Careers
Why Wyche?
More often than not the first question we hear from recruits is, “What brought you to Wyche?” The answers to that question are as diverse as the 38 attorneys who practice here. The following information is intended to give you some idea of what drew us to this unique firm.
Our Backgrounds
Although academic credentials are not an infallible measure of legal abilities, we believe ours are among the best in the country. We represent many of the top law schools; fifteen of us are members of Phi Beta Kappa; one is a Rhodes Scholar; one is a Fulbright Scholar; twenty-two have been members of law reviews or journals; three have served in the Justice Department; seventeen have clerked in the United States District Court or Court of Appeals; one has clerked for the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals and one has clerked for the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court; and four have clerked in the United States Supreme Court.
Our Practice
To the extent that a firm’s practice is a reflection of the legal abilities of its members, we believe that we fare well by that standard also. Our corporate practice includes start-ups, leveraged buy-outs, recapitalizations, public and private offerings, debt refinancings, mergers, acquisitions and other corporate restructurings. The size of these transactions ranges from relatively small amounts to values exceeding one billion dollars. Similarly, our litigation practice includes relatively simple cases – which afford the opportunity to get into court – as well as complex litigation such as antitrust, First Amendment, voting rights, redistricting, securities, copyright, patent and trade secrets lawsuits. Within each of these areas, our practice allows each new associate immediately to begin to experience a wide range of activities and responsibility.
Our Quality of Life
Although we do work hard, we are by no means addicted to work – and we genuinely enjoy working with each other. Unlike many firms, which seem to be collections of individuals bound together primarily by financial considerations, we believe that one of the strengths of our firm is the commitment that we have not only to the profession but also to each other on a personal level. For example, only one partner is permitted to see the hours billed by other attorneys, and that information cannot be shared with anyone else in the firm. We expect everyone in the firm to work hard and to be productive, and we obviously depend upon that expectation, but we believe that in the long run compiling and comparing individual billings would be divisive. Another example of our commitment to each other is our philosophy of hiring only those whom we hope and expect to become members of the firm. Our experience shows that we have been successful in this effort.
Our Location
A major attraction of our practice is our city and the surrounding environment. Greenville has become known nationally for its remarkably vibrant downtown, full of arts and cultural venues, excellent restaurants, and a beautiful park along the river. (Much of this came about as a direct result of the vision, patience, and hard work of many members of our firm over many years.) Our office building overlooks the lower falls and is at the foot of the dramatic pedestrian bridge crossing the upper falls into the park. A minor league ballpark – a replica of Boston’s Fenway Park – is a short walk from the office. Tennis, golf, bike trails, ice skating, running trails and swimming facilities are nearby as well. There are few areas in the country that surpass ours for physical beauty. The Blue Ridge Mountains lie less than an hour to the north, and some of the finest beaches in the world are four hours to the southeast. Outstanding whitewater canoeing, kayaking, and trout fishing are within close proximity, as are good boating and fishing on several large mountain lakes. Finally, Greenville is becoming a hub for cycling enthusiasts.
Our Commitment to the Community
Another major attraction of our practice is the opportunity for direct and immediate involvement in community affairs. Virtually every member of the firm takes part in a significant way in helping to shape the community in which we live. Various members of the firm are actively involved in politics (in both the Republican and Democratic parties), in local civic affairs (one has served as president of the United Way, one was chairman of the board of an African-American community service organization, one is chairman of the local housing authority, and several are active in the local chapter of the Urban League), and in the arts (four have served as president of the Greenville Symphony, others have served as presidents or directors of other local arts organizations, and two led a hugely ambitious and equally successful campaign to raise money for the award-winning Peace Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Greenville). In addition, many members of the firm are actively involved in conservation activities which have resulted in the establishment of parks, nature preserves, and conservation easements over large expanses of nearby mountain lands. The list could go on. The important point is that our commitment to the community embraces everyone, from associates to senior members.
Our Commitment to the Legal Profession
Our lawyers also take an active role in the work of the bar at local, state and national levels. Many of our members are involved in committee work, frequently as chairpersons. Two of our members have served as president of the South Carolina Bar Association, one was a member, for six years, of the ABA Standing Committee on the Judiciary, which screens all federal judicial candidates, and one of our associates was named the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers of the Year for 2004. While we have no formal pro bono program, the firm encourages members to pursue whatever pro bono activities are of interest to them. Examples include the defense of indigent criminal defendants (including murder defendants in capital cases) and representation of abused women and children in family court proceedings. One of our then associates was named the 1999 pro bono lawyer of the year by the South Carolina Bar Association, one member was the founder and board chair of the Libra Society, and another member is the board chair of Legal Services of South Carolina, the statewide legal services system. There is no requirement that attorneys handling pro bono matters “compensate” for time spent on those activities by billing additional hours to paying clients.