South Carolina Lawyers Weekly articles from January 2009

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly archives from January 2009

Commentary: rethinking New Year's resolutions.
January 5, 2009... Byline: Cheryl J. Leone and David W. Favor This first column launches "Law Firm Coach," which will be a weekly column designed to provide insight and insightfulness into your career as a lawyer and perhaps as a partner or a law firm owner....

Commentary: death, taxes and e-discovery.(South Carolina)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Steven d'Alencon As Ben Franklin once wrote, "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Add e-discovery to that, too. Like it or not, the 2006 amendments to the FRCP started swinging the...

Turning the tide: Georgetown group wields the law to keep S.C. green.
January 5, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck Jimmy Chandler of the S.C. Environmental Law Project has a problem with people who try to fool Mother Nature. As founder of the Palmetto State's only home-grown legal service devoted to defending the environment,...

Commentary: battle zone - a few observations from the opinions editor.
January 12, 2009... Byline: Bess Battle This week was as nutty and colorful as a fruitcake with five published Supreme Court cases and four published opinions from the Court of Appeals. I chose to discuss two cases this week. The first was a Supreme...

Commentary: follow the leader.(part 1)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Cheryl J. Leone and David W. Favor If we could wave a magic wand for lawyers and provide a tool that would serve them well, it would be learn the art of leadership. Contrary to popular opinion, leaders are not born, they are...

S.C. Lawyers in the News: January 12, 2009.
January 12, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorney David Dick has joined Columbia-based Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte as an associate. Dick received his J.D. in 2008 from the University of Alabama School of Law, where he was senior editor...

Carolinas consolidation: Nexsen Pruet merges with N.C. firm.
January 12, 2009... Byline: Guy Loranger In a move driven by its business clients' needs, Nexsen Pruet announced last week that it had merged with Sanford Holshouser, a small North Carolina firm with a big reputation for its economic-development practice. ...

U.S. District Court of S.C. grants rare summary judgment on damages in class action.
January 12, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck In a rare instance of a court resorting to summary judgment on damages in a class action, the U.S. District Court of South Carolina has awarded $7.9 million to cancer patients in a breach-of-contract suit against two...

Freeze on indigent representation payments in S.C. could spur lawsuit.
January 12, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck In the wake of the state's suspension of voucher payments for Rule 608 indigent appointments, litigation is looming up as an increasingly likely alternative to inaction by the state Supreme Court and the General...

Q&A with new S.C. ACLU head Victoria Middleton.(Interview)
January 12, 2009... Byline: Bess Battle South Carolina Lawyers Weekly recently caught up with Victoria Middleton, the new executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's South Carolina office. SCLW: What are your goals as the executive director...

Commentary: Battle Zone: A few observations from the opinions editor.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Bess Battle This week was as action-packed as a blockbuster movie premiere, with six published Supreme Court opinions and 10 published decisions from the Court of Appeals. I chose to discuss two divorce cases from the Court of...

Commentary: Lawyer made career representing clients against their attorneys.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Ruth W. Cupp Francis T. "Frank" Draine is a Columbia attorney who has had a very successful career in legal malpractice actions. Frank has now retired. "I was pissed off at what some lawyers had done to their clients," says...

Commentary: Follow the leader, Part II.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Cheryl J. Leone and David W. Favor In the first article, we said leadership was influencing people and that the entry level was based on position or title. In level one, people will do what they are told because they respect or fear...

S.C. Lawyers in the News: January 19, 2009.
January 19, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough has named one of its attorneys as a partner and has promoted another attorney to of-counsel status. Tom Brumgardt, who practices in the areas of corporate...

Williamsburg County jury bases punitive award on one hour of bank's earnings.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck An hour of Bank of America's profits was the right measure for an award of almost $1.6 million in punitive damages in a negligence suit on behalf of a 13-year-old boy whose $250,000 fortune went missing, a...

S.C. customers get refund from company promising do-it-yourself filing.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck When Tyrus Savage of Greenville sent several hundred dollars to a company that promised him a quick, cheap divorce, he thought he was doing himself a favor by saving thousands of dollars in legal fees. Instead,...

S.C. Supreme Court: Use lay meaning of 'caused by' when deciding coverage for pool damage.
January 19, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck An insurance company won't have to pay for damage to an Horry County pool that "floated" in its foundation because underground water pressure was at least one cause of the damage, the Supreme Court has ruled. ...

S.C. Court of Appeals Case Summaries: January 19, 2009.
January 19, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff Contract Breach - Cable System Takeover - Fair Compensation The Circuit Court abused its discretion in finding 20 percent of Time Warner's video revenues derived from the takeover of...

S.C. Supreme Court Case Summaries: January 19, 2009.
January 19, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorneys Conflict Of Interest - Suit Dismissal - Collateral Estoppel Where the issue in this case is whether the firm has a disqualifying conflict of interest, which was previously...

U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit Case Summaries: January 19, 2009.
January 19, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Jurisdiction - Va. Long- Arm Statute - 'Transacting Business' A 1998 default judgment is upheld in favor of the CFA Institute, a Charlottesville, Va., nonprofit...

Verdicts & Settlements January 19, 2009: Gross negligence by bank, conservator.
January 19, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff $1,788,735 verdict Brief statement of claim: Gross negligence by a conservator and by Bank of America in handling child's money. Principal injuries (in order of severity): Money damages...

Verdicts & Settlements January 19, 2009: Estate gets settlement against bar in drunk-driving death.
January 19, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff $250,000 settlement Brief statement of claim: Liquor liability/dram shop action Principal injuries (in order of severity): Wrongful death Special damages: n/a Tried or settled:...

S.C. Lawyers in the News: January 26, 2009.
January 26, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff McAngus Goudelock & Courie has opened an office in Myrtle Beach and has hired two attorneys to work in the new office and a third who will work in the firm's Columbia office. The Myrtle Beach...

From the stock exchange floor to the courthouse door in S.C.(settlements)
January 26, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck Nailing a big verdict or navigating negotiations in a tricky settlement is never easy that's why there are lawyers but 2008 may have been the year when handling a tough job got tougher. It was the year when an...

Seminar in Charleston explores how new FMLA, ADA changes will affect employers.
January 26, 2009... Byline: Fred Horlbeck Changes to two key labor laws have employers throughout the Carolinas wondering how to steer their way through new or revised federal rules affecting their businesses. In a series of seminars held in both states,...

U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit Case Summaries: January 26, 2009.
January 26, 2009... Byline: South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights First Amendment - W.Va. Lottery Ads - Injunction A District Court's injunction against enforcement of West Virginia's restrictions on limited video lottery advertising is...