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Greenville Business Magazine

Legal Elite of the Upstate 2019

Since 2012, Greenville Business Magazine has honored Greenville attorneys by publishing our Legal Elite feature. This year we highlight the top vote-getters in 25 categories—all voted on by area lawyers—and provide a brief list of other attorneys who were recognized by their peers.

Legal Elite is the only award program in the region that gives every active attorney the opportunity to participate. The methodology is that while attorneys are allowed to nominate members of their own firm, for each in-firm nomination made, there had to be an out-of-firm nomination.

The lists are determined solely by lawyers’ votes from our legal elite nomination form online; places on the list are not for sale. Ballots were tallied and names verified by Greenville Business Magazine staff. Attorneys are not allowed to vote for themselves.

The selections for Legal Elite for 2019 are presented within the following pages and we are pleased to honor them.
Agriculture Law
David Gossett
Nexsen Pruet

David Gossett's leadership and innovative thinking are crucial not only to Nexsen Pruet, but also to many of the clients he represents. In 2015, recognizing that multiple practice groups were already representing agribusiness clients, Gossett mobilized and now chairs the firm's Agribusiness Industry Team. The team includes all disciplines, ranging from permitting, immigration, financing, economic development, and real estate, to name a few. Nexsen Pruet helps represent growers, producers, processing and marketing facilities, and other areas within the sphere of agribusiness. Nexsen Pruet is one of very few firms in the Southeast to have an organized industry team dedicated to the needs of agribusiness clients.

Gossett's law practice is focused on representing lending institutions that provide financing that fuels America's economy, including some of the larger agribusinesses in the country. He recognizes that without a qualified lender, it is practically impossible for businesses to start, grow, or expand. 

Because the very nature of economic development and real estate projects involve some element of risk, his decades of experience help him provide perspective and advice that take the worry out of deals, whether they are asset-based, commercial, or construction and development loans. When a need arises, he can guide clients through workouts and debt restructuring.

Gossett serves on the board of Greenville S.C.'s Artisphere, one of the top-ranked art festivals in America.

Also Recognized for 2019:

Chris King | Chris King Law Firm 

Antitrust Law
Fox Rothschild, LLP
Natalma "Tami" McKnew

Natalma "Tami" McKnew is a partner in the Greenville office of Fox Rothschild, a national law firm. She concentrates her practice in the areas of antitrust, franchising, dealerships, and intellectual property. McKnew has experience litigating antitrust actions under the Sherman Act, Department of Justice antitrust investigations, trademark infringement, franchise disputes, and trade secret misappropriation. She currently represents the American Board of Anesthesiologists in Mannis et al v. American Board of Medical Specialties, American Board of Anesthesiologists, and American Board of Anesthesiologists in the Southern District of California.

McKnew has been active in the Greenville community for decades, including leadership positions with the United Way of Greenville County, The Nature Conservancy, and the Institute for Child Success.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Wade Kolb | Wyche, P.A.

Henry Parr | Wyche, P.A.

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm, LLC

Marguerite Willis | Nexsen Pruet

Banking and Finance Law
LeGrand Law Firm, LLC
Charles D. LeGrand

Charles D. LeGrand is an attorney with LeGrand Law Firm. A lifelong resident of Greenville, he graduated from Winthrop University with a bachelor's degree in 1982 and from Mercer University School of Law with a juris doctor in 1987. After practicing with a larger firm for seven years, he opened LeGrand Law Firm in 1994.

LeGrand focuses his practice on lender representation, real estate, and real estate litigation. He currently serves on the Board of S.C. Bach, the Board of Visitors of the Thornwell Home for Children, the Witness and Service Committee of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and the Board of Governors of the Poinsett Club and its Membership Committee. He was co-author of "Cotenancies," Vol. 6, South Carolina Jurisprudence (1991) and was editor and co-author of "Mortgages," Vol. 27 S.C. Jurisprudence (1996).

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Jim Cassidy | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Liz DeVos | Nelson Mullins

Amber Glidewell | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Eric Graben | Wyche, P.A.

Neil Grayson | Nelson Mullins

John Jennings | Nelson Mullins

Chris King | Chris King Law Firm

Philip Land | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Sam Mabry | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Kathleen McKinney | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Brandon Norris | Burr Forman McNair

Jim Price | Nexsen Pruet

Carroll "Pete" Roe | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Brad Rustin | Nelson Mullins

Harriet Wallace | Turner Padget


Bankruptcy & Creditor's Rights Law
James H. Cassidy
Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Jim Cassidy, one of the founding members of Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A., has been engaged in the general practice of law for 45 years.  Jim received his undergraduate degree from The Citadel in 1971 and law degree from University of South Carolina in 1974. He was certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court in 1993 as a specialist in Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law, and currently serves on The Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization's Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law Specialization Advisory Board.  In addition to serving on the Advisory Board, he previously served as a South Carolina Bar Examiner for Commercial Law. Jim continues to assist local banks and corporate clients in debtor-creditor issues.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Lindsay Carrington | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Weyman Carter | Burr Forman McNair

Cedrick Cunningham | Kinlaw & Cunningham

Lauren Maxwell | US Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina Kevin McCarrell | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Gina McMaster | The McMaster Law Firm

Duffie Powers | Gallivan, White, & Boyd, P.A.

Randy Skinner | Skinner Law Firm

Harriet Wallace | Turner Padget

Rory Whelehan | Whelehan Law Firm, LLC

Marshall Winn | Wyche, P.A.


Business Litigation Law
Doc Morgan
McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Doc Morgan has more than 30 years of litigation experience, primarily focused on personal injury, arson, insurance fraud, bad faith, premises liability, products liability, professional liability, insurance coverage, and transportation and trucking. Over his years in practice, he has tried a substantial number of jury trials and has argued cases before the South Carolina Supreme Court, the S.C. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Because of Morgan's significant litigation experience, he is able to manage client expectations and meet client needs.

When he is not practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, playing golf and watching college basketball and football.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

J.J. Andrighetti | Kehl Culbertson Andrighetti, LLC

Lucas J. Asper | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Adam Bach | Eller Tonnsen Bach, LLC

Steven Buckingham | Law Offices of Steven Buckingham

Miles Coleman | Nelson Mullins

John R. Devlin Jr. | Devlin & Parkinson, P.A.

Steven Farrar | Fox Rothschild

Josh Hudson | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Sam Outten | Nelson Mullins

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm, LLC

L. Lee Plumblee | Eppes and Plumblee, P.A.

Kirsten Small | Nexsen Pruet

Josh Smith | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Rivers Stilwell | Nelson Mullins

Tom Traxler | Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers & Traxler, P. A.

Zachary Weaver | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

William "Billy" Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet

Bo Williams | McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Burl Williams | Nexsen Pruet


Commercial Real Estate Law
William B. Swent
Fox Rothschild, LLP

William B. Swent is a partner in the Greenville office of Fox Rothschild, LLP, a national law firm with 950 attorneys working in 60-plus practice areas. His practice is transactional, with a focus on real estate assets. Swent has significant experience representing borrowers, lenders, tenants, landlords, purchasers, sellers, and developers in a wide variety of circumstances. He regularly prepares loan documents for institutional and private lenders in sophisticated, real estate-secured contexts, and assists commercial borrowers with broader development challenges.

A skilled draftsman and negotiator, Swent also handles administrative matters, such as zoning actions, governmental incentives, and interaction with municipal planning staff. He also offers acumen in commercial leasing, shopping centers and condominium development, and litigation of property disputes. 

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as a submarine officer, Swent is a Naval Academy graduate and obtained his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is actively involved in his community and his church.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Adam Artigliere | Burr Forman McNair

Erin Culbertson | Kehl Culbertson Andrighetti, LLC

Amber Glidewell | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Brad Gower | Nelson & Galbreath

Michele Lyerly | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Megan O'Neill | Wyche, P.A.

Brian Price | Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Meg Scoopmire | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Lindsey Smith | Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

John Walker | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Jim Warren | Nexsen Pruet


Construction Law
Geoff Gibbon
McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Geoff Gibbon was born and raised in Spartanburg. He and his wife Kristen have a daughter Sloane and two sons, Rett and Cam. Gibbon graduated from Auburn University in 2004 with a degree in finance and then attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, receiving his juris doctor in 2007. He started clerking for McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC in law school and has been with them ever since.

Gibbon's practice focuses on defending a variety of civil matters, including construction defect cases, car accidents, premises liability cases, and trucking cases. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and also serves on the Board of Directors for the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys' Association and currently serves as editor of its publication The DefenseLine. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, playing golf, watching college football, and spending time with his wife and kids.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Jay Anthony | The Anthony Law Firm, P.A.

Cynthia B. Brown | Harper, Lambert & Brown, P.A.

Tom Coker | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

John Crawford | Kennison, Dudley & Crawford, LLC

Robert deHoll | Fox Rothschild, LLP

John R. Devlin Jr. | Devlin & Parkinson, P.A.

Kyle Dillard | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

L. Franklin Elmore | Elmore Goldsmith, P.A.

Batten Farrar | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Mason A. Goldsmith, Jr. | Elmore Goldsmith, P.A.

Stokely Holder | Holder, Padgett, Littlejohn & Prickett

N. Ward Lambert | Harper, Lambert, & Brown, P.A.

Duffie Powers | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Lee Prickett | Holder, Padgett, Littlejohn & Prickett, LLC

William Wilson | Wyche, P.A.


Consumer Products/Retail Law
Sam Outten
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Sam Outten represents clients in trying complex, high-value cases to verdict across a variety of practice areas including professional malpractice, commercial litigation, product liability, and patent infringement. His appellate experience includes lead briefing responsibility and oral argument. He has been recognized by Chambers USA, SuperLawyers, and Best Lawyers in America. He is certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys for legal malpractice.

Outten is a past president of the S.C. Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a past president of the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys Association, and has served on the board of directors of DRI. He is also a past chair of the Professional Liability Committee of the International Association of Defense Counsel, and served as chair of the Professional Liability Roundtable for two years. Outten earned his juris doctor from the University of South Carolina in 1985.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

William Brown | Nelson Mullins

Natalie Ecker | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Cory Patterson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Rodney Pillsbury | Pillsbury Law Firm, LLC

David Rheney | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Inez Tenenbaum | Wyche, P.A.

Genevieve Mendes Weaver | Clardy Law Firm


Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Matthew B. Edwards
Thomas Fisher Sinclair & Edwards, P.A.

Matt Edwards is a shareholder with the law firm of Thomas Fisher Sinclair & Edwards, P.A. and concentrates his practice in the areas of taxation, business formations and commercial law, complex estate planning, probate and trust law, business sales, mergers and acquisitions, and non-profit/charities law. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he served on the Law Review and Moot Court Bar, and received several awards (including the CALI Award for Professional Responsibility and Fiduciary Administration). 

Edwards received his master of laws in taxation degree from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law. He is a certified specialist in estate planning and probate law as recognized by the S.C. Supreme Court. Edwards is also an Eagle Scout, a member of the S.C. Bar and Greenville County Bar, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors on the Greenville Estate Planning Council. 

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Eric Amstutz | Wyche, P.A.

Robert August | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Todd Davidson | Nexsen Pruet

Melinda Davis-Lux | Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Henry Gallivan | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Eric Graben | Wyche, P.A.

John Jennings | Nelson Mullins

Lee Kiser | Nelson Mullins

David Merline, Jr. | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm, LLC

Bo Russell | Nelson Mullins

Frank Williams | Fox Rothschild, LLP


Criminal Law (TIE)
Beattie B. Ashmore
Beattie B. Ashmore Attorney at Law

Beattie Ashmore has been practicing law in South Carolina for more than 33 years. Having grown up in Greenville, he is particularly proud to be a member of the Greenville County Bar Association. He has had cases in state and federal courts all over South Carolina and in a handful of other states, and Greenville attorneys are widely respected for their outstanding collegiality and professionalism. Two of our Supreme Court Justices are from Greenville, acknowledging the respect of Greenville attorneys from across South Carolina. There is no place Ashmore would rather live, raise a family, and practice law.

Daniel J. Farnsworth, Jr.  
Farnsworth Law Offices, LLC

After earning his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1994, Dan Farnsworth served as a law clerk for Circuit Judge Jackson V. Gregory of the 14th Judicial Circuit in Beaufort. Farnsworth then accepted a position as an assistant solicitor with the 13th Judicial Circuit, where he prosecuted violent crimes, drug cases, and DUI charges, along with managing the Solicitor's Office court docket.  

In 1996 he began his private law practice and also defended cases for the Greenville County Public Defender's Office, including the defense of his first murder case in December of 1997 in which he won a not-guilty verdict for his client. After several years practicing law in Greenville, Farnsworth returned to Virginia, where he was raised, and established his second law office in rural Virginia. There he served two terms as president of the Tenth Circuit Bar Association and consecutive terms on the Board of Governors for the Virginia State Bar General Practice Section.  

Since returning to the Upstate full time in 2006, Farnsworth has focused on cases involving nursing home neglect and abuse, wrongful death and traumatic injuries, and police misconduct claims. He has been selected as a National Top 100 Trial Lawyer and has won verdicts in excess of millions of dollars for his clients.   

During his 25 years of practice, Farnsworth has earned distinction at the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law, has served for over a decade as a hearing officer on the S.C. Bar Association's Fee Dispute Board, and has brought new lawyers along through the S.C. Supreme Court's Lawyer Mentor Program.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

James Bannister | Bannister Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Jennifer Barwick | Clawson & Staubes, LLC

Ryan L. Beasley | Ryan Beasley Law

Bill William I. Bouton | Wilkins & Bouton, LLC

Bill Coates | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Parry DeLoach | The Law Offices of Perry B. DeLoach, Jr., LLC

Monty D. Desai | The Carolina Law Group, LLC

Frank Eppes | Eppes and Plumblee, P.A.

Jake Erwin | Jake Erwin, Attorney at Law

Alex Kornfeld | Law Office of Alex Kornfeld

Lucas Marchant | Marchant Law Firm

Nihar M. Patel | The Carolina Law Group, LLC

Jack Riordan | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Steve Sumner | Sumner Law Firm

Samuel Tooker | David R. Price, Jr., P.A.

Marcelo Torricos | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

William "Billy" Wilkins | Nexsen Pruet

Education Law
Wyche, P.A.
J. Theodore "Ted" Gentry

For over two decades, Ted Gentry has focused his practice on the unique and varied issues faced by educational institutions. He has counseled a number of colleges, graduate schools, and secondary schools on matters ranging from compliance with federal law and advice on public relations to disputes with students, alumni, and faculty. Gentry is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and serves on the Board of the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

Gentry also has extensive appellate experience, having argued cases before the S.C. Court of Appeals, the state Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been listed in S.C. Super Lawyers since 2007 and has been named one of the Top 25 lawyers in South Carolina by Super Lawyers since 2016. He was named 2018 Appellate Lawyer of the Year for Greenville by Best Lawyers.

Also Recognized for 2019:

Jim Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Kevin Dunlap | Parker Poe

Jack Griffeth | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Steve Henry | Stephen John Henry LLC

Zandra Johnson | The Z Law Firm

Wade Kolb | Wyche, P.A.

Kimaka Nichols-Graham | SC Legal Services

Dick Riley | Nelson Mullins


Energy/Utilities Law
Luke Burke
Bannister Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

As an associate at Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, Luke Burke's main area of practice is Civil Litigation, with a primary focus on Business Litigation, Eminent Domain / Right-of-Way Acquisition, and Family Law.

In 2011, Burke graduated with honors from the University of South Carolina School of Law and became a member of the South Carolina Bar. During his time at USC, he was a distinguished member of the South Carolina Law Review, Order of the Coif, and Order of Wig and Robe.

Burke received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2002, and held a position as a software engineer and developer for several years before entering law school.

A Chicago native, Burke relocated to Greenville in 2006 after observing the exciting revitalization occurring in the Upstate. He and his wife, Megan, currently reside in Taylors with their daughter and enjoy taking advantage of the many outdoor festivals and fine cuisine Greenville has to offer.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Bruce Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Jim Cox | Wyche, P.A.

Lane Davis | Nelson Mullins

Dan Eller | Eller Tonnsen Bach, LLC

Matthew Richardson | Wyche, P.A.

Rivers Stilwell | Nelson Mullins

Danny White | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.


Environmental Law
Joseph O. Smith
Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Joseph O. Smith focuses his practice on helping businesses and individuals solve issues in litigation. He advocates for clients in both state and federal court at the trial and appellate levels in business disputes, trade secrets and unfair competition cases, employment matters, and environmental litigation. Josh's varied environmental experience includes handling matters arising under the Administrative Procedure Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (aka Superfund), Clean Water Act, and state Pollution Control Act. 

In addition, Smith works with clients outside the courtroom to implement strategies and practices to avoid litigation. He advises businesses and individuals on various employment, contract, and business-related matters and negotiates with environmental regulators and potential adversaries to resolve disputes before they reach the courthouse.

Super Lawyers has recognized Smith as a Rising Star in business litigation every year since 2014. Greenville Business Magazine has deemed him one of the Upstate's Legal Elite in environmental law each year from 2012 to present. Over the past several years, the publication has also recognized Smith as among the Upstate's Legal Elite for business litigation as well.     

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Rita Barker | Wyche, P.A.

Michael Corley| SC Environmental Law Project

Robert deHoll | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Greg English | Wyche, P.A.

Gene McCall | McCall Environmental

Ryan Trail | Williams Mullen


Family Law
Reid T. Sherard
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Reid Sherard handles a multitude of family court matters, including divorce, contested custody, complex financial issues, international jurisdictional disputes, and premarital and postnuptial agreements. He has deep litigation and appellate experience, having tried a number of cases in a variety of courts and argued 10 appeals. He dedicates a significant amount of time each year to pro bono matters, and is a certified family court mediator. This is the fourth consecutive year his peers have recognized him as the top attorney vote-getter for Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite.  

He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and South Carolina Super Lawyers (Top 25 in the state for both 2017 and 2018, regardless of practice area), and enjoys the AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and received both the Distinguished Honors Alumni award from the University of South Carolina Honors College and the UofSC School of Law's Compleat Lawyer Award (Silver). He currently serves as treasurer of the Greenville County Bar Association, and previously served as president of the board of directors of A Child's Haven. 

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Tripp Atkins | Atkins Law Firm, P.A.

Bruce Bannister | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Lynn Barrett | Barrett MacKenzie, LLC

Jennifer Barwick | Clawson & Staubes LLC

Megan Burke | Law Offices of Megan Goodwin Burke

Jessica Christophillis | Christophillis & Gallivan, P.A.

Joy Davis | White, Davis, and White Law Firm, P.A.

Amanda Gallivan | Christophillis & Gallivan, P.A.

Tim Madden | Nelson Mullins

Elizabeth McCool | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Danielle Mitchell | Mitchell Ramseur, LLC

Joseph Ramseur, Jr. | Mitchell Ramseur, LLC

Carlyle Steele | C. Carlyle Steele

Lauren Taylor | Lauren Taylor Law

Tom Traxler | Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers & Traxler, P.A.

Robert W. Wilkins | Wilkins & Bouton, LLC

Amos Workman | Wyche, P.A.


Government Relations Law
David H. Wilkins
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Ambassador David Wilkins is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP and chairs the Public Policy and International Law practice group with a special focus on U.S.- Canada interests. He proudly served as U.S. ambassador to Canada from June 2005 to January 2009, appointed by President George W. Bush.

Since returning home from Canada, Wilkins spent six years chairing the Clemson University Board of Trustees and remains an active member of that board. Throughout his career, he has served on numerous corporate and civic boards and currently serves on the board of United Community Bank, Inc. and Upstate Warrior Solution. 

In 2010, then Governor-elect Nikki Haley tapped Wilkins to chair her government transition team. First elected in 1980, Wilkins served 25 years in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was elected speaker in 1994, a position he held for 11 years until he resigned from it to accept his ambassadorship post. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the state's highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto. 

Also Recognized for 2019: 

John R. Devlin Jr. | Devlin & Parkinson, P.A.

Brad Love | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Ted Riley | Riley Pope & Laney, LLC

Al Robinson | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Amy Snyder | Clawson & Staubes LLC

Logan Wells | Greenville City Attorney's Office

Kyle White | White, Davis, and White Law Firm, P.A.

Robert W. Wilkins | Wilkins & Bouton, LLC


Health Care Law
Fred W. Suggs III
Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Fred W. "Trey" Suggs III graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., with a bachelor of arts in English in 1999, and earned his juris doctor at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2002. He is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the Supreme Court of South Carolina.

While he began his practice with a larger South Carolina firm in 2002, Suggs joined Roe Cassidy Coates & Price in Greenville in 2005. He became a partner in 2009. His areas of practice include medical malpractice, professional malpractice, and commercial and personal injury litigation. He makes regular appearances in South Carolina circuit courts and has tried cases to juries across the Upstate. He has also argued successfully in the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

Suggs is a member of the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys' Association Board of Directors. He is a past chair of the medical malpractice subcommittee for the SCDTAA. He is also a member of the S.C. Bar Association, the Greenville County Bar Association, and the Upstate Inns of Court. He has been active with the S.C. Bar for 15 years. He is a former president of the Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, as well as a former member of the Board of Governors and the House of Delegates. He was a member of the Bar Foundation Grants Committee and the chair of the Young Lawyers Division's Foundation Board of Directors. Suggs is also involved in the Greenville community, where he serves on the United Ministries Board of Directors.  He also serves as a deacon at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Harvey Cleveland | Bon Secours St. Francis

Kelly Jolley | Kelly Jolley Law Group, LLC

Sandy Miller | Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

E. Brown Parkinson Jr. | Devlin & Parkinson, P.A.

Clark Price | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Sally Purnell | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Meghan Riordan | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Steve Snyder | Savis Snyder & Williford

Matt Utecht | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

David Williford | Davis, Snyder, Williford & Lehn, P.A.


Hospitality and Tourism Law
Rob D. Corney
Gallivan White Boyd

Rob Corney is a partner at Gallivan White Boyd's Greenville office, where he focuses his practice on the defense of various civil matters including tort, negligence, and premises liability actions. He has represented a wide variety of clients over the years from private citizens to multinational corporations, but he focuses a large portion of his efforts on the defense of companies in the hotel, retail, and restaurant industries. Corney is an experienced trial lawyer with a track record of success presenting cases to juries throughout the state. He serves on the Board of PlaySafe, a nonprofit providing certified athletic trainers to public schools.

Corney and his wife have three daughters and are members of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. He is a graduate of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce's Opportunity Greenville and Pulse Pacesetters programs and was named to Greenville Business Magazine's Best & Brightest 35 and Under for 2018. 

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Thomas Bright | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Deidre Dixon | Wyche, P.A.

Josh Lonon | Wyche, P.A.


Insurance Law
Elizabeth M. McMillan
McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Beth McMillan grew up in Bishopville and attended Furman University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She received a juris doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  McMillan's practice focuses on professional liability defense, coverage and bad faith, healthcare malpractice, business litigation, employment law, products liability, securities litigation, and general litigation.

McMillan has extensive experience in trial work and has tried and arbitrated numerous cases in the in the areas of professional liability, products liability, construction, business litigation, warranty defense, and personal injury defense work. She has also represented and consulted with numerous companies regarding employment issues and litigation. 

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Robert Corney | Gallivan, White, & Boyd, P.A.

Nick Farr | Gallivan, White, & Boyd, P.A.

Beth McMillan | McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Ross B. Plyler | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Phil Reeves | Gallivan, White, & Boyd, P.A.

Jack Riordan | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Amy Snyder | Clawson & Staubes, LLC

Trey Still | Clawson & Staubes, LLC

Jeanmarie Tankersley | Clawson & Staubes, LLC

Eric Tonnsen | Eller Tonnsen Bach, LLC

Bill Young | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.


Intellectual Property and Innovation Law
Tim F. Williams
Dority and Manning, P.A.

Within a few months of being admitted to the South Carolina Bar Association, Tim Williams tried his first case to jury in 1995. Originally a chemical engineer, Williams applied for law school after watching attorneys try a case in Texas, where he was attending graduate school. He began his career in Columbia with a firm that guaranteed trial experience, and Williams has since tried more than 50 cases to verdict in matters including criminal law, products liability, personal injury, and intellectual property.

Williams became interested in intellectual property law because it required the application of both technical and legal skills. In over 20 years of practice, he has enjoyed working with clients on matters ranging from automobile accidents to plasma fields, train derailment to tire design, and construction defects to data encryption. As a shareholder and patent attorney at Dority & Manning, Williams currently assists clients with obtaining and protecting intellectual property, including related litigation.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Neil Batavia | Dority & Manning, P.A.

Thomas Epting | Fox Rothschild LLP

Hunter Freeman | Burr Forman McNair

John Glancy | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Wallace Lightsey | Wyche, P.A.

Douglas Lineberry | Burr Forman McNair

Ben Mullinax | J. Bennett Mullinax, LLC

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm, LLC

Tim St. Clair | Parker Poe

Thomas Vanderbloemen | Vanderbloemen Law Firm, P.A.


International Law
Garrett D. Steck
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

Garrett D. Steck represents multinational corporations, health care facilities, universities and colleges, and small businesses in facilitating the movement of key executives, management, and technical personnel and their family members in and out of the United States by successfully obtaining and maintaining temporary and permanent employment-based visas. Steck provides advice and counsel to clients on employment compliance issues, including I-9 investigations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, and with employment matters related to new foreign investment and the related impacts to a foreign workforce associated with mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring efforts.

Steck also advises clients with foreign sourcing, international financing, and customs compliance, specifically involving the International Traffic in Arms Regulation and Export Administration Regulations as they apply to the regulation and licensing of noncitizen nationals.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Ann Louise Cauble | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Bill Pitman | Pitman Law Firm

Jay Rogers | Nelson Mullins

Joseph Rohe | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Weston White | Eller Tonnsen Bach, LLC

Marshall Winn | Wyche, P.A.


Labor and Employment Law
W. Andrew "Andy" Arnold
Horton Law Firm

W. Andrew "Andy" Arnold was born and raised in the Upstate before graduating from Furman University in 1989 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1992. After working for a management side labor law firm for two years, he opened his own employment litigation practice in 1994. Since then, Arnold has continued to practice employment litigation representing mostly individuals and has represented clients in employment law matters before the S.C. Court of Appeals, S.C. Supreme Court, and U.S. District Court Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Arnold joined the Horton Law Firm in 2016, where he represents clients in employment law matters, business litigation, and nursing home abuse and neglect cases.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Courtney Atkinson | Metcalfe & Atkinson, LLC

Ashley Cuttino | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Jeff Dunlaevy | Dunlaevy Law Firm

William Foster | Littler Mendelson P.C.

Chris Gantt-Sorenson | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Jack Griffeth | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Phillip Kilgore | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Stephanie E. Lewis | Jackson Lewis

Camden Massingil | Wyche, P.A.

Charles McDonald | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

John Merrell | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Brian Murhpy | Stephenson and Murphy

John Perkins | Perkins Law Firm, LLC

Tom Stephenson | Stephenson and Murphy

Jeremy Summerlin | Horton Law Firm, P.A. 

Stephen Woods | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Personal Injury Law
J. Matthew Whitehead
The Carolina Law Group, LLC

Matt Whitehead is an experienced civil litigator and trial attorney, having represented numerous individuals of diverse backgrounds, local businesses, local government, and some of the nation's largest corporations in both state court and federal court. Whitehead joined The Carolina Law Group several years ago to focus almost exclusively on personal injury and complex litigation matters. He has handled personal injury litigation throughout the state and routinely represents clients in catastrophic loss and wrongful death cases.

 A Hartsville native, Whitehead attended the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, graduating with a degree in business management. He then went on to the UofSC School of Law, where he served on the Law Review. After graduating in 2005, Whitehead moved to Greenville to begin his career as a litigation attorney.  

Whitehead is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the S.C. Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys and has completed the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys' Association's Trial Academy. He was also named one of South Carolina's Rising Stars Super Lawyers in 2017 for personal injury, as well as one of Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite in personal injury the past four years. This is the second year Whitehead has received the most votes in the category of personal injury law by his peers.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

B. Allen Clardy, Jr. | Clardy Law Firm

Robert Corney | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Perry DeLoach | The Law Offices of Perry B. DeLoach, Jr., LLC

Wally Fayssoux |Fayssoux and Landis, P.A.

Paul Landis | Fayssoux and Landis, P.A.

Ryan Montgomery | Ryan Montgomery Attorney at Law, LLC

Nihar M. Patel | The Carolina Law Group, LLC

Doug Patrick | Covington, Patrick, Hagins, Stern & Lewis, LLC

Christopher Pracht | Thomson and Pracht

David Price | David R. Price, Jr., P.A.

Dan Pruitt | Dan Pruitt Law

James Segura | Varner & Segura Law Firm

Blake Smith | Parham, Smith & Archenhold, P.A.

James "Jim" Sproat | HawkLaw PA

Alex Stalvey | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Samuel Tooker | David R. Price, Jr., P.A.

Genevieve Mendes Weaver | Clardy Law Firm

Kyle White | White, Davis, and White Law Firm, P.A.

Residential Real Estate Law
P. Griffin Bell
Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC

Griffin Bell is a native of Greenville, and his passion for the city shows in everything he does. A founding partner in the law firm of Bell Carrington Price and Gregg, LLC, Bell heads up the firm's residential real estate practice.

Residential real estate is a people-oriented practice and Bell loves to help others buy and sell homes in the area. Since 2004, with the support of an exceptional real estate team, Bell has helped make dreams come true for thousands of families and couples.

Greenville is growing and Bell is a part of it. During his career, he has been a member of several boards including United Way of Greenville County Young Philanthropists, Upstate South Chapter of the American Red Cross, Neighborhood Housing Corporation (Board chair), and Greenville Country Club. 

Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, LLC has grown to a firm of 12 attorneys with office locations in Greenville, Clemson, Columbia, Beaufort, Charlotte, and Atlanta. 

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Cameron Sallé  | Sallé  Galloway Law Firm P.A, LLC

Archie Black | Black & Black, LLC

Chris Brown | Blair Cato Pickren Casterline LLC

Erin Culbertson | Kehl Culbertson Andrighetti, LLC

Jim Fayssoux | Fayssoux and Landis, P.A.

Amber Glidewell | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Brad Gower | Fox Rothschild

Jeff Gray | Jeff Gray Law

Steve Hammett | Noon & Hammett

Hayes Holliday | Holliday Law Firm

Jan Horton | Horton & Horton Law Firm, LLC

Danny Hoy | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Robert "Trey" Ingram | Holliday & Ingram

John L. B. Kehl | Kehl Culbertson Andrighetti, LLC

Terry Laws | Laws & Laws

Jack McDonald | Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC

Wm. Dale McKinney | McKinney Sullivan, LLC

Brad Richardson | Bradley K. Richardson, PC

Scott Sanders | E. Scott Sanders, LLC

Jes Sterling | Smith Jordan, P.A.

Henry S. Sullivan III | McKinney Sullivan, LLC


Tax & Estate Planning Law
David B. Greene
The Greene Law Firm, P.A.

David B. Greene grew up in Greenville and is very proud to call Greenville his home. He graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor of science in physics and continued that discipline at Florida State University, where he earned a master's and doctorate degrees in experimental molecular physics. He then obtained his juris doctor degree in law, also from FSU, and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1977. 

He practiced with his brother Tom until 1984, when he founded the Greene Law Firm as a general practice firm but for the past 22 years has been very successful specializing in the tax problem resolution field. Greene's extensive knowledge of mathematics helps him give his clients a distinct advantage in resolving their Internal Revenue Service problems. 

At the end of the day his passion is seeing his clients happy with the solution that has been obtained for them and knowing they are "getting their life back."  During the period 2013 through 2015 he saved his clients more than three million dollars with successful offers in compromise.

The IRS problem resolution practice provided a natural progression into the field of estate planning, because he learned that so many people do not know how to preserve and organize their assets for their spouses, children, and other loved ones. He has helped many clients form trusts and other estate planning documents that assure that their assets are protected and are passed to their heirs in the manner they wish.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Ella Barbery | Roe Cassidy Coates & Price, P.A.

Matthew Couvillion | Wyche, P.A

Matt Couvillion | Wyche, P.A.

Matthew Edwards | Thomas Fisher Sinclair & Edwards

Randy Fisher | Thomas Fisher Sinclair & Edwards

Cary Hall | Wyche, P.A.

E. Zachary Horton | Horton & Horton Law Firm, LLC

Tod Hyche | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Mac McLean | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Tyler McLeod | Brown, Massey, Evans, McLeod & Haynsworth, LLC

Keith Meacham | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

David Merline, Jr. | Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Lesley Moore | Freeman & Moore

Eric Penkert | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

Hall Provence | Fox Rothschild, LLP

Thomas Sinclair | Thomas, Fisher, Sinclair & Edwards, P.A.

Chuck Verdin | Nelson Mullins


Worker's Compensation Law
Ryan Montgomery
Ryan Montgomery Attorney at Law, LLC

Ryan Montgomery is a 1997 graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech and communications. He received his juris doctor degree from the University of Baltimore in 2000 and attended Georgetown University School of Law as a visiting student in 2000. Following his graduation from law school, Ryan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Michael D. Mason, Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Md. He then went onto work for a litigation and trial law firm in Rockville, Md.

For more than a decade, Montgomery represented insurance companies and employers in the state of South Carolina. Finally, he'd had enough of taking orders that would potentially harm the injured in South Carolina and knew the only way to make a difference was to switch sides. He stopped representing insurance companies and began to represent the injured in job injury cases and significant and catastrophic cases like wrongful deaths, car accidents, brain injuries, and trucking accidents.

He now practices and owns his own firm, Ryan Montgomery Attorney at Law, LLC, where he focuses his practice on South Carolina workers' compensation claims, on the job injuries, personal injury, car accidents, trucking, and serious and complex personal injury litigation. From 2011-2019, he achieved an AV rating, the highest available rating through Martindale, and was named one of Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite for personal injury and workers' compensation from 2012-2019.

Also Recognized for 2019: 

Mitch K. Byrd, Jr | The Carolina Law Group, LLC

Brad B. Easterling | McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Amity Edmonds | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Dan Eller | Eller Tonnsen Bach, LLC

Cory Ezzell | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Walter Frye | Eller Tonnsen Bach, LLC

Mills Gallivan | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

David Hartman | Clardy Law Firm

Randy Hedlund | McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Erroll Anne Hodges | McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC

Jeff M. Martin | Grimes Teich Anderson, LLP

Ryan Montgomery | Ryan Montgomery Attorney at Law

Jared Pretulak | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

James "Jim" Sproat | HawkLaw PA

Thomas Twehues | Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Hal Willson | Willson Jones Carter and Baxley, P.A.