Skip to main content

Greenville Business Magazine

Trey Gowdy and Senior Staff Join Nelson Mullins in DC and Greenville Offices

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP and Congressman Trey Gowdy, who most recently represented South Carolina’s 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced the Congressman has joined the Firm effective today, on Jan. 3. Gowdy previously worked at the Firm in 1994 before leaving to join the U.S. Attorney's Office.

“We are very pleased Trey has decided to return to our Firm, and to welcome such outstanding lawyers in Cindy and Sheria,” said James K. Lehman, managing partner of Nelson Mullins. “Trey’s ability to reach across the aisle and relate to individuals in all areas will benefit him greatly as he builds his practice.  Trey is a well-respected leader in the legal community, a consensus builder, and someone we are pleased to call a partner. Our clients will greatly benefit from his presence as he will be a strong advocate for them.” 

Gowdy joins the Firm’s White Collar Defense & Government Investigations team and focuses on internal and government investigations and corporate compliance. He will work primarily from the Greenville and Washington, D.C. offices. Joining the Firm with Gowdy are Cindy Crick, his long-time Chief of Staff, and Sheria Clarke, the former Staff Director at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Crick and Clarke join the Firm as Of Counsel and will work with Gowdy on investigations, litigation, and compliance matters.

“I am very excited to join Nelson Mullins, a firm with a rich, deep, and diverse team of talented attorneys and a reputation for excellence in all facets of the law. Prior to becoming a prosecutor in 1994, I had the privilege of working at Nelson Mullins and have long respected the Firm's commitment to professionalism and excellence. I'm also looking forward to continuing to work with Cindy and Sheria, whose legal acumen and character I deeply respect,” said Gowdy, who announced in 2018 he would return to the practice of law and not seek re-election to Congress.

Gowdy, who became Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in June 2017, also served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee. He previously served on the Education and Workforce Committee and the Ethics Committee as well as chairing the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Gowdy worked on countless significant investigations during his four terms in Congress and gained a national reputation for examining witnesses. He also developed deep and abiding friendships on both sides of the aisle in both the U.S. House and Senate. 

As a former federal prosecutor, Gowdy handled the full range of federal crimes including narcotics trafficking rings, bank robberies, child pornography cases, and the murder of a federal witness. He was awarded the Postal Inspector’s Award for the successful prosecution of J. Mark Allen, one of “America’s Most Wanted” suspects. In 2000, Gowdy was elected Circuit Solicitor (District Attorney) and led an office of 25 attorneys and 65 total employees. During his tenure, he started a Violence Against Women Task Force and a Worthless Check Program, enhanced and expanded Drug Court, and implemented a Drug Mother Protocol designed to assist expectant mothers in breaking the cycle of addiction. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2008 and left prosecution to run for Congress in 2010.  Trey is married to Terri D. Gowdy, a first grade school teacher, and they have two children.

 Crick has served as both deputy chief and chief of staff to Gowdy since 2011 and before that was an assistant solicitor with him in South Carolina. She has first chair trial experience and experience with the scientific and technical issues of complex cases. She spearheaded the Violence Against Women Task Force and co-prosecuted capital cases as well as sexual assault and domestic violence cases. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law (JD, 2002) and Hollins University (BA, 1994). Cindy is married to Lance Crick, a federal prosecutor, and they have a son.

Clarke has worked as an impartial investigator for the House Ethics Committee, as counsel for the House Select Committee on Benghazi, chief counsel for the majority on the House Ethics Committee, and as staff director of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. As staff director, Clarke oversaw one of the largest committees in Congress with the most personnel and one of the largest budgets. Clarke participated in countless investigations and developed a reputation for fairness, integrity, and a unique ability to work across the aisle in an apolitical way. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law (JD, 2006) and Liberty University (BS, 2003). Sheria is married to Jevon Clarke, a real estate professional, and they have three children.

 

The Firm’s White Collar Defense & Government Investigations team has seen significant growth in the past year, most recently with the arrival in the Atlanta office of Nekia Hackworth Jones, who spent 10 years with the U.S. Attorney’s office. Also in 2017, the Firm announced the arrival of Bart Daniel, who was previously U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina; Thomas Ferrigno, who held the position of chief counsel in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Enforcement; Samuel Rosenthal, former chief of the Department of Justice Appellate Section of the Criminal Division; Benton Curtis, a former assistant chief in the Criminal Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice; and Jon Sale, who served as an assistant special prosecutor for the Watergate Special Prosecution Force for the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins has more than 750 attorneys and government relations professionals with 25 offices in 11 states and Washington, DC. For more information on the Firm, visit www.nelsonmullins.com.