Debbie Durban Partner Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Columbia

Debbie Durban is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Columbia, with 26 years of practice. She earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1999.

Durban focuses her practice on defending employers and providing employment counsel. She is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in Employment and Labor Law and serves on the board of the Labor and Employment Section of the South Carolina Bar. She also serves as a member and chair of the Supreme Court Commission on CLE and Specialization and has been recognized by Best Lawyers.

One of her most memorable matters involved representing an employer who disciplined an employee for displaying a Confederate flag on a jar of barbecue sauce at his desk. The employee sued, claiming national origin discrimination based on his status as a “Confederate American” and arguing the Confederacy never legally rejoined the Union. The district court dismissed the case, the 4th Circuit affirmed and the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari.

She said that by giving good advice, she believes she can be “of service not only to the employer but also its employees.”