It’s among the best decisions he has ever made. Joe has found a niche where he can use his knowledge and drive to help people who have been hurt on the job and feels blessed to have the opportunity to put his talents to use.. Joe was born and raised in Belton, South Carolina and comes from a long-line of working-class folks. From a young age, Joe has always been very competitive and very driven. He also strongly believes in the power of paying it forward. Joe cites his parents and many strong mentors in his life for giving him the tools necessary for success. The first male in his family to attend college, Joe played Division I football and was a team captain for two years while at Presbyterian College “PC”. Joe graduated from PC in 2013 with a major in Business Management and Accounting. Since graduating from PC, Joe continues to serve his alma mater and currently is a member of the Young Alumni Board and holds a board position for the Midlands Alumni Chapter here in Columbia. After graduating from PC, Joe pursued his legal education at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he graduated in 2016. While in law school, Joe proudly served as President of the Honorable Matthew J. Perry Chapter of the Black Law Student Association “BLSA”. He also served as the National Financial Secretary for the National Black Law Student Association “NBLSA”. He spends a lot of his free time mentoring others as a way to give back to the community.. When he isn’t practicing law or volunteering, Joe is a fitness fanatic! He spends much of his free time working out or competing. When Joe isn’t at the gym, he enjoys cooking and spending time with his Fiancée, Antonia, and their two fur-babies, Daisy and LuLu, as well as spending time with friends and family. Perhaps one of his greatest joys is finding a good deal—the man is not afraid to clip a coupon. He also loves sports—especially football.

Jack Leebron grew up in a small western Oklahoma town and many of his values stem from that small town life.  He graduated from Colorado Academy High School in Denver, however, and started college at Colorado State University.  The short college stay was interrupted by an enlistment in the Army in 1968 during the Vietnam conflict.  Jack served with the Special Forces and the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam for a year and a half.  After the service, Jack went back to Southwestern Oklahoma State University from where he graduated.  With a wife and two children at the age of 30, Jack worked his way through Oklahoma City University Law School.  He was in the private practice of law in Oklahoma and Colorado from his graduation from law school in 1982 until he joined Seattle based Regency Pacific, Inc. as General Counsel in 1998.  Since 2003 Jack has been Vice President, Legal Services, of Brookdale Senior Living, a public corporation, in Brentwood, Tennessee.

I was born and raised in Walterboro, South Carolina.  After graduating in 1969 with a BS in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina, I went to the University of South Carolina School of Law, where I earned my Juris Doctorate Degree in 1973.  After graduation from law school, I formed the partnership of Hunter & McWhirter with James Earl Hunter.  Hunter & McWhirter was a general practice law firm with an emphasis on personal injury law.  That same year I was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of the State of South Carolina, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and, later, was admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.. In 1977, I was elected by the Lexington County Bar Association to the position of Public Defender for Lexington County.  The office was formed for the purpose of providing legal representation to indigent criminal defendants, and I held that position for fourteen years.. While working part-time as Public Defender for Lexington County, I continued to build our law practice, and in 1986, formed the firm which became McWhirter & Associates.  At that time, our practice focused on the various areas of personal injury law, including workers' compensation, auto accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability and products liability.  In 1988, we expanded the firm to include an office in Columbia, South Carolina.  Since then, we have added offices in Orangeburg, Sumter, Newberry, Camden and Aiken.. We continue to strive to give the very best legal service to the thousands of clients we have been honored to serve over the past 40 years.. Any result our firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.

I have deep roots in South Carolina.  I am a native South Carolininian and I went to Richland School District One schools.  I grew up on Harden Street right up from Five Points.  I am a dedicated Gamecock, having attended USC for undergrad and law school. I have a soft spot for college students and love to help them avoid getting criminal records that might hurt their bright futures.. Through experience and the National College of DUI Defense, I have become skilled at navigating the law of DUI defense in South Caroina.  I will get you the best possible outcome for your case.. I am proud to represent clients who have been accused of any crime in the South Carolina courts.  You deserve the most effective defense no matter the situation.  We will treat you with compassion and guide you through the complexities of the legal process.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware, where I majored in Criminal Justice and participated in the Honors Program. I later attended the University of Baltimore School of Law where my concentration was litigation and advocacy. I studied under Professor Byron Warnken, who was my instructor for Criminal Law, Constitutional Criminal Procedure I and II. Graduating cum laude and winning an award for academic excellence, I earned my JD while ranking in the top 20% of my class. After participating in the University’s Clinical Program, I became licensed to practice law, serving as a public defender in Baltimore City. While working for the Office of the Public Defender, I also worked in the private sector for Towson attorney Richard Karceski, handling criminal matters. I was admitted to the Maryland Bar in December of 2007. Following law school, I served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph F. Murphy, Jr. When I began my clerkship, Judge Murphy was the Chief Judge of the Maryland Appellate Court. Subsequently, Judge Murphy was appointed to the Supreme Court of Maryland. While working on both courts, I was responsible for conducting legal research and drafting appellate opinions, some of which have been published and now serve as Maryland law.. In 2009, I began working as a prosecutor for the Howard County State's Attorney's Office. I became a skilled trial lawyer by handling a variety of criminal and traffic cases for the State of Maryland.. I established my own practice in 2014, and have defended thousands of clients with a variety of criminal and traffic matters. Getting to know my clients is essential to providing the best representation. Developing that trusting relationship has led to many former clients keeping in touch with me over the years.. As an accomplished defense attorney for over 15 years, I have successfully litigated countless DUIs/DWI cases and criminal matters alleging crimes such as domestic violence, assault, drug possession, theft, and other jailable offenses.

I began my career in the legal services industry in 1983. For over forty years, I have focused on civil litigation. Since 1997, my primary interest has been personal injury litigation. Since 2000, my focus has been on medical malpractice litigation, representing injured patients. I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1985. I graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1988. I have received various professional accolades over the years, including South Carolina Super Lawyers (Plaintiffs Medical Malpractice 2009-2013 and 2015-2025), National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyer Award (2015-2019), National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys Top 10 Attorney Award (2014), and American Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Trial Lawyers Award (2009-2014). I am a Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a Past Member of the American Judicature Society, the American Association for Justice (President's Club), and the South Carolina Association for Justice.

I became a lawyer to help people who have been injured. The only thing worse than a legal problem is a medical problem, and my highest goal is to help my clients obtain the best medical care available in the state of South Carolina. My next goal is to do everything possible to help my clients obtain all of the other benefits they may be entitled to, such as financial compensation, future medical care benefits, and other entitlements.. My wife is a Spanish instructor at the University of South Carolina. We have two young children, and three dogs. We live in West Columbia, South Carolina.