Top best Litigation Lawyers in Mount Pleasant | 40 available

Prior to running her own firm, Beth Santilli practiced with Fleet Freeman for several years, eventually becoming his partner. She is an experienced advocate that has helped many clients facing legal challenges in the Lowcountry. She works diligently to draft corporate and estate documents that keep her clients out of court. When litigation is unavoidable, you can rely on her experience and knowledge in the courtroom. She has litigated several civil cases including business disputes, estate disputes and employer/employee matters. She regularly creates business entities and acts as outside corporate counsel. Beth has drafted numerous corporate documents and corporate processes, negotiated business purchases and other settlements, and set up complex business and estate plans. She cares deeply about the community and became Chairperson of the Design Review Board for the Town of Mount Pleasant in order to directly contribute to its progress.. Prior to practicing law, Beth worked for Automatic Data Processing (ADP) in Washington, DC, where she was Senior Director of Product Management for Property & Casualty and Workers’ Compensation insurance products, which gives her a real life insight into the particular needs of businesses. Beth moved to Charleston in 2003 and began helping businesses develop strategic plans to realize their revenue objectives.. Beth, her husband Jonathon, and their two daughters live in Mount Pleasant. Beth is admitted into the Supreme Court of South Carolina and the U.S. District Court of South Carolina.

Ladson F. Howell, Jr., a senior partner at Howell and Christmas, LLC, concentrates his practice in general plaintiffs' personal injury litigation. His practice is concentrated on representing client's seriously injured in automobile and motorcycle wrecks, tractor trailer wrecks, slip and falls, and medical malpractice. He received his J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1993 and his B.A. degree from Wofford College in 1990. He is a former law clerk to the Hon. C. Victor Pyle, Jr., trial judge. He began his practice defending lawsuits and conducting jury trials on behalf of insurance companies before becoming Plaintiffs' counsel and concentrating in real estate. He is a member of the Charleston County and South Carolina Bar Associations, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Charleston County Bar Association, and is President -Elect of the Charleston County Bar Association. He is admitted to the South Carolina Bar and is licensed to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Reported cases include: Moore v. North American Van Lines, 319 S.C. 446, 462 S.E.2d 275 (1995); Walker v. The Bluffs Apartments, 324 S.C. 350, 477 S.E.2d 472 (Ct. App. 1996); Padgett v. Mercado, 341 S.C. 229, 533 S.E.2d 339 (Ct. App. 2000); Hurd vs. Williamsburg County, 353 S.C. 596, 579 S.E.2d 136 (Ct. App. 2003); and Hurd vs. Williamsburg County, 363 S.C. 421, 611 S.E. 2d 488 (2005). The firm's practice areas also include residential and commercial real estate closings, §1031 tax exchanges, real estate agent and broker representation issues, developer and builder services, real estate investor services, title examinations, and title insurance. He is a member of Sertoma International, and attends Hibben United Methodist Church. He has been married to his wife for 15 years, and they have three children, ages 13, 12 and 9.

Katie McElveen is an experienced consumer class action attorney who works tirelessly to provide relief for those who have been seriously wronged.. A native of Charleston, she was a three-sport athlete in high school and was awarded South Carolina’s volleyball player of the year, earning her a scholarship to college.  She was one of the first in her family to obtain a bachelor’s degree.  From a young age, McElveen knew she wanted to be an attorney.. With law school in mind, she joined Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole as a paralegal in 1997, where she gained invaluable experience working on complex and class action litigation.  In 2004, McElveen was accepted as a member of the inaugural class of the Charleston School of Law and served on the executive committee of the Federal Courts Law Review and the student bar association.  During law school, she worked at RPWB part-time and was hired as an associate attorney on the firm’s consumer class action team immediately after graduating law school, cum laude, in 2007.. With her extensive history practicing complex litigation, McElveen enjoys the variety and complexity of the practice.  She is committed to her clients, providing them with empathy and understanding while guiding them through the legal process.. McElveen is married with two children.  Her hobbies include tennis, CrossFit, kayaking, and making wheel-thrown pottery.. Representative Cases. Schreiner, et al. vs. Patriarch Partners LLC, et al.. In January 2014, workers at fire truck manufacturer American LaFrance learned the plant would be closing immediately, and they would not receive any further pay in violation of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.  RPWB negotiated a settlement that provided the workers with the equivalent of a six-week severance package.. Concord West of the Ashley Homeowners’ Association, et al. vs. Julian LeCraw & Company Holdings, Inc., et al. In 2010, the City of Charleston condemned the balconies of the Concord West of the Ashley condominiums due to shoddy construction.  Residents were unable to use their balconies and experienced a multitude of further serious construction defects.  RPWB reached a $22 million settlement for HOA members, enabling the repair of the condominiums to like-new conditions.. The Church of Christ at Azalea Drive, et al. vs. Forest River, Inc., et al.. For several years, a shuttle bus manufacturer failed to properly weigh and label its vehicles. This nationwide warranty class action led to a recall of more than 8,000 buses which improved the safety of the buses commonly used by senior centers, churches, and businesses.

Jerry Evans, a mass torts attorney at RPWB, works to achieve justice on behalf of injured workers and others who have been wronged by corporate conduct.. Born in rural Pickens County, South Carolina, Evans was an accomplished orchestral musician before embarking on a career in law. He earned music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University.  He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996 and joined Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole in 1997 to work on the firm’s national tobacco litigation. In 2002, he began working for RPWB.. Evans is a member of the bar in South Carolina and in the United States Virgin Islands.   He also serves as a foreign legal consultant to several Canadian provinces regarding tobacco litigation.  He is an active member of the American Constitution Society, a progressive law and policy organization.. He is an avid supporter of the performing arts, including the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.  Evans also sits on the Board of Directors of American Voices, a non-profit cultural exchange that fosters the arts in conflict zones.  He is married to Stephen Bajjaly.. Representative Cases. Commissioner Department of Planning & Natural Resources v. Century Alumina Company. For decades, two industrial facilities on St. Croix polluted the island’s aquifer and the surrounding area.  In actions seeking  natural resource damages and remediation, defendants Hess Oil Virgin Islands Company, Hovensa,  Lockheed Martin, Alcoa World Alumina, and St Croix Alumina agreed to pay millions in damages to the government of the Virgin Islands and embark on extensive environmental clean-up that is still on-going.. Catalyst Dust Litigation. Evans represented a group of 80 refinery workers who sued Hess Oil Virgin Islands Company on St. Croix after developing occupational lung disease as a result of being exposed to catalyst dust, which includes heavy metals such as nickel, platinum and cobalt. Following a month-long trial in 2010, the cases were settled just prior to jury deliberations.. Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

James C. Bradley focuses on national litigation to confront unfair and illegal business practices in corporate boardrooms and securities markets.. Jim’s work to represent consumers and other wronged parties pits him against banks, insurance companies and other major corporations with unlimited resources and representation by the best defense firms in the country.. He has extensive experience litigating cases against mutual fund advisors for charging excessive fees to investors. His work has prompted systemic reforms to the quality of financial information circulated to boards of directors and the implementation of fee breakpoints that reduce the percentage of fees investors pay as a fund’s assets grow.. Born and raised in Somers, New York, Jim attended Wake Forest University. An avid musician, he wanted to be the next Bob Dylan. Mr. Dylan never retired, so he went to law school instead.. Jim graduated at the top of his class at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He clerked for the Honorable G. Ross Anderson Jr., a federal judge in the District of South Carolina. In 2000, he began his career with Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole. In 2002, he joined RPWB.. He and his wife, Terry, have three children. The family enjoys camping and other outdoor activities. In his spare time, Jim volunteers as a board member for Carolina Children’s Charity, a non-profit that raises money to help families as they cope with birth defects and childhood diseases.. Representative Cases. Complex Business Disputes. Jim is counsel in Global Communications Inc. v. PDI Communications Inc. et al., in which it is alleged that DirecTV infringed upon key patents that enable the satellite provider to use a single dish unit to broadcast multiple channels throughout each customer’s house.. Mutual Fund Litigation. As fund assets grow, the cost of managing a mutual fund does not increase as exponentially as revenues generated by fees do. Jim serves as counsel in cases on behalf of investors against mutual fund advisors for charging excessive fees. A number of his cases have resulted in settlements to investors, and his work has caused some mutual funds to initiate reforms, including fee breakpoints and better oversight by boards of directors.. Insurance Industry Risk Calculations. Jim is counsel in class action litigation against AIG for its methodology of calculating a company’s risk when determining workers’ compensation premiums. The insurance company used a rolling three-year average of paid claims, but failed to consider the portion of those claims that was ultimately recouped from the at-fault party’s insurance company and other sources.. Securities Markets. Jim is counsel in a proposed class action against seven major banks for allegedly colluding in private chat rooms for years to manipulate prices in the $5 trillion per day forex market, which impacted both spot prices and futures contracts. The case, Teel v. Bank Of America Corporation et al, was filed on behalf of investors who bought foreign currency futures. It is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Elizabeth Middleton Burke uses the law and science to help people injured by pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices and other medical errors.. Burke proudly advocates on behalf of consumers who rely on the pharmaceutical industry for safe and effective treatments. As a member of RPWB’s pharmaceutical and medical device team, she enjoys the challenge of investigating, organizing and litigating science-based cases for the benefit of clients who were not warned about the serious side effects they experienced.. She was born in Hartsville, South Carolina, and grew up in Lake City. As an undergrad, Burke was preparing for medical school when she decided her academic strengths were better suited for law school. She clerked for the Hon. Paula H. Thomas before beginning her career in pharmaceutical litigation at Suggs & Kelly in Columbia. She joined RPWB in 2003.. Many of the cases Burke works are on behalf of female patients who have been seriously injured by prescription medication. Pharmaceutical cases are inherently complicated and involve defendants with tremendous resources at their disposal. Burke has successfully stood up to the world’s largest corporations on behalf of consumers throughout the country.. In addition to pharmaceutical cases, Burke also accepts medical device, medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury cases.. Burke is married and has a daughter. She is active with the Southern Trial Lawyers Association as well as the College of Charleston Alumni Association and Past Presidents Association. She is a parishioner of The Church of the Holy Cross on Sullivan’s Island and enjoys going to the beach as often as possible.. Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

Christopher Tuck has focused his career on representing consumers across the United States in class action litigation. He enjoys the complexity of the practice and the novel issues that can arise in such cases.. Tuck began his career working for the largest plaintiff’s firm in Wisconsin, where he litigated mass tort cases that led to a landmark $1 million verdict in latex allergy litigation that was ultimately affirmed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In 1998, he relocated to South Carolina to assist on the historic governmental tobacco cases, and quickly found his calling in class actions at RPWB.. As part of the consumer class action team, Tuck has worked on a spectrum of class cases that impact diverse areas of the law. This background provides Tuck with a depth of experience to navigate complex legal issues for his clients.. Tuck is married with two children. An avid Green Bay Packers fan, he is always waiting for the next great moment for the Green and Gold.

Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships

A. Hoyt Rowell III is an accomplished litigator with 40 years of experience handling complex cases, including consumer class actions on behalf of hard-working individuals who were harmed through no fault of their own.. Raised in a Navy family, his father was a supply officer who often embarked on two-year tours. Rowell lived in several places, but was primarily raised in Cayce, South Carolina. He graduated near the top of his class at both the University of South Carolina in 1970 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1973.. Following law school, Rowell spent two years clerking for the Honorable Sol Blatt, Jr., who at the time was just beginning what would become an illustrious and distinguished career as a federal judge. Rowell and three other attorneys – Coming Ball Gibbs, Mark Tanenbaum and Foster Gilliard – formed their own firm in 1975 and practiced together for four years.. From 1979 to 1989, he worked as a solo practitioner until a rising mass tort caseload necessitated joining a larger firm with more organizational capacity. He was hired by Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole. In 2002, he joined RPWB.. A history lover, Rowell is especially interested in the Napoleonic wars. He is fascinated by Napoleon’s transformation of Europe and the spread of an egalitarianism of opportunity via the adoption of Napoleonic code and the abolishment of the institutional remnants of feudalism. That notion that everyone is entitled to fairness under the law is a central tenet of Rowell’s legal career.. Rowell has been married to Mary Helen Corder for 45 years. They have two children, Hoyt Rowell IV, and Corder Adele Rowell.. Representative Cases. Dalkon Shield Mass Litigation. Rowell represented approximately 2,500 women in the Dalkon Shield litigation of the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in settlements in excess of $100 million. The intrauterine device used to prevent pregnancies had a serious design flaw that enabled bacteria to spread into the uterus, causing sepsis, miscarriages, serious injury and death.. Louisiana Pacific Wood Siding Class Action. In the 1990s, compressed particle board exterior siding sold by Louisiana Pacific was found to be defective in humid climates due to production and design flaws. When exposed to moisture, the wood would prematurely rot. Rowell was a member of the Plaintiff Steering Committee. In total, 37,000 claims were settled for almost $1 billion.. Wells Fargo/Wachovia “Pick a Payment” Class Action. Wachovia offered customers a program in which they could pick the amount of their mortgage payment, but did not disclose the ramifications of the customer’s choice. In some instances, selecting a particular payment would cause the consumer’s principal to rise. The case settled in 2011 for $50 million.. Foreign Legal Consultant. Rowell is assisting six provinces in Canadian Tobacco Healthcare Cost Recovery Litigation. He serves as a foreign legal consultant for British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.. Areas of Practice. Admissions. Education. Professional Memberships. Journals