South Carolina

Sanford Holshouser Merges with Nexsen Pruet

North Carolina law firm Sanford Holshouser is merging with South Carolina-based firm Nexsen Pruet. The merger announcement will be made today, the News & Observer reports. Nexsen Pruet chairman Leighton Lord III told the publication that for the past three years, the law firm’s strategic plan has called for a…

Jan 5, 2009 1:54 PM CST

S.C. Inmate Objects to Female Lawyer; State Supreme Court Clerk: Get Over It

Unhappy that a female lawyer had been appointed to represent him in an appeal, a South Carolina inmate wrote to various officials seeking to have a different attorney appointed to his case. The request resulted in a personal letter (PDF) to the inmate from the clerk of the Supreme Court…

Oct 30, 2008 8:35 PM CDT

Why Are So Many South Carolina Magistrates Being Sanctioned?

Seven South Carolina magistrates have been sanctioned or suspended by the state supreme court since January, raising questions about why so many have landed in trouble. Among their misdeeds have been using racial slurs, asking a clerk to videotape a sexual encounter, and referring to crack addiction as a “black…

Aug 19, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Judge Sanctioned for Calling Crack Addiction a ‘Black Man’s Disease’

A former South Carolina judge who called crack cocaine addiction a “black man’s disease” has agreed to stay off the bench and consented to a public reprimand. Magistrate George Peter Lamb of Beaufort County was accused of making the cocaine remark while discussing a warrant, the Associated Press reports. The…

Jul 28, 2008 6:43 PM CDT

Ex-Employee Gets 20 Years in 2 Law Firm Theft Schemes

A former employee who stole $35,000 from two South Carolina law firms in separate theft schemes was sentenced to 20 years in prison after she pleaded guilty yesterday. However, Carolyn Keyes, 60, will only have to serve three years, followed by five years of probation, if she complies with court…

Jul 17, 2008 4:26 PM CDT

Lawsuit Seeks to Bar South Carolina’s ‘I Believe’ License Plates

A legal group is seeking an injunction to bar production of license plates in South Carolina that feature a cross and the phrase “I believe.” Americans United for Separation of Church and State contends the license plates are unconstitutional, the New York Times reports. The group’s executive director, Barry Lynn,…

Jun 20, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Celebrity Divorce Case: Bill Murray’s Wife Cites Booze, Pot, Adultery

The wife of actor and comedian Bill Murray has filed for divorce, contending that the former Saturday Night Live mainstay has physically abused her, has had affairs, is addicted to alcohol and marijuana and has abandoned her. A premarital agreement attached to her South Carolina filing provides for a $7…

May 29, 2008 7:05 PM CDT

Magistrate Reprimanded for Using Racial Slur, Seeking to Record Sexual Encounter

A former South Carolina magistrate has been publicly reprimanded based on findings he used a racial slur and sought to videotape a law clerk in a sexual encounter. The South Carolina Supreme Court said former magistrate Larry Hutchins of Spartanburg cannot seek any judicial post without express permission of the…

May 13, 2008 12:35 PM CDT

K&L Gates in Merger Talks With N.C. Law Firm

Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, a law firm that is the product of two recent mergers, is in merger talks with yet another law firm, this one from North Carolina. The possible merger partner is Charlotte-based Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman, a 175-lawyer firm with five offices in North…

May 2, 2008 12:52 PM CDT

American Pastor Gets 3-Yr Sentence in Moscow

An evangelical pastor and hunting enthusiast has been sentenced to three years in a Russian prison for illegally bringing a box of ammunition to the country. Phillip H. Miles of Christ Community Church in Conway, S.C., has been in jail since his arrest on Feb. 3 for failing to declare…

Apr 22, 2008 12:44 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal in Case of Boy Serving 30-Year Sentence

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to accept an appeal that contends a 30-year sentence given to a 12-year-old boy amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Christopher Pittman was convicted of killing his grandparents as they were sleeping. The South Carolina judge who sentenced him was barred by law from…

Apr 14, 2008 5:51 PM CDT

Successful Jailhouse Lawyer Investigated for Unauthorized Practice

A “jailhouse lawyer” who persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a sentencing challenge by a fellow prisoner is being investigated for practicing law without a license. Michael Ray, a former paralegal who is in prison in connection with a fraudulent real-estate financing scheme, was in the news earlier this…

Feb 27, 2008 1:26 PM CST

Suit Against James Brown’s Lawyers and Greenberg Traurig as Wild as Singer’s Life

Several lawyers have been named in a lawsuit filed by new trustees for the estate of legendary singer James Brown. “Full of drama, the legal wrangling could be straight out of Mr. Brown’s turbulent life, reflected in songs that revolved around women, alcohol and the blues,” the New York Times…

Feb 8, 2008 5:21 PM CST

Some States Seek to Limit Judicial Power to Regulate Lawyers

Legislators in a handful of states are trying to limit the traditional power of their states’ supreme courts to regulate the legal profession. In South Carolina, for instance, a Republican legislator and physician, Dr. Kristopher “Kris” Crawford, is proposing legislation that would eliminate the state supreme court’s power to regulate…

Feb 5, 2008 5:02 PM CST

Students Challenge Expulsion for Kissing

Parents of two South Carolina high school students are challenging a school board decision to kick the kids out of school after they were caught kissing on a school bus. The students, Dominique Goyner and his girlfriend, were expelled in October for the rest of the academic year, the Associated…

Jan 30, 2008 8:27 PM CST