Lawyers in the News – May 2023

New associations 

Stephen Atkinson has joined D’Alberto, Graham & Grimblsey in West Columbia, where he specializes in representing small to mid-sized business owners who are either selling their business to an outside or internally transitioning ownership to the next generation. 

Kelli Sanders has joined Barnwell, Whaley, Patterson & Helms as the chief operating officer. Based in the Charleston office, she leads all firm operations.  

Brian Critzer has joined Wyche as a litigation associate in the Columbia office, where he will focus on appeals and complex litigation.  

The Greenville office of Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd had added Ayla G. Luers Connor as special counsel. Her practice concentrates on representation of hospital systems and health care providers with medical malpractice and insurance defense claims.  

Nicholas Felix has joined the commercial litigation practice group in the Charleston office of Butler Snow. He represents individual and corporate clients in complex commercial and catastrophic injury matters.  

Trial attorney Deon Tedder has joined Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, where he will focus on personal injury, mass torts and criminal defense work out of the firm’s Mount Pleasant and Columbia offices.  

Law firms 

The merger of Maynard, Cooper & Gale and Nexsen Pruet is complete, with the creation of a national firm now known as Maynard Nexsen. The firm has offices in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Hilton Head/Bluffton and Myrtle Beach, as well as Washington, D.C.  

Employment law firm Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis has moved to new office space in Forest Acres, located at 3700 Landmark Drive in Columbia.  

Butler Snow has expanded its presence with a new office in Huntsville, Alabama. The new office has 23 attorneys, bringing the total number of attorneys to 404 firmwide. 

Anastopoulo Injury Lawyers opened a new office in Orangeburg. Located at 235 Elliot St., the attorneys focus on personal injury, wrongful death and workers’ compensation.  

Promotions 

Six lawyers have been appointed as diversity and inclusion partners at Shumaker, including Laura Johnson Evans in the Charleston office. Evans is a health law national service line leader and health care business sector chair.  

Tim Mercer has been named a partner with Bluestein Attorneys. Mercer is licensed in both New York and South Carolina. He focuses his practice on veterans’ disability.  

Honors 

Moore & Van Allen was recognized as a Global Competition Review 2023 Behavioural Matter of the Year – Americas award winner. The firm received the award for securing complete acquittals in a high-profile U.S. Department of Justice criminal antitrust prosecution of executives in the chicken industry. Attorneys on the winning trial team include John A. Fagg Jr., Frank E. Schall, James P. McLoughlin Jr., Kaitlin M. Price, Catherine R. Prater, Katherin Clarke McDiarmid, Fielding E. Huseth and Alexis T. Narducci.  

The American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation has awarded Baker Donelson the 2023 John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award. In addition to its global pro bono work, the firm was recognized for creating Free Legal Answers in 2010 and its efforts to provide access to legal representation for those experiencing homelessness. FLA is a website on which anyone can receive pro bono legal advice from a volunteer lawyer.  

Professional groups 

Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd partner Mary Caskey has been appointed to the Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law Specialization Advisory Board for the South Carolina Supreme Court. Caskey chairs her firm’s bankruptcy and recovery practice group.