Lawyers in the News

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Attorney Jeffrey T. Stover has joined the law firm of Turner Padget Graham & Laney as an associate. He is based in the Charleston office practicing in the areas of business litigation, intellectual property, product and professional liability.

After obtaining a master of science degree from Clemson University, Stover began his career as an aerospace engineer. Thereafter, he obtained his juris doctor, summa cum laude, from the Charleston School of Law in 2010. While in law school, Stover became a member of the patent bar.

 Mollie Brunworth, a second-year student at the Charleston School of Law, is the winner of the 2010 Washington Legal Foundation’s Freedom and Justice Legal Writing Competition. Her winning essay was entitled, “Proposed Change to Civil Lawsuit Pleading Standard Strays Far From Original Federal Rule.” The essay was a response to the contest question, “How have recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on civil lawsuit pleading standards impacted litigation, and what are the potential implications of congressional efforts to repeal those judicial decisions?”

Brunworth’s essay examined current federal pleading standards, including the Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937 (2009), and Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 444 (2007), and analyzed the impact of pending congressional legislation on these standards.

 Attorney Lucy C. Sanders joined the Foster Law Firm in September as an associate in the Charleston office. Sanders practices labor and employment law.

She graduated cum laude from Furman University in 2005 and magna cum laude from the Charleston School of Law in 2009. Prior to attending law school, Sanders worked for the Children’s Advocacy Department of Greenville Hospital System. During law school, she served as a research editor for the Charleston Law Review and was awarded the Editorial Excellence Award. Sanders was also a member of the moot court competition team, served as a teaching fellow for two legal writing and research classes, and completed over 100 hours of pro bono work.

Sanders served as a law clerk to the Hon. Deadra L. Jefferson of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court.

 Smith Moore Leatherwood attorney Kurt Rozelsky has been named chairman of the Trucking Committee for DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, the international organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. Rozelsky’s term was announced at the DRI annual meeting on Oct. 24 in San Diego.

As chairman, Rozelsky will oversee the committee’s efforts in promoting DRI’s five core values of education, justice, balance, economics and professionalism through the Trucking Law Committee’s bi-annual seminar and all educational projects, including webinars and print materials. He will also be charged with the task of increasing membership in the committee, which is already one of the largest of the 29 DRI committees.

“Kurt Rozelsky has been a tireless advocate for trucking defense for over 15 years,” said Rob Moseley, transportation practice group chair for Smith Moore Leatherwood. “He is a true leader in his field and DRI will benefit greatly from his leadership.”

 Gallivan, White & Boyd has announced that Nicholas A. Farr has joined the firm as an associate. Farr received his bachelor of science degree, magna cum laude, from Clemson University in 2003 and received his masters in comparative religious ethics from Wake Forest University in 2007.  While at Clemson, Farr was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Golden Key International Honor Society.

In 2010, he received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law where he was a member of the Trial Law Academy and participated in the Holderness Moot Court Bench. Farr currently practices in the firm’s insurance practices group, focusing on tort and personal injury litigation and insurance coverage.

 Ellis Lawhorne’s Breon C. M. Walker has been named to the executive committee of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association. Walker joins Ellis Lawhorne shareholder A. Johnston Cox on the 32-member committee, which is composed of attorneys from across the state.

Walker is a member of the firm’s litigation and dispute-resolution practice group, where she focuses her practice on motor-vehicle liability, premises liability, product liability and commercial litigation.

Prior to joining the firm, Walker practiced in both the civil and criminal divisions of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General. She earned her bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina Honors College and her juris doctor from Emory University School of Law in 2003.

Walker is a member of the South Carolina Bar and the Richland County Bar Association.

 Former South Carolina House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tem Harry F. Cato has contracted with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to advise the firm’s government-relations clients and expand its practice. Cato served in the S.C. House from 1991 through November 2010, representing District 17 in Greenville County.

“Harry Cato’s extensive knowledge of and experience with state government is a major new resource for our firm, and our clients interested in state government will benefit from his wise counsel and strategic advice,” said Nelson Mullins partner David H. Wilkins, chair of the firm’s public policy and international law group.