South Carolina Lawyers Weekly — Leadership in Law

8/18/2019 South Carolina Lawyers Weekly — Leadership in Law

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“ What you do has far greater impactthan what you say,” said StephenCovey. We all know the phrase that

actions speak louder than words. What the 2016 class of South Carolina

Leadership in Law has done is remark-able. Teir body of work, their service totheir communities and beyond, speaksloudly about the qualities they possessand the people they have become.

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly isproud to shine the spotlight on this groupof highly accomplished attorneys who ex-emplify what it means to be a true leader,not only in your profession, but in life.

Tey have beennominated for thishonor because theyare truly admiredby their peers, thepeople they work

with, those theyserve and the fam-ilies they love.

Doing, not justparticipating onthe fringe, takes

commitment, dedication and persever-ance. Doing takes action, jumping intothe fray, becoming a part of something

larger. Doing takes strength.

We congratulate the “doers,” those

who have shown us that it is possible to be

successful in your work, give of your time

to great causes and find the work/life bal-

ance that makes it all worthwhile. You are

leading by example and we congratulate

and thank you for sharing your talents.

Cheers to the 2016 South Carolina

Leadership in Law honorees!

Joni Brooks

Interim Publisher

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly extends its thanks to the judgeswho volunteered their time to select this year’s Leadership in Law honorees.

INDEX 2016 Leadership in the Law Honorees

Frederick C. Baker 3

Stephanie M. Brinkley 3

Michael S. Cashman 4

John E. Cuttino 4

Ashley Prickett Cuttino 5

Kathryn Cook DeAngelo 5

G.P. Diminich 6

Laura J. Evans 6

Richard A. Farrier Jr. 7

Justin S. Kahn 7

Mark A. Mason 8

Elizabeth M. McMillan 8

Warren Moise 9

Richard J. Morgan 10

Robert D. Moseley Jr. 11

Boyd B. “Nick ” Nicholson Jr. 12

Nancy Olah 12

Elizabeth “Beth” J. Palmer 13

Jeanne A. Pearson 13

Mary Beth Pfister 14

John Robinson 14

Pamela DeFanti Robinson 15

Ronald C. Scott 15

A. Peter Shahid, Jr. 16

Nekki Shutt 16

Thornwell F. Sowell 17

Christian Stegmaier 17

Sarah Elizabeth Wetmore 18

Joshua S. Whitley 18

Nancy C. Wicker 19

Judges

Marguerite S. Willis is a member

of the Columbia, South Carolina, office

of Nexsen Pruet LLC. Willis graduated

magna cum laude from the University of

Michigan and cum laude from the Stet-

son University College of Law. Following

two federal clerkships, she joined the firm

of Howrey LLP in Washington, D.C., where she became the first woman part-ner in 1981. Willis joined Nexsen Pruetin 2000 following her marriage to thethen-mayor of Florence, South Carolina,Frank Willis.

Willis practices complex commerciallitigation with a focus on the antitrustfield. She has substantial experience inclass-action practice as well, practicingin both state and federal courts through-out the United States. Her experienceincludes serving as national counsel fora Fortune 100 company in its asbestosproperty damage litigation and for amajor pharmaceutical company in over4,000 cases involving claims of price-fix-ing and price discrimination under fed-eral and state law.

Willis is a member of the bars of the

states of Florida, South Carolina, NorthCarolina, and the District of Columbia.She has served as out-of-state governor ofthe Florida Bar, president of the Women’sBar Association of the District of Colum-bia, and president of the South Caroli-na Women Lawyers Association. She ispassionate about helping young lawyers,especially women, pursue and attain suc-

cessful legal careers. Willis is a fellow of the American Bar

Foundation and a career-long member ofthe ABA’s Antitrust Section. She serveson the Advisory Board of the LitigationCounsel of America and is a co-founderand chair-elect of the LCA’s Academyof Antitrust Law. She lives in Florence,South Carolina, with her husband andtheir two Labrador retrievers.

Cal Watson is the managing memberof Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC. Anative of Bamberg, South Carolina, Wat-son earned his juris doctor from the Uni-

versity of South Carolina School of Lawafter graduating summa cum laude from

Wofford College. Watson is a previous president of the

South Carolina Bar, serving from 2014-2015. In addition, he has been a mem-ber of the South Carolina Bar’s House ofDelegates since 1997 and has twice servedon the South Carolina Bar Board of Gov-

ernors. He is past president of the SouthCarolina Bar Foundation, the John BeltonO’Neall Inn of Court, and the HistoricColumbia Foundation.

Watson received the “Lawyer of the Year” award at the seventh annual SouthCarolina Lawyers Weekly’s 2015 Leader-ship in Law awards dinner. He has beennamed a South Carolina “Super Lawyer”for eight consecutive years, has been list-ed in Best Lawyers in America yearlysince 2008, was named “Bet-the-Com-pany Litigation” Lawyer of the Year in2015, and has been listed in ChambersUSA America’s Leading Lawyers forBusiness since 2009.

He is a fellow of the American BarFoundation and the Litigation Counsel of

America, and is a certified South Carolina

Circuit Court mediator.His practice areas at Sowell Gray

include commercial litigation and busi-ness dispute resolution, alternative dis-pute resolution, and professional liabil-ity and e thics.

Anonymous One of our judges wishedto remain anonymous.

To purchase extra copies of the 2016 South Carolina Leadership in Law publication

please contact Tiara Benfield at [email protected] or 704-247-2901.


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SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYERS WEEKLYL E A D E R S H I P I N T H E L A W

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Fred Baker came to the law in a round-about way. After graduating from theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill, he spent several years working in Chinaand Japan. When he returned to the United

States, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted todo next – so he applied to law school.

He graduated from Duke University Schoolof Law in 1993, set to practice in the adminis-trative and regulatory fields. But a twist of fatechanged his plans. He fell in love with his future

wife and reoriented his job search, accepting aposition at Motley Rice to be closer to her.

“Tank goodness I kept an open mind aboutdifferent fields of law, because I soon discov-ered that I thoroughly enjoyed doing litigation

work,” he said.He leads the firm’s tobacco litigation team,

including work on a landmark case that result-ed in a $100 million settlement with severallarge tobacco companies and a group of caseson behalf of multiple state attorneys general.

“Te pace of the litigation was intense,nonstop and exhausting,” he said. “I havenever worked so hard in my life, and neverlearned so much in my life. But what reallymakes that litigation special to me is that

it brought aboutsignificant changesin the way ciga-rettes are marketedand perceived in

the United Statesand had a positiveimpact on publichealth.”

He also helpeddevelop the legaltheory under-pinning asbestos

litigation against ravelers Indemnity Co.,culminating in a $500 million settlement thatis now being dispersed to victims after morethan a decade of appeals. He worked on BPDeepwater Horizon oil spill litigation and

has served as counsel in a number of intricateclass-action suits.

In addition to his work in the courtroom, hechairs the firm’s hiring committee, founded theMotley Rice clerkship program and has men-tored dozens of young lawyers. He works probono cases on behalf of the firm and has volun-teered for more than 10 years with the animalrescue organization Pet Helpers.

What aspect of the work is most fulfilling?

Working as part of a team that is dedicatedto getting justice for our clients. I also enjoychairing Motley Rice’s hiring committee. It isfulfilling identifying promising new lawyers

and watching them develop at the firm.Please share an anecdote from your legal

career.

My very first oral argument was before the3rd Circuit Court of Appeals as a first-yearassociate. I had done all the research and brief-ing on the appeal, and the firm asked me toargue it. Not entirely appreciating what I wasgetting into, I jumped at the opportunity. Sure,I was nervous. But the firm prepared me andit turned out well. From this experience I tooka lesson in mentoring that I have continuallytried to apply going forward to the young-

er lawyers I work with – if you think younglawyers are ready, give them the opportunity.

With preparation and guidance, they will rarelydisappoint.

What is one thing your colleagues don’t

know about you that would surprise them?

I am an avid gardener. Tere are few things Ienjoy more than working in my yard, althoughthese days I never seem to have enough time.

Stephanie Brinkley has never donethings the easy way. At 35, after adecade working as a paralegal and with

two young children at home, she went back toschool to become a lawyer. After graduatingfrom Charleston School of Law in the midst

of a recession, she left her clerkship withMotley Rice’s Catastrophic Injury eam andopened her own firm specializing in familylaw in 2011.

“Some told me I was committing ‘economicsuicide,’” she said. “My future success was a realgamble. However, I like a good challenge and

was determined. I am thankful that my perseverance has paid off.”

She quickly became an expert in theemerging area of assisted reproductive tech-nology law, and regularly shares that knowl-edge by speaking widely, presenting webinars,

and even co-authoring a forthcoming book onthe subject.

Brinkley is a member of the Society for Eth-ics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy, the Ameri-can Society for Reproductive Medicine and the

Assisted Reproductive echnologies Commit-tee in the American Bar Association’s Sectionof Family Law. She is a regular contributorto the South Carolina Bar’s distance learningprogram on assisted reproduction and its inter-

section with familylaw and ethics, andis a member ofRESOLVE: TeNational Infertility

Association.

As a member ofthe South Carolina

Women Lawyers Association, shehas presentedon “AssistedReproductive

echnology and Family Building for theProfessional Woman.” She is also a child-safety advocate with SafeKids and a mentorto Charleston County Bar student membersattending Charleston School of Law.

In her favorite case to date, a same-sex cou-

ple had used a reciprocal in vitro fertilizationprocess, in which one partner provided the eggand the other carried the pregnancy, and they

wanted to amend the birth certificate to reflectthe genetic connection. Te family court judge

was a conservative Southern Baptist who wasrumored to dislike women, and Brinkley’s col-leagues took bets against her winning the case.

“Te judge was extremely pleasant, tookgreat interest in learning about the medical

process and graciously granted the order,” shesaid. “Te lesson? Don’t rely on your colleagues’experiences in court.”

With a career based on helping others createfamilies, she makes time to focus on her own.

“Troughout law school, I stayed true to my

faith, my family and myself,” she said. “I stillteach Sunday school. I am actively involvedin my children’s education and interests. Mostimportantly, I am still married to the same

wonderful man!”What advice would you give to recent law

graduates?

Tere is something about you that makes you stand out from the rest. Perhaps it is a per-sonality trait, a personal experience or a desireto serve in a special way instilled in you. Don’tignore it! Capitalize on what makes you differ-ent. You will be much more passionate about

your work.Why did you become a lawyer?

I loved being a paralegal, but it was likeorchestrating a Broadway show and I nevergot to see opening night. Tere came a time

when I needed to get off the sidelines and getin the game.


All of the baby pictures and letters of thanksthat I receive from my clients!

Frederick C. Baker

Stephanie M. Brinkley

Member | Motley Rice LLC

Founding Attorney | Brinkley Law Firm LLC


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Mike Cashman believes a successfulmentor is “a role model, teacher,guide and coach.”

He learned the value of mentoring during his10 years in United States Army, first as an infan-

try officer and airborne ranger and finally as aideto the commanding general of the Army’s largesttraining center. Over the course of his militarycareer, he was nominated three times for the Gen.Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, receivedtwo Meritorious Service medals and was induct-ed into the Order of Saint Maurice.

He has put his mentoring and leadershipexpertise to use as a partner at his firm, wherefor the past five years he has headed his office’srecruiting program. He implemented a weeklymentoring program to teach new attorneysskills such as oral arguments and communica-

tion with opposing counsel.He was awarded his firm’s professionalism

award in each of the past five years, and is theonly one of the firm’s 550 attorneys to havereceived it five years in a row.

Cashman is active within the legal community.He serves on the South Carolina Bar Associa-tion’s Ethics Advisory, Practice and Procedure, Ju-dicial Qualifications, Professional Responsibility,and International Law committees, as a generalmember of the Consumer Law Section Counciland as a delegate with the House of Delegates.

He is a member ofthe Defense Re-search Institute’sInternational and

Alternative Dispute

Resolution com-mittees, the AtlantaInternational Arbi-tration Society andthe Charlotte Inter-national ArbitrationSociety.

He is especiallyproud of his work chairing the South Caroli-na Board of Advisors of the Jefferson AwardsFoundation, which honors public service. Teboard grew to 35 actively involved membersin its first year.

He graduated from the United States Mil-itary Academy at West Point in 1991, and re-ceived his MBA from the University of SouthCarolina in 2000 and his law degree from theUniversity of Minnesota Law School in 2004.

What is your favorite aspect of the job?

Getting to know and working with other mem-bers of the Bar. I am very blessed to be a memberof this profession, and it attracts some of the bestand most interesting people I have ever met.

Who are your mentors?

Primarily my dad. Judge Edward Cash-

man was a state court judge for over a quartercentury and taught me every important lessonI have ever learned as a trusted advisor and ad-

vocate. I spent many summer days as a youngman in the back of the courtroom, first watch-

ing him as a state prosecutor and private attor-ney, and later when he joined the bench. Heshowed me what right looks like and taughtme the value of civility, integrity, persistenceand compassion.

What advice would you give to recent law

graduates?

Don’t neglect yourself or your families. Al- ways remember that someday you are going toput away your briefcase and if your family is notthere when that happens, it will not be worth it.

Please share an anecdote from your legal

career.

On the day I graduated from law schoolI pulled my father aside and asked him forcareer advice. At that time, he had spent overa decade in private and public practice andalmost a quarter century on the bench. I wasexpecting some insights on the art of crossexamination, or closing arguments or develop-ing case strategies. He told me to “treat (my)colleagues with respect, show up on time anddress like a lawyer.” It was the best advice Icould have ever received and I share it with allmy new associates.

Michael S. CashmanPartner | Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP

Ashley Cuttino grew up idolizing her fa-ther, a small-town lawyer, and her moth-er, who never missed a basketball game.

“My goal in my personal life is to become acombination of my parents – a lawyer peopletrust and depend on for great work and a mom

who understands the value of family and thefact that ultimately they are the most import-ant part of life,” she said.

She had her first child as a fourth-yearassociate, and two more during a three-yearlook-back period while she was under share-holder consideration. She felt supported andencouraged by her firm, but she also worked

with her employers to make certain policiesmore women-friendly. Her firm changed itspart-time policy, for example, and it is nowpossible to become a shareholder while work-ing reduced hours.

As a result of this experience, she becamemore involved with South Carolina Wom-en Lawyers Association; she is a state boardmember and a former regional co-repre-sentative for Greenville. She has taken on amentorship role with young female attorneysin her firm, and is proud of helping to createand co-chair the Ogletree Deakins Women’sInitiative, her firm’s affinity group for approxi-mately 325 women attorneys.

“I consider being given this position and

level of responsi-bility at this pointin my career to bemy most significantachievement,” shesaid. “Te role will

be a challengingone but I am com-mitted to improv-ing the day-to-daylife and overallstatus of women inour profession.”

Cuttino received her bachelor’s degree inEnglish and her master’s degree in human re-sources from Clemson University and her jurisdoctor from USC School of Law. She joinedOgletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewartafter graduation.

She is a member of the South Carolina StateEmployee Code of Conduct ask Force, ap-pointed by Gov. Nikki Haley. She belongs to anumber of other organizations, including theSouth Carolina Bar’s Practice and ProcedureCommittee (E-Discovery Subcommittee),South Carolina Defense rial Attorneys’ Associ-ation’s Employment and Labor Substantive LawCommittee, National Association of WomenLawyers and the Defense Research Institute.

She lives with her husband and three chil-

dren, who she said are incredibly supportive ofher career.


Lewis Smoak, Bob King and Don Cockrill were phenomenal lawyers and a team to bereckoned with. Tey were the perfect trifecta of

a brilliant legal mind, a masterful trial strategistand a client relations genius. I was very blessedto work directly for them for many years. Teysupported me without question in my legaldevelopment. Tey were more than mentors tome; they were advocates.


graduates?

Figure out what parts of the law you enjoyand pursue that area with a passion. Life as alawyer consists of long days with never-end-ing deadlines and pressure. You need to love

what you do or you will either be misera-

ble or burn out. Also, even when you are incontentious cases it is important to maintainprofessionalism. If an opposing counsel isdifficult and caustic to you on the phone or inperson they will more often than not treat youthat way in front of a judge and jury. Rarelydoes that type of behavior result in a positiveoutcome for them. Judges do not appreciateattorneys who cannot be civil with one anoth-er. Civility and passionate advocacy for yourclient can go hand in hand.

Ashley Prickett CuttinoShareholder | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart P.C.


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John Cuttino served as a law clerk toSouth Carolina’s then-senior CircuitCourt Judge Dan F. Laney Jr. during

the death-penalty murder trial of serial killerDonald “PeeWee” Gaskins.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “It was a six-weektrial with a lot of media attention, a lot of security.It was a highly celebrated, highly watched trial. It

was pretty intense. o be a law clerk in that cir-cumstance was a very unique opportunity.”

After his clerkship, he focused his practiceon civil litigation. He has tried more than 75cases to verdict as lead counsel over the courseof his career.

“Civil court is a lot more organized and alot less dramatic, most of the time,” he said. “Itcertainly fits me better.”

Cuttino graduated from Wofford College

cum laude, then received his juris doctor fromUSC School of Law. He pursued further trialadvocacy skills training from the National In-stitute of rial Advocacy program held at USCSchool of Law.

After clerking for Judge Laney, he worked forBridges and Orr, then urner, Padget, Graham &Laney before joining his current firm. He has agrowing mediation practice, and is a certified me-diator in state and federal court in South Carolina.

He is the current president-elect of the22,000-member Defense Research Institute,

the culminationof many years ofservice to the orga-nization. His pastroles include chair

of the ConstructionLaw Committee,member of theboard of directors,secretary-treasurer,and second andfirst vice president.

“I am honoredand humbled to have been chosen to serve as pres-ident of an organization which has such an out-standing reputation, and is such an important voicein the legal system of the United States,” he said.

He also is a member of the International

Association of Defense Counsel, South Car-olina Defense rial Attorneys’ Association,the American Bar Association, the AmericanBoard of rial Advocates, is a permanent mem-ber of the United States Fourth Circuit JudicialConference and is on the board of directors ofLawyers for Civil Justice.

He is past president of the Huguenot Soci-ety of South Carolina and past board chair ofEagle International Associates Inc., and is amember of renholm Road United MethodistChurch in Columbia.

He believes the best way to mentor younglawyers is to have an open-door policy andencourage them to ask questions.


graduates?

I would say don’t be discouraged by the jobmarket. Look for unique opportunities. Finda mentor. Some advice my father gave me isthat there’s always room for somebody who isexcellent in his or her profession.

Most fulfilling aspect of law?

It would be two things: the challenge ofsolving problems and the opportunity to bearound intelligent, creative people on a dailybasis. Tere is a lot of intellectual stimulationthat goes along with that and I think that is

why lawyers do not really retire. It is very diffi-cult for them to unplug from that stimulation;

it is not easy to just stop that and go home. Youdeal with a lot of above-average, intelligentpeople, which you can take for granted.

Who were your mentors?

You know, it would be really hard for me toidentify everybody who has mentored me. Ihave had a lot throughout the years, but amongthem were the state and federal judges that Iappeared before in my younger years who gaveme advice and showed me how to practice mycraft. Tey did not set out to be my mentors,I’m sure, but in effect, they were.

After 12 years of teaching public highschool, Kathryn Cook DeAngeloleft Maryland with her young son to

attend law school.“I was scared to death my first day of law

school,” she said. “I broke out in hives...I had

no guarantees that I would make it, but I didknow that I was 100 percent committed, likea racehorse with blinders on, to my law schoolstudies so I would become not just a goodlawyer, not just a better lawyer, but instead theBES lawyer I could be.”

Law school was difficult for a single mother,but her belief in her abilities and the encour-agement and mentorship of her professorsdrove her to succeed. She graduated magnacum laude from North Carolina Central Uni-

versity School of Law in 1984, adding the jurisdoctor to her bachelor’s degree from Marshall

University and her master’s degree in educationfrom the University of Maryland. She thenclerked for Henry E. Frye, former chief justiceof the North Carolina Supreme Court.

DeAngelo practices in the area of elder law,including nursing home residents’ rights, end-of-life planning, guardianships and advancemedical directives. In 1994, she was the firstattorney in South Carolina to become cer-

tified as an elderlaw attorney bythe National ElderLaw Foundation,after passing anexamination and

completing a listof requirements.In 2009, she wasamong the firstgroup of attorneysto be certified bythe North Carolina

State Board of Legal Specialization as spe-cialists in elder law.

She is a founding and current member of theElder Law Committee of the South CarolinaBar, current member and past president of theSouth Carolina chapter of National Academy

of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of theboard of directors of its North Carolina chapter,and a member of the National College of Pro-bate Judges, among many other professional andcivic organizations.

DeAngelo is often asked to share her ex-pertise with community groups, is a frequentpresenter on elder law issues in continuinglegal education events and has been invited to

teach at Coastal Carolina University and Hor-ry-Georgetown echnical College.

What is your most significant personal

achievement?

I believe my most significant personalachievement is being a single mother to my

son and only child Danny, since he was about a year old. After a marital separation, Danny andI moved from Maryland to Durham, NorthCarolina, in 1981, so that I could attend lawschool at North Carolina Central UniversitySchool of Law. He was only about 3 years oldat that time. It was tough for both of us, andsometimes I felt the “mother guilt” for notgiving him an Ozzie and Harriet family. Ourfavorite song, which we frequently sang togeth-er during those days, was “Side by Side.”

Please give us a brief description of your

best moment as a mentor.

Tat’s difficult. If I had to choose a bestmoment as a mentor, it would be witnessingmy young mentee, a lawyer in Asheville, NorthCarolina, go from crawling, to walking andnow running along in the practice of law. Sheis a dedicated elder law attorney and a hard

worker. She has become stronger and morecapable since she began practicing a few yearsago. I am so very proud of her.

John E. Cuttino

Kathryn Cook DeAngelo

Shareholder | Gallivan, White & Boyd P.A.

Attorney-at-Law | Kathryn Cook DeAngelo Law Firm Ltd.


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Three million dollars’ worth of donationspoured into Charleston’s Mother Eman-uel Hope Fund in the wake of the church

shooting. Before survivors and victims’ familiescould receive the money, it had to be accounted

for and distributed in a fair and tax-free way.G.P. Diminich, together with Laura Evans,

assembled a pro bono team of professionals and, with advice from Joe Rice of Motley Rice, createda matrix and methodology to distribute the funds.Diminich was a recipient of his firm’s 2015 Mc-Neill Smith Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year awardfor his hard work on behalf of the victims.

“It required a great deal of speed and focus,assembling a group of specialized attorneysto serve in a pro bono capacity, making quick,informed decisions; soft skills such as inter-personal communication and persuasive com-

munication; and technical skills all at once,” hesaid. “I never had a matter that combined sucha diverse skill set in a short amount of time in ahigh-pressure, high-profile matter.”

His expertise in the areas of taxation andestate planning was crucial to the effort. He isa Supreme Court of South Carolina-certifiedspecialist in taxation law and estate planningand probate law and is a fellow of the Ameri-can College of rust and Estate Counsel.

He is an alumnus of Davidson College and

the USC School ofLaw, and received acertificate in Italian/European businessfrom SDA Bocconi

School of Man-agement; an MBAin internationalbusiness from theUniversity of SouthCarolina MooreSchool of Business;and a master’s of law

in taxation from New York University School ofLaw. He currently teaches taxation courses in theCollege of Charleston’s graduate accountancyprogram.

Diminich is the current chair of the South

Carolina Supreme Court’s Estate Planning &Probate Law Specialization Advisory Boardand is a board member of the CharlestonMetro Chamber of Commerce. He is a pastpresident and member of the Charleston axCouncil, a board member of the CharlestonMetro Chamber of Commerce and a memberof the Charleston ax Roundtable.

He serves on the board of Social VenturePartners Charleston, the rident echnicalCollege Foundation and Reading Partners; as

pro bono general counsel for the Charleston Animal Society and Charleston Defense Con-tractors Association; and is a member of severalother nonprofit organizations.

What is your favorite aspect of working in

the law or what part is most fulfilling?I enjoy helping people by solving the problems

they have. When clients come to me, they have aproblem that they often perceive, rightly or wrong-ly, is the most important problem in their lives andthey need me to fix it as quickly as possible. I enjoyfinding solutions – hopefully creative ones, whennecessary – to their problems. Given what I do,this often involves structuring deals or negotiating

with adverse parties. I enjoy structuring a deal orsettlement that accomplishes what my clients wantbut make the resolution win-win for all parties in-

volved, as that is likely much more likely to accom-

plish resolution than a zero-sum answer.What is one thing your colleagues don’t


I am fluent in Italian, have lived over thereand am a dual citizen of the United Statesand Italy. I have Italian clients to whom Ispeak in Italian. Tis also apparently surprisedmy 4-year-old, who overheard me on my cellphone talking to an Italian business that is aclient, and he asked me, “Why are you speak-ing funny words, Daddy?”

G.P. DiminichPartner | Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP

Laura Evans was a premed student untilan organic chemistry class changed thecourse of her studies. She chose the law

instead, but didn’t leave medicine behind com-pletely; her practice is in health care law.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in international

studies from UNC Chapel Hill and her jurisdoctor degree from USC School of Law. She

worked as in-house counsel for Roper St. Fran-cis health care and as a partner at the firms ofPratt-Tomas Walker and Wilkes Bowers before

joining Smith Moore Leatherwood in 2011.She recently served as national counsel for a

defendant manufacturer in a product liabilitycase with hundreds of plaintiffs, ultimately ne-gotiating and implementing a qualified settle-ment fund which distributed over $50 million.

However, her most significant achievement was a pro bono effort in the wake of the Moth-

er Emanuel church shooting.Evans, with fellow firm member G.P. Di-

minich, spearheaded a committee of lawyers toprovide a variety of legal assistance to survivorsand victims’ families, including custody, estateand insurance issues and representation relatedto media requests. Along with Joe Rice of Mot-ley Rice, she developed the formula to distributethe $2.5 million in contributions from the cityof Charleston’s Mother Emanuel Hope Fundto the survivors and the victims’ families. She is

also coordinatingthe formation ofseveral foundationscreated in honor ofthe victims.

She is active in

many profession-al organizations,including the SouthCarolina Defense

rial Attorneys’ Association, the De-fense Research In-

stitute, Carolinas Society for Healthcare Strategyand Market Development, the American HealthLawyers Association, the American College ofHealthcare Executives and Ellevate. She is amentor to new lawyers through the South Caro-lina Bar mentoring program.

She is a former board member of theCharleston Animal Society, a longtime vol-unteer with the Special Olympics, pro bonocounsel with Dress for Success, and a memberof the UNC Chapel Hill Women’s LeadershipCouncil. She received her firm’s John MacNeillSmith Pro Bono Award in 2015.

How has the legal profession changed

since you began your career?

For one thing, we learned to research inbooks. Tere really was no Internet and re-

search engines like Westlaw were frownedupon because they were exorbitantly priced.Now, we have no books. Sadly, although re-search is certainly quicker now, I personallybelieve it makes younger lawyers less analyticin their thinking.

What advice would you give to recent lawgraduates?

I tell each one that there are four stages to ev-ery career: unconscious incompetence, consciousincompetence, conscious competence and un-conscious competence. Teir job is to be humbleenough to admit they are in the first phase sothat we can get them to the second and thirdphases as painlessly as possible. Some of themdo not find the humility to admit this easily.

Can you point to any case that stands out

as your favorite?

I have so many, but I have to say the famous

“alligator case.” I represented a golf-course owneron Fripp Island, which is a wildlife preservepopulated with hundreds of alligators. A golferplugged his golf ball in the pluff mud in a lagoon.He decided to get down on all fours and retrieveit. You know the rest…the alligator, probablythinking he was a small animal, took him in the

water and removed his arm. He lived, but the armcould not be reattached. During the defense, Ilearned more than I ever thought one could knowabout alligator behavior and wildlife law.

Laura J. EvansPartner | Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP


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Richard Farrier Jr. chose law as a careerbecause he knew it would constantlychallenge him.

“My favorite aspect of the job is that I learnsomething new every day with each case that I

handle,” he said.Farrier is an alumnus of Te Citadel and

USC School of Law. After graduating, heclerked for Charles E. Simons Jr., chief judgeof the United States District Court for theDistrict of South Carolina, then served aslongtime managing partner with NelsonMullins Riley & Scarborough. He joined K&LGates in 2012.

He is a leader in complex commercial litiga-tion. He led a trial team to the largest jury ver-dict in South Carolina history, $484 million, ina RICO case involving a Ponzi scheme, a stock

loan product and 70 claimants and spanningseveral international jurisdictions. His work oncases like this earned him a spot with the invi-tation-only American College of rial Lawyers.

He is a member of the South CarolinaDefense rial Attorneys’ Association, the

Federation ofDefense and Cor-porate Counseland the DefenseResearch Institute,

and is an associate with the Ameri-can Board of rial

Advocates. He hasbeen certified asa life member ofboth the MillionDollar Advocates

Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advo-cates Forum.

In his rare spare time, he is active withMount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, servingon the building committee and for two terms

as deacon. He was also a board member of ri-dent United Way for several years. He enjoysplaying music and is immensely proud of hisfour children.



Te combination of the electronic docketsystem and the growth of the Bar have madethe legal profession far less personal.

Describe your best moment as a mentor.

My best moment as a mentor is something

the opposite of a singular moment. I was men-tored by fantastic lawyers at my former firm.

Te humbling and exciting moment came forme when I realized that the mantle had beenpassed and it was now my opportunity andduty to mentor those that were less experi-enced, and that I would have a lifetime of thisopportunity. It is probably the most rewardingpart of being a lawyer.

Can you share any interesting anecdotes

from your legal career?

Unfortunately, the truly interesting anec-dotes are all confidential.


Give yourself time to know whether you lovethe practice and if you do, enjoy it. If you don’t,do not be a slave to your degree. Find some-thing else that is your passion.

When he’s not practicing law, JustinKahn might be perfecting his hob-by: performing close-up magic. His

love of sleight of hand is a perfect counterpointto the work he has done educating others andclarifying the law.

He is an adjunct professor at USC Schoolof Law, where he teaches civil pre-trialpractice. He is a frequent speaker nationwideat seminars and conferences for a varietyof organizations. He is also the author ofmany publications; most notably, the SouthCarolina Bar has published his annual up-dates to “South Carolina Rules of Procedure

Annotated” and “South Carolina Rules ofEvidence Annotated” since 1993 and 1995,respectively.

He graduated with bachelors’ degrees inpsychology and communication from ulane

University in 1988 and received his law degreefrom USC School of Law in 1992. He went to

work at Solomon, Kahn, Budman & Strickerfor two years, then joined Kahn Law Firm in1995. He is triple board certified in medicalmalpractice, trial and pre-trial litigation.

Kahn is a member of the board of theSouthern rial Lawyers Association, treasur-er and member of the board of directors ofthe American Board of Professional Liability

Attorneys and active in the American Bar

Association. Healso serves in theSouth Carolina BarHouse of Delegatesfor the 9th Circuit.

He is a longtime

member of theHebrew BenevolentSociety and a boardmember at-large

with the Por-ter-Gaud Fathers

Association. He is amember, past treasurer and past vice presidentof the International Brotherhood of Magicians.He has hundreds of followers of his app-cen-tered blog, www.ipadnotebook.com, and is amember of the high IQ society MENSA.

What do you consider your most

significant personal achievement?I would like to think my most significant

personal achievement is balancing my pro-fessional career with involvement with my

wife, family and kids. I try to attend schoolevents for and with the kids as often as pos-sible and participate with the school parentassociation at social events. Many times, I

will leave the office in the middle of the dayto go to the school to help flip burgers, makepopcorn or participate in some other school

event. I also feel privileged and honored topractice law with my father, who has been alawyer since 1961.

What was your best moment as a mentor?

Te best feeling is the thanks I get when a lawstudent or lawyer comes up to me after I speak at a

seminar or class and they say, “I did not think thatI could do what you taught me about cross-exam-ination or presentation or rule “X,” but I tried itand it really helped me in a matter I just had.”

What is your favorite aspect of working in

the law?

Whether it is medicine, engineering ortechnology, one of my favorite parts of being alawyer is I get to keep learning new things allthe time in many different fields to help myclients resolve their difficulties.


My father, Ellis I. Kahn, who has been

practicing for over 50 years, has taught me thatcivility to opposing counsel and parties as wellas respect for the justice system are importantaspects of practicing law. Another mentor, thelate Harry Philo Sr., was an incredible triallawyer who taught me the philosophical under-pinnings of the tort system, both good and bad.More importantly, he reinforced the idea that“the law is never settled until it is settled right,it is never right until it is just, and it is never

just until it serves society to the fullest.

Richard A. Farrier Jr.

Justin S. Kahn

Partner | K&L Gates LLP

Partner | Kahn Law Firm LLP


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8

For the past year and a half, Mark Masonhas been helping those working in thelegal marijuana industry get access to

banking. Tough they pay taxes on their prod-uct, they are frequently denied bank accounts

and must operate on a potentially dangerousall-cash basis.

He has been working pro bono on thematter of Fourth Corner Credit Union v. Fed-eral Reserve Bank of Kansas City . He helpedestablish Fourth Corner, a credit union forthe Colorado legal cannabis industry. Becausemarijuana is still illegal at the federal level, theKansas City regional bank denied the creditunion a master account.

Mason is leading the appeals.“I never envisioned myself getting involved

in this arena, but once I became educated

about the medical benefits of cannabis, thelegitimization of the industry in the interest ofpublic safety became a unique practice area,” hesaid. “Te times, they are a-changin’.”

He has practiced in South Carolina for over30 years. He is a graduate of Guilford Collegeand Campbell University School of Law, wherehe graduated magna cum laude. He is a formerprosecutor for the towns of Mount Pleasantand, Sullivan’s Island, and the cities of GooseCreek and Charleston.

He is a memberof the CharlestonCounty Bar Associ-ation, the AmericanBar Association, the

American Asso-ciation for Justice,the South Carolina

Association for Justice, the South-ern rial Lawyers

Association, and theNational College for

DUI Defense Inc., and is a permanent memberof the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Mason says the best part of being a lawyer isthe strategy involved.

“My favorite aspect of the law is the oppor-

tunity to think critically about different, inter-esting and complex cases and develop uniquestrategies to solve problems – and then see ifthose strategies work in practice,” he said. “Itsure beats doing the same thing every day.”

Who are your mentors?My mentor is my uncle, Peter J. Messitte,

a federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland. Hetaught me to have fun in the practice of lawand that there is no substitute for hard workand preparation. He showed me how the

creative use of words and phrases to succinctlydescribe a situation is of value to the judiciary.



Over the past 30 years technology has great-

ly increased the speed with which communi-cations take place. As I have evolved in thepractice of law I have come to appreciate theimportance of taking time to make decisionsand not rush to respond without adequate re-flection. As a younger lawyer, I was sometimestoo quick to fire off a response.


graduates?

Have fun in the practice of law and maketime to take care of your family and yourself.

Your clients will be able to tell if you enjoy what you are doing. If you spend all your time stress-

ing, rather than brainstorming, you will not get ahigh level of satisfaction out of handling cases.



I do other things, beside practice law – likebuild tiki huts.


Te aspect of my work that is most fulfillingis at the conclusion of a case where my clientexpresses satisfaction with the result and em-braces me as his or her family lawyer.

Mark A. MasonPartner | The Mason Law Firm P.A.

Elizabeth McMillan grew up on a cottonfarm in Bishopville, South Carolina.

“Te privilege of growing up in a smalltown and having such devoted parents taughtme many life lessons and provided me with thestability and support I needed to succeed in

school and in my law practice,” she said.She chose the law at age 16, and cannot

imagine being happy in any other career. Shegraduated magna cum laude from FurmanUniversity and cum laude from USC Schoolof Law, was admitted to the South Carolinabar in 1990, then joined Nexsen Pruet, whereshe worked as an associate for the next six

years. She moved to Nelson Mullins Riley& Scarborough until 2008, when she joined

ollison Law Firm. She chose McAngus,Goudelock & Courie in 2011.

McMillan is an active board member of

the South Carolina Defense rial Attorneys Association. She co-chairs its Women in theLaw Committee and recently helped plan itsfirst seminar; she is also active with its rial

Academy. She is the current co-chair of theProfessional Liability Section of the Federationof Defense and Corporate Counsel and is amember of the Professional Liability Under-

writers Society and of the Judicial InvitationalGolf Classic.

She is active inher church, ChristChurch Episcopaland was its con-firmation leaderin 2015 and was a

longtime memberof its Mission andOutreach Com-mittee, in chargeof assessing thecharities that wouldreceive grants from

the church. She is also a former board memberof Diligent Hands Gracious Hearts, GreenvilleLittle League, Greenville County Museum of

Art and Greenville County Cancer Society.Now that her son is older, she looks forward

to devoting more time to her practice, her

church and professional organizations. She alsoplans on doing more as a mentor.

“I would like to use my experiences as afemale professional to assist young femalelawyers who are making their way through theranks,” she said.


significant professional achievement?

I secured a defense verdict in a complicatednegligent misrepresentation/professional liabil-

ity trial which took place in February 2014. Myclient was a real estate development companythat sold high-end residential lakefront lots, andit was accused of misrepresenting the stabilityof a lakefront lot which it sold for $1,600,000.

After a $1,600,000 home was built on the lot,

movement occurred underground which com-promised the stability of the home. Te home-owner sued my client as well as the geotechni-cal engineering firm my client relied upon inassessing the lot and sought over $3,200,000 indamages. After two weeks of testimony and tri-al, the judge granted a directed verdict on someclaims, and the jury returned a verdict in favor ofall defendants on the remaining claims.


significant personal achievement?

I consider the juggling of the responsibilitiesof rearing my son Hunter and taking care of my

family while maintaining a successful law prac-tice to be my most significant personal achieve-ment. Most of my professional decisions andcareer moves have been focused on being ableto practice law full time while at the same timedevoting sufficient time to my family. Each firm

with which I have worked has been supportiveof me in making these decisions, and I alteredmy career path and my community involvementto meet my family’s needs.

Elizabeth M. McMillanMember | McAngus, Goudelock & Courie P.A.


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Warren Moise paid his way throughlaw school by playing music, anddraws a parallel between songwrit-

ing and trying cases.“Tere is a creative aspect to jury trials that I

love,” he said.He has been a trial lawyer at Grimball &

Cabaniss since graduating from USC School ofLaw in 1988.

Moise taps into his creative streak to helpeducate other lawyers. He has penned severalbooks, including “So You’re Going to ry YourFirst Case,” and has written many newspaperand magazine columns and published in multiplelegal journals. He has taught dozens of seminarsover the years and has been an adjunct professorsince 1999, at USC Law School until 2008 and atCharleston School of Law since 2005.

He is a teacher and a mentor outside of thelegal profession as well. He taught Sundayschool at Seacoast Church for 12 years, andhas been a volunteer with Big Brothers BigSisters since 2000.

Moise has belonged to several civic and non-

profit organizationsover the years, andis currently a mem-ber of the USCBoard of Visitors.

He is a found-ing fellow of theLitigation Counselof America and therecipient of severalawards, includingthe South Caro-lina Bar rial and

Appellate Advocacy Award and the USC LawSchool 2014 Compleat Lawyer Gold Award.

His most valued accomplishment, however,is raising his daughter.


graduates?I’d tell a new graduate that a lawyer’s

word and reputation are priceless. No caseis worth losing your reputation by doingsomething nefarious.


I like helping clients that are arbitrarily told“no” by people in positions of power who seemto think that they get to make all the rules. Ex-amples are customers who are told by business-es that they must comply with the company’s

rules when those rules were created out of theblue and were never put in the contract.


Joe Cabaniss, the former managing memberof our law firm, is my greatest mentor as to law.My brothers and sisters are mentors, too, andhave a great grounding effect on me. Althoughhe is younger than I am and might would besurprised to hear it, attorney Curtis Bostic is amentor also.

Will you share an anecdote from your

legal career?

Once as a young lawyer, I had won a jury

trial in common pleas. I returned to the office with my foam boards and trial stuff. Passing JoeCabaniss, he asked how the trial had come out.

“Justice was done,” I proclaimed.“Arrr. Appeal immediately!” Joe said.

Te guy has a sense of humor.

Warren MoiseMember | Grimball & Cabaniss LLC

Congratulations to Fred Baker for all his accomplishments

Anti-Terrorism

Asbestos & Mesothelioma

Catastrophic Injury & Wrongful Death

Consumer & Product Liability

Medical Drugs & Devices


10/20


10

Rick Morgan picked up a nicknameseveral years ago: After two victoriousback-to-back union campaigns, his

colleagues started calling him Landslide.Certified by the South Carolina Supreme

Court as a specialist in employment and laborlaw, he has tried to verdict many cases involv-ing employment defamation, discriminationand retaliation. He speaks on this practice arearegularly in his firm’s Employment and LaborBreakfast Series and is editor of the SouthCarolina Employment Law Letter.

Morgan is author of the “South Carolina Hu-man Resources File Cabinet” and South Caro-lina contributor to “50 Employment Laws in 50States” for the Employers Counsel Network. Heis past chair of the Employment and Labor LawSection of the South Carolina Bar and a substi-

tute municipal court judge for the South Carolina Judicial Department. He is the proud recipient ofhis firm’s Robert E. McNair Leadership Award.

He is active in his community, serving onthe board of directors for several organiza-tions, including the National Wild urkeyFederation; Junior Achievement of CentralSouth Carolina, of which he is past chair;South Carolina Business Hall of Fame Com-

mittee, of whichhe has been chairemeritus and chair;and the Committeeof 100, a business,

marketing and eco-nomic developmentgroup supportingthe Central SC

Alliance.He believes his

success lies in work-ing together with

his clients and “being proactive in designingand working with problems to solutions that aregood, sound business approaches fair not only tothe entity but to the employer and employees.”

What do you consider to be your most

significant professional achievement? Te professional achievement that I con-

sider to be most impactful is representing alocal mass transit system in ADA litigation,and keeping the system operating when thedemands and costs for improvements requested

would have closed the system, leaving citizensof the community without access to transpor-tation for work, health care, etc.



Te personal achievement of which I ammost proud is receiving the Robert E. McNairLeadership Award. Tis award is given to the

attorney who most exemplifies the vision andleadership qualities of McNair’s founder, and

who, through selfless dedication and a commit-ment to action, has bettered the firm.

What is something your colleagues don’t


Tat I am a very quiet, private person. WhenI was a child, I was terrified to raise my handand speak in class.

Please tell us about your best moment as

a mentor.

I am fortunate to have the opportunity tomentor in both professional and personal life.

Professionally speaking, the greatest rewardhas been the number of associates that havemade partner. Personally speaking, I have manybest moments. Every time I speak to a groupof children or work one-on-one with them inthe JA program, and I see that spark in theireyes when they realize their potential and theimpact that they can have on their community,it is my best moment.

Richard J. MorganShareholder | McNair Law Firm P.A.

Congratulations to

Joshua S. Whitley

2016 Leadership in

Law Honoree

We are proud to celebrate our colleague

and partner Joshua S. Whitley and all

the 2016 Leadership in Law Honorees

126 Seven Farms Drive, First Citizens Plaza, Suite 150, Charleston, SC 29492

Phone: (843) 606-5633 | smythwhitley.com


11/20


11

Robert D. Moseley Jr.Partner, Transportation and Logistics Industry LeaderSmith Moore Leatherwood LLP

R

ob Moseley believes that a lawyershould be a client ’s trusted advisor,rather than just a ser vice provider. He

has built his career advising his transporta-tion industry c lients, whom he calls “the saltof the earth.”

Te feeling is mutual. Among other awardsand recognitions, he is an honorary member ofthe Motor Carrier Insurance Education Foun-dation and has received the American rucking

Association’s Safety and Loss Prevention Coun-cil Outstanding Contribution Award and the

ransportation Lawyers Association’s Distin-guished Service Award. He has also received theUSC School of Law Compleat Lawyer Award.

Moseley is a partner at Smith Moore Leath-

erwood; for 20 years he has led its ransporta-tion Industry Group, which represents truckingcompanies, brokers and logistics companiesand their insurance carriers nationwide. He isan expert in areas such as commercial trans-portation accidents, federal and state safety

regulations, ship-ping contracts andfreight claims; as

such, he has writtenmany articles fortrade publicationsand law journalsand is a frequentspeaker at seminars,conferences, and

webinars.He currently

serves as chairof the American College of ransportation

Attorneys, on the board of directors of theSouth Carolina rucking Association, and on

the Safety & Loss Prevention ManagementCouncil of the American rucking Associa-tion. He is affiliated with the Association for

ransportation Law, Logistics and Policy andthe Conference of Freight Counsel, amongother organizations.

He is a small-group leader at RedeemingGrace Church and proud husband of Robinand father of seven children.

Who are your mentors? When I was in law school professor Alan

Medlin was someone I admired and was priv-ileged to know. I was a law clerk for Judge Joe

Anderson, and I can’t think of someone morefit to be a judge. His demeanor and the way hetreated attorneys and litigants should be themodel for every courtroom. I have the privilegeof working with John Johnston, Jim Watsonand Joe Major in the firm. Although thesethree are vastly different in style and substance,they all had a profound effect on how I ap-proach the practice of law.

What aspect of the work is most fulfilling?Sitting across the desk from a client and

feeling like I am making a difference.Can you point to any case that stands out

as your favorite?

Te case I just put down on my desk.

We have a better idea.

If you want everyone to know you were in

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, order a plaque

or reprint of the page you or your business appeared on.

Call Grace Downer at 704-817-1358,or email [email protected]


12/20


12

As a high school student, Nick Nich-olson was fascinated by the idea ofarguing for a living.

“Also, I was terrible in math – so engineeringor anything in the sciences was definitely out,”

he said.He chose a career in law instead. He attend-

ed the University of South Carolina, graduat-ing magna cum laude, and then USC School ofLaw, where he was a member of the Order ofthe Wig and Robe. He received his juris doctorin 1992 and joined the firm of HaynsworthSinkler Boyd.

He has worked there ever since, movingfrom associate to shareholder in 2000. He waselected the firm’s managing director in 2013; assuch, he is responsible for day-to-day and bigpicture planning for more than 100 lawyers.

Nicholson is a frequent speaker at meet-ings and seminars, valued for his exper-tise in procurement law, the Freedom ofInformation Act and construction issues.He is active with the South Carolina Bar;he is past chair of the Construction LawCommittee and a contributing author onlocal procurement for the “South CarolinaConstruction Law Desk Book.” He is also acontributing author to the South Carolina

portion of a state-by-state guide toconstruction anddesign law for the

Amer ican Bar As-

sociation’s Forumon ConstructionLaw.

He is a graduateof both LeadershipGreenville andLeadership SouthCarolina and is a

current board member of the South CarolinaState Chamber of Commerce. He recentlyserved two consecutive three-year terms on the

Alliance Board of the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina.

“I am blessed with a loving family – a won-derfully supportive wife and two great chil-dren,” he said. “Te practice and the businessof law is tough and demands a lot of time andenergy. Teir patience, love and support havebeen the biggest help to my career.”

What do you consider your most signifi-

cant personal achievement?

Leading a balanced life. Practicing law isdemanding, but my wife and I have managed

to raise two intelligent, independent, strong- willed and happy daughters, who are currentlyattending the University of South CarolinaHonors College. One is a junior and the otheris a freshman. We stay active in our church, and

we remain happily married for over 23 yearsnow. Although my wife deserves the majorityof the credit for this achievement, I considermy part to be my most significant personalachievement, and one that I strive to continueto achieve every day.

Please give us a brief description of your

best moment as a mentor.

I participated in the pilot mentoring pro-gram where I mentored a young lawyer in thefirm. Tat young lawyer is now completinghis first year as a shareholder at HaynsworthSinkler Boyd.


View and treat the more senior lawyers that you are working for as your client – treat them with the same responsiveness, respect and qual-ity of work that you owe to your clients.



Tat I have earned black belts in two differ-ent forms of martial arts.

Boyd B. “Nick” Nicholson Jr.Managing Director | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A.

When Nancy Olah entered the legalprofession, most of her mentors

were males.“Since I keenly felt the absence of a female

mentor when I began my career, I have activelysought opportunities to mentor young female

attorneys and law students,” she said.She attended Oberlin College, then enrolled in

an accelerated program at the University of Mich-igan Law School and graduated cum laude. Shepassed her first bar exam in Ohio at the age of 23.

Since then, she has practiced with several cor-porations and large firms. She went into businessfor herself in 2009 with the formation of NancyOlah Law, which specializes in commercial realestate, among other areas. She is a Legacy LEED

Accredited Professional, a green building certifi-cation that is relatively rare among attorneys.

“I want my practice to reflect my ideas and val-

ues,” she said. “Although I have been a real estatedevelopment attorney for many decades, I believethat development projects need to be more sensi-tive to our environment and mitigate the impactof development on our carbon footprint.”

She has served in various positions with theUnited States Green Building Council, includ-ing Chapter Steering Committee member andchair of the Green Gala and Sustainable Business

Awards this past year. She is a member of theSouth Carolina Women Lawyers Association and

the Commercial RealEstate Women Net-

work, the CREWNetwork Foundationand CREW Char-lotte Inc.

Olah is listed onthe South Caroli-na Bar Pro BonoHonor Roll and hasreceived a stringof awards, includ-ing the CREW

Network Foundation’s Women of Vision awardand the USGBC President’s Volunteer Service

Award in 2015. She is most proud of her 2013 AHENA Leadership Award – Corporate, which honors individuals helping women achieveprofessional excellence and leadership skills.

She has spoken at a number of events andtaught at the Charlotte School of Law. She isan attorney coach for two high school mocktrial teams and has personally mentored at leastone young or aspiring attorney every year forthe past 16 years.

What advice would you give female law

graduates?

I would advise them to be more confident intheir abilities and say “yes” to challenging proj-ects and assignments they think are outside their

comfort zone. Many young female lawyers tend todownplay their skills, and don’t seek high-visibility/high-risk assignments like their male counterparts.

Young women need to see seasoned female lawyersin leadership positions of power and influence intheir law firms or corporations, which will help

motivate them to advance in their careers.What is one thing your colleagues don’t


I am a cookbook author and have a weeklyblog on meatless cooking. I stopped eating meat

when I was 19. In 2012, I shared my passion forhealthy, meatless cooking by publishing my firstbook, “Fool a Carnivore: Meaty Meatless Cook-ing...Minus the Meat.” It was a huge step outsidemy comfort zone as an attorney because I didn’tknow the first thing about how to write and pub-lish a cookbook, and how to build a following asa food blogger. It’s cool to have subscribers from

as far away as New Zealand who have somehowfound out about my cookbook and blog!

What aspect of work is most fulfilling?

I’m most fulfilled by the pro bono work I docoaching high school mock trial. I love helpingthe students learn how to think like lawyersand to overcome their fear of speaking in pub-lic...Four of my five graduating seniors want togo to law school, and I’m confident that all ofthem can have successful careers in the law ifthey continue to pursue that goal.

Nancy OlahFounding Attorney and LEED AP® | Nancy Olah Law


13/20


13

“I have absolutely no hidden talents,” saidBeth Palmer. “I am not double-jointed.I cannot touch my tongue to my nose. I

cannot even whistle.”Her talents are much more substantial than

party tricks. She is skilled in the law and leader-ship, and she puts those skills to use in service toher clients, her profession and her community.

After graduation from UNC Chapel Hilland USC School of Law, she clerked for Rosen,Rosen & Hagood, where she is now shareholder.

She is heavily involved with the SouthCarolina Bar as current co-chair of the YoungLawyers Division Public Service Committee,

which is in its second year. Tis year’s focusis on educating and encouraging high schoolstudents about the right to vote. She has heldother positions within the division and is also a

member of the association’s Leadership Acad-emy Steering Committee. For her work, shereceived the division’s President’s Award from2013-2015 and the association’s Young Lawyerof the Year Award in 2015.

She is active in the American Bar Associationas current chair of the Law Practice Division’s

Young Lawyer Committee and a member of theCommission on Homelessness and Poverty. Sheis currently the public service project coordina-tor for its Young Lawyers Division, overseeing

the implementationof this year’s na-tional public serviceproject to helpeducate youth about

safe online behavior.Last year, Palmer

served as the divi-sion’s public servicedirector; as such, shehelped create andimplement its na-tion-wide initiative

to organize legal clinics for homeless youth. Shedeveloped a “toolkit” that enables other lawyersto organize similar clinics in their own commu-nities. She said the initiative was time consum-ing but one of the most rewarding experiences

of her life. She received the division’s Star of the Year award in 2014 and 2015.

She was a volunteer with the Special Olym-pics Winter Games in 2012 and 2013, and iscurrently working to establish a homeless courtin Charleston.


I am rather lucky in that I have been men-tored by almost every single member of myfirm, including members of our support staff.

Tat being said, Andrew Gowdown stands

out as being the attorney from whom I havelearned the most and who taught me the im-portance of taking every opportunity to mentorothers. Tere were times that I thought I wouldscream if I heard the words, “Well, what does

the rule say?” one more time in response to oneof my questions. However, from that I learnedthe importance of attention to detail.


graduates?

Do your best in everything that you do. Always read the rule (credit to Andrew Gow-down). Always be professional, even when thosearound you are not. Never take for granted thefact that practicing law is a privilege and carries

with it responsibilities to help the less fortunate.What is your best mentoring moment?

While perhaps not “mentoring” in the

strictest sense, I have a “best moment” each andevery time I learn that one of the public serviceprojects I was involved in creating has been im-plemented somewhere in the nation by one ormore young lawyers. Mentoring is, in part, giv-ing others the tools and information they needto succeed. In the positions I have held withthe ABA and SC Bar, I have been able to giveother young lawyers the tools and informationthey need to implement public service projectson their own and in their own community.

Jeanne Pearson has strong ties to the com-munity of Rock Hill, where she has livedalmost her entire life.

itle work lets her delve into the history ofthe area.

“I grew up in Rock Hill,” she said. “It is

interesting to run across the ancestors of myfriends and others in the community andimagine what life was like in York County 50,75, 100 years ago.”

Pearson left home to earn her bachelor’sdegree from Clemson University and then her

juris doctor from the University of ulsa. Afterreceiving her law degree, she went to work atKimball, Dove & Simpson and then Kennedy,Covington, Lobdell & Hickman before joining

Johnston, Allison & Hord in 2005.She specializes in commercial real estate

and creditors’ rights litigation. Her successful

negotiations include the sale and leaseback offive medical office buildings with a transaction

value of more than $125 million and a creditlease financing transaction involving 22 build-ings, five property groups and two states.

She has been a member of the board of

Historic CharlotteInc. and the RockHill Zoning Boardof Appeals, whichshe also chairedfor several years.

She is currentlya member of thecongregation and

volunteer at Oak-land Avenue Pres-byterian Churchand a parent

volunteer at her son’s school.She is married and has a 4-year-old son, a

26-year-old stepdaughter and a beloved rescuedog named Red.


graduates?

Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone in lieuof sending an email, be honest and don’t doanything to damage your reputation. A goodreputation will go a long way and once dam-aged it is hard to get back.



I don’t know if it would exactly surprisethem but I got my nose pierced in Greece onesummer during law school.


It is a wonderful feeling to conclude a trans-

action when a buyer is excited about enteringinto a new business endeavor and the associ-ated possibilities that go along with that. I amprivileged to be a part of that.


My first legal mentor was Judge Kimball who taught me how to practice law. SusanIrvin and Brian Evans taught me about com-mercial real estate.



When I first started practicing, my computeroperated on a DOS operating system. echnol-

ogy has also allowed a lawyer to handle mostmatters via email, Federal Express and tele-phone with little face time with other lawyersand clients. I believe this is a detriment todeveloping collegiality in the legal communityand strong relationships with clients.

Elizabeth “Beth” J. Palmer

Jeanne A. Pearson

Shareholder | Rosen, Rosen & Hagood LLC

Partner | Johnston, Allison & Hord P.A.


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Mary Beth Pfister trains those whotrain the leaders in the Departmentof Justice.

She is responsible for the Office of LegalEducation’s strategic initiatives, developing

the training calendar and training faculty whoteach for the department both in the UnitedStates and abroad.

Pfister is an alumna of the University ofGeorgia and Harvard Law School, and workedas a legal writing instructor while attending thelatter. After graduation, she joined FennemoreCraig, specializing in employment law, and be-came a director and shareholder there in 2000.

In 2002, she took a job as a federal prose-cutor in the United States Attorney’s Officein the District of Arizona. She handled casesfrom white-collar crime to drug trafficking

and corruption. In 2007, she was temporarilyassigned to the Office of Legal Education todevelop training courses and materials, and in2010, was offered a permanent position.

After officially joining the DOJ, she and a col-league founded the Office of Legal Education’sFaculty Development Institute to help improvethe quality of training for department instructors.

She is an instructor for international pro-grams for the Office of Overseas ProsecutorialDevelopment Assistance and raining. Recentprograms include Balkans Regional raining in

Dubrovnik, Cro-atia, and Ukraine

Academy of Pros-ecutors raining inKiev, Ukraine. She

is also an instructoron criminal law forthe Department ofDefense’s NationalCenter for Credibil-ity Assessment.

She received theSpecial Act Award

from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in 2010for developing exemplary training programs, acommendation from the DOJ’s Environmen-tal Crimes Section of the Environment andNatural Resources Division for ongoing ex-

emplary training development, the Excellencein Cooperative Law Enforcement Award foroverseeing a multi-agency investigation of aBritish company selling illegal chemicals onthe internet, and two Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation Director’s Awards.

In addition to her work with the govern-ment, she is involved with the South Carolina

Women Lawyers Association. She was electedto a two-year term on the board of directors in

January 2014.What do you consider your most


Successfully prosecuting a large number ofcases as a federal prosecutor while maintaininggood relationships with the defense bar andestablishing a reputation for being thorough,

tough and fair.What do you consider your most


Raising two happy and well-adjustedchildren with my husband while pursuing ameaningful career.

What was your best moment as a mentor?

I volunteered to mentor a young lawyerthrough the S.C. Women Lawyers Associationin 2013. I met regularly with my mentee andguided her as she entered the legal workforceafter completing her clerkship with the SouthCarolina Supreme Court. We stayed in close

contact over the years as she transitioned jobsand decided what she wanted from her legalcareer. We met regularly and discussed variouspaths she could take and the relative advantag-es of each. My best moment as a mentor was

when she accepted her current position withan extremely well-respected local law firm ina practice area that is going to afford her greatopportunities for professional growth and suc-cess. She has thrived in this position as I knewshe would, and I’m proud of the small part Iplayed in helping her find her niche.

Mary Beth PfisterAssistant Director | Office of Legal Education | Department of Justice

John Robinson’s parents inspired him topursue a career in which he could make adifference.

“My father is a doctor and my mother is anurse,” he said. “From an early age, they in-terested me in helping others. While law is

obviously very different than medicine, I liketo think we share the goal of alleviating humansuffering when we are at our best.”

For his efforts on a series of pro bono cas-es beginning in 2007, he received the SouthCarolina Bar’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year

Award in 2014. He is also a Kentucky Colonel,an honor he received after helping coal miners

with their child support cases. As part of an all iance of students, faculty

and alumni, Robinson recently helped pre- vent Charleston School of Law’s purchase byan out-of-state conglomerate. He counts this

as his most significant personal achievementto date.

He is vice president of the board of directorsof Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services and isinvolved in a number of nonprofit, civic andprofessional organizations, including as presi-dent of the Charleston School of Law AlumniBoard of Directors, a member of the SouthCarolina Bar Practice and Procedure, Profes-sional Responsibility and Pro Bono commit-tees as well as the House of Delegates, and is

a member of theFrancis Drake Innof Court, presidentof the St. Tom-as and St. DenisSociety, and senior

warden with Land-mark Lodge No. 76of the Masons.

Robinson grad-uated cum laudefrom ClemsonUniversity in 2003,

then attended the school’s master of publicadministration program before enrolling in lawschool. He graduated from Charleston Schoolof Law in 2007.

He is a licensed Charleston tour guide, vicepresident of the Charleston County Clemson

Club and a member of the First (Scots) Pres-byterian Church. He says his greatest bless-ings are his wife, Sallie, and children, Carolineand John.


graduates?

Specialize, specialize, specialize! Te key tosuccess in our profession going forward is go-ing to be increased specialization and buildingexpertise which is valued. Te general practi-tioner, unfortunately, is disappearing.

Can you point to a case which stands out

as your favorite?

I once had a client for whom we originallypursued a personal injury claim. Te client was al-ready permanently disabled and had some mentalimpairments. We discovered in the course of our

case that family members were improperly usinghis disability benefits. We got him a guardianshipand conservatorship which enabled him to enjoya more independent lifestyle and which allowedhim to retain his benefits.


My law partner, dear friend Simms Mc-Dowell, and many lawyers of Broad Street,including some who are no longer with us.

om Morrison, Dan and Irvin Slotchiver andDonald Howe are valued mentors. Judge Mi-kell Scarborough and Judge Patrick Duffy havebeen great mentors as well on many things.

What is your favorite aspect of working inthe law?

Te most fulfilling part of my job is obtain-ing legal results for the most disadvantagedof clients who have traditionally been takenadvantage of by, or are suspicious of, a systemthat does not work for them. When an indi-gent client gets to keep their home, or have amore comfortable retirement, or be safe fromphysical abuse, that is a far more rewardingresult than anything else I can do.

John RobinsonPartner | McDowell & Robinson, Attorneys at Law


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As director of the USC School of Law ProBono Program, Pamela Robinson has in-spired a generation of young law students

to give back to their communities. Te programencourages students to volunteer in myriad ways,

from assisting at a legal clinic for the homeless tocollecting for a local food bank. She helped createthe program in 1989, and under her guidance, ithas received a series of recognitions and awards.

“Te national reputation of the USC Schoolof Law Pro Bono Program is stellar, and assuch is the only law school to be named byPresident George H. W. Bush to be a Point ofLight,” she said.

President Obama recognized the programagain in 2013.

Robinson has been honored in her own right,receiving the Governor’s Volunteer Award in

2000, the Richland County Guardian Ad LitemProgram’s IMPAC Award and the NationalVolunteer Administrator of the Year in 2005,the Richland County CASA Program’s 2007Lifetime Achievement Award, the University ofSouth Carolina MLK Day Social Justice Awardin 2010, the Protection and Advocacy for People

with Disabilities 2012 Spencer Award, the Mar-tha Browning Dicus Award for Public InterestLaw from the South Carolina Women Lawyers

Association and the Civic Star Award from theRichland County Bar Association, among others.

She began hercareer as an edu-cator, receiving herbachelor’s degree inelementary educa-

tion from ClemsonUniversity in 1973.She worked as ateacher and librarianbefore receiving her

juris doctor fromUSC School of Lawin 1986, and she

believes that experience has helped inform herperspective on areas including child advocacy.

In addition to her work with the program,she is a member of many professional and non-profit organizations. She is chair-elect of the

South Carolina Bar Senior Lawyers Division,a member of S.C. Equality’s Post-DOMALitigation ask Force, a board member andarticle reviewer for the International Journal ofVolunteer Administration and chair of com-munications for the American Association ofLaw Schools Section on Pro Bono and PublicService Opportunities, among others.

As packed as her schedule is, she continuesto practice law.

“I always maintain at least one active case so thatmy law student volunteers will know that I walk

the pro bono walk and don’t just talk,” she said.What do you consider your most


My most significant achievement is the creationof a model law school pro bono program. But cre-

ation only goes so far, you have to also insure that itoperates in a professional and efficient manner thatallows all law students the opportunity to serve. Itis by example that one leads young lawyers into alifetime of service. Te Program was created at atime when there were no models and little if any

working knowledge of how to incorporate volun-teerism into the fabric of the law school communi-ty. It took good instincts and a creative mind to getstarted and those skills are still in daily demand.



My most significant personal achievement

involves the length of time I have served asa volunteer guardian ad litem for RichlandCounty Court Appointed Special Advocates.In one case I was the child’s GAL for 18 years,protecting her from the system when she was

young and pushing her to succeed as she be-came a young adult.

Please describe your best moment as a

mentor.

I am especially proud of former students who have succeeded in making a real differenceand following a path of their own choice.

Ron Scott, a partner at Scott & Corley, cred-its his parents for his drive to succeed andto make a difference in his community.

“My parents were both highly respected edu-cators who instilled in me a very strong sense offairness, respect for others and a perseverance and

commitment to deliver my very best efforts in allof my endeavors,” he said. “I use this ‘pursuit ofexcellence and giving back’ approach daily in everyaspect of my law practice and service to others.”

He has quietly funded educational endow-ments to award scholarships to students infinancial need and has supported organizationsincluding the American Red Cross, the Wound-ed Warrior Project and the American CancerSociety. He has also helped fund repairs atMother Emanuel African Methodist EpiscopalChurch in the wake of last year’s shooting.

Scott is a graduate of Te Citadel and the

U.S. Army Adjutant General School. Hereceived master’s degrees in business adminis-tration and accounting and his law degree fromthe University of South Carolina, where he hasalso been an adjunct business instructor.

He has been a member of many civic,nonprofit and professional organizations,including the NAACP of South Carolina, TeCitadel Alumni Association and the GreaterColumbia Chamber of Commerce. He was aboard member and fundraising chair for the

Foundation forthe South Caro-lina Commissionfor the Blind, pastchair of the SmallFir

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly — Leadership in Law

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