South Carolina Lawyers Weekly recognized 27 lawyers Sept. 19 at its Excellence in Law presentation event at the Wild Dune Resort at Isle of Palms.
“We believe it is important to celebrate lawyers and the practice of law by shining a spotlight on South Carolina’s legal luminaries and honoring the time, energy and passion that they devote to their work for their clients, to giving back and to advancing the interests of justice,” Susan Bocamazo, the magazine’s group publisher, said.
The honorees were recognized in three long-established categories and a fourth inaugural category. The former were:
- Icon: Attorneys who have practiced for at least 30 years and who have well-established reputations for their work in their practice areas, bar leadership and their communities.
- Leader: Lawyers who set the standard for their fellow attorneys across the Palmetto State.
- Phenom: Fast-rising young attorneys who, in their first 10 years of practice, have established reputations as rising stars in the legal community.
The honorees were nominated by their fellow lawyers and were selected by the magazine’s leadership team. They ranged from well-known lawyers at large practices to circuit solicitors to leaders of the South Carolina Bar.
Those recognized were:
Icons
- Joel W. Collins Jr., Collins & Lacy
- Jane H. Downey, Baker Donelson
- Anne S. Ellefson, Prisma Health
- Donald Gist, Gist Law Firm
- Kaye G. Hearn, Wyche
- Russell T. Infinger, P3 USA Inc.
- Lanneau Wm. Lambert Jr., Turner Padget
- Jahue Moore Sr., Moore Bradley
- Ronald C. Scott, Scott & Corley
- Calhoun Watson, Robinson Gray
Leaders
- Ashley Cooper, Baker Donelson
- Maire E. Flynn, Collins & Lacy
- Nick E. Kremydas, South Carolina Association of Realtors
- Catherine D. Meehan, Steinberg Law Firm
- Nikole S. Mergo, Maynard Nexsen
- Mary E. Sharp, Sharp Law Firm
- Isaac McDuffie Stone III, 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office
- Derrick L. Williams, Williams & Roche
- Walter M. Wood, Law Office of James Scott Farrin
Phenoms
- Allyce Bailey, Richland County
- Mary M. Campolong, Robinson Gray
- Adrian P. Carter, Turner Padget
- Paige Chamberlain Ornduff, Gallivan White Boyd
- Elizabeth A. Donaldson, Nelson Mullins
- Kambrell H. Garvin, Kambrell Garvin Law Firm
- Alexandra N. Heaton, Yarborough Applegate
- Caitlin C. Reid, Levin Gilley Fisher & Reid
South Carolina Lawyers Weekly also honored a new elite category at the event, the Legal Newsmakers. Three attorneys were chosen for their contribution to the development of the law in South Carolina in 2023. They were selected by the leadership team based on information available from a wide range of public sources.
The honorees were:
- Richard A. Hricik, Law Office of Richard A. Hricik — Retained by the family of a man killed by a carbon monoxide leak at a public house complex in Columbia, Hricik won a decision at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that forced the city’s housing authority back to the negotiating table and led to a $2 million settlement for the victim’s family.
- Luke A. Rankin, Rankin & Rankin — A longtime state senator as well as a lawyer in private practice, Rankin developed and oversaw the passage of a law that protected recipients of structured settlements from being preyed on by unscrupulous companies that buy the settlements for pennies on the dollar.
- David B. Yarborough Jr., Yarborough Applegate — Facing e-commerce giant Amazon.com, Yarborough led a lawsuit that resulted in an eight-figure settlement against the company, one of its supposedly independent last-mile delivery carriers and one of the latter’s drivers whose negligence led to a crash that gravely injured the driver of another vehicle.
Said Bocamazo: “This year’s honorees exemplify excellence across the profession, as we honor our risings stars, the leaders of our local legal community, the lawyers who made important legal news last year, and our Icons, who have made career contributions to the development of the law in South Carolina.”
Photographs by Kaline Beeles | Josh Beeles Photography
