Columbia, SC – Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP is pleased to announce that 13 of its attorneys were named "Legal Elite" across South Carolina. Columbia Business Monthly, Charleston Business Magazine, and Greenville Business Magazine ask every active attorney in each city to vote for the best attorneys in their fields. Those with the most votes are named Legal Elite.
Charleston Rankings
Cecile Crogan was ranked Legal Elite in estate and trust litigation and planning. Cecile has developed comprehensive estate plans for individuals with real estate holdings and business interests to provide cohesive and effective wealth transfer. She has previously led the estate planning group for a boutique law firm.
Elizabeth Applegate Dieck was ranked Legal Elite in environmental law. Elizabeth is the former director of environmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). She helps clients navigate the complex web of environmental permitting and compliance.
Columbia Rankings
Todd Haynie was ranked Legal Elite in corporate law: banking and finance. Todd has represented both major lending institutions and borrowers in a variety of financing transactions, including construction and permanent real estate loans, asset-based loans, and loan workouts and restructurings.
Ashley Johnson was ranked Legal Elite in health care. Ashley represents hospitals and other providers in litigation, including breach of contract claims brought by physicians. She has also assisted with investigations and proceedings before the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Nursing.
Ray Jones was named Legal Elite in government finance. Ray provides advice and counsel to a broad spectrum of clients in matters relating to public finance, local taxation, financing of affordable housing, and economic development. He is a leader within Parker Poe, serving as the firm's Columbia Office Development Partner.
Dayton Riddle was named Legal Elite in international law. Dayton focuses his practice on corporate transactions and economic development. He advises U.S. and international companies on their corporate legal needs, business expansion projects, and incentive programs in South Carolina and throughout the United States.
Will Thomas was named Legal Elite in health care. Will represents a variety of health care clients in litigation, regulatory issues, and transactions, which have the tendency to blend together and overlap. He is also the former leader of Parker Poe's Health Care Industry Team. Prior to practicing law, Will worked as an administrator in an academic medical center.
Greenville Rankings
Emily Bridges was named Legal Elite in business litigation and employment law for defendants and plaintiffs. Emily has litigated and negotiated contract disputes and other complex commercial issues, as well as employment law issues such as discrimination allegations and noncompete provisions.
Erika Byrd was named Legal Elite in corporate law: business organizations and mergers and acquisitions. Erika represents private companies in a variety of transactions, including stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions, mergers, and corporate reorganizations. She also advises on litigation finance and the legal needs that develop in the daily operation of a business.
Richard Few was named Legal Elite in economic development. Richard's practice includes strategic tax planning and structuring business mergers, sales, acquisitions and reorganizations, economic development, and commercial and public financings for U.S. and international businesses.
Amy Allen Hinson was named Legal Elite in international law and product liability for defendants and plaintiffs. Amy serves as a strategic business partner to clients in a variety of industries and represents them in obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights. She is also a leader within Parker Poe, serving as the Greenville Office Development Partner.
Debbie Kleman was named Legal Elite in employee benefits. Debbie advises clients on qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements, equity based arrangements (including stock options, restricted stock, and employee stock purchase plans), and other benefit plans and issues.
Tim St. Clair was named Legal Elite in intellectual property and innovation. Tim assists clients through all aspects of intellectual property and leads Parker Poe's Intellectual Property Group. He brings a results-oriented, purposeful approach toward maximizing intellectual property value and minimizing IP risks.
About Parker Poe
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has more than 275 lawyers in eight offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, DC. The firm provides legal counsel to many of the largest companies and local governments in the Southeast.
Parker Poe is a member of two leading international legal networks: TerraLex and the Employment Law Alliance. TerraLex and the ELA have chosen Parker Poe to help guide clients through the challenges of global business.