Wade S. Kolb IIIMEMBER

Wade focuses his practice on litigation, appellate advocacy, education, internal investigations, and governmental representation. Since joining Wyche in the fall of 2011, Wade has had extensive experience in high-stakes commercial litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal court and handling cases for major national and international corporations involved in antitrust, breach of contract, and trade secrets disputes.  Wade also serves as outside general counsel to a number of educational institutions, and his work in education law has included numerous internal investigations, policy and handbook reviews, student discipline and honor code matters, Title IX compliance, and contracting with vendors.  He also serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Prior to joining Wyche, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ed Carnes on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Active in the community, Wade is a member of numerous boards and non-profit organizations, including the Palmetto Project, the Rotary Club of Greenville, and the Carolina Youth Symphony.

Contact

P 864-242-8306

F 864-235-8900

Mail

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  • Appellate Advocacy
  • Big Case Litigation
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Governmental Representation
  • Health Care
  • Internal Investigations
  • Litigation
  • Outside General Counsel
  • Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Practice
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Shareholder Oppression
  • Plaintiff’s Business Litigation Practice
  • Data Privacy
2010, J.D. Duke University School of Law, magna cum laude; Order of the Coif; Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy, Executive Editor; Christian Legal Society, President; Education Law and Policy Society, Co-Chair
2001 Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Oxford, UK; Associate Student of Keble College, Oxford University
2000, B.A. University of South Carolina Honors College, magna cum laude; Carolina Scholar; Emily Dodge Clarke Prize in Religious Studies; Omicron Delta Kappa

Wade’s recent experience includes:

General Litigation and Appellate Advocacy

  • Represented plaintiff retirees in an ERISA class action against retirement plan trustees, resulting in settlement in excess of $7.6 million
  • Obtained two temporary restraining orders against a local business involved in a trade secrets dispute with a Fortune 500 client
  • Defended an international corporation against South Carolina antitrust and unfair trade practices claims
  • Successfully defended a manufacturer in an action seeking an injunction to block delivery of multi-million dollar equipment
  • Drafted a petition for a writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court concerning novel issues of federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act
  • Successfully represented minority shareholders in an oppression action involving ownership interests in multi-million dollar corporations, resolved in favor of our clients through arbitration
  • Successfully represented plaintiff farmer in a week-long jury trial challenging the defendant’s breach of a long-term contract for the purchase of goods

Education

  • Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit filed against a college by a donor seeking return of monetary gifts after the college made a strategic decision with which the donor disagreed
  • Conducted review of financial aid policies and practices of a public university
  • Successfully defended a private college in an action seeking an injunction to block demolition of a college building
  • Conducted internal investigation of sexual harassment allegations against a college administrator
  • Filed amicus curiae with S.C. Court of Appeals and successfully argued that courts should not interfere in core academic decisions by schools, resulting in reversal of a lower court decision

Governmental Representation

  • Successfully defended a South Carolina county before the S.C. Supreme Court in an action challenging the county’s proposed sales tax referendum. The action was brought by the state attorney general and a state agency and involved matters of first impression under the Capital Project Sales Tax Act.
  • Defended out-of-state public authority against claims brought under South Carolina and federal environmental laws
  • Successfully represented South Carolina county in appeals to the S.C. Court of Appeals and S.C. Supreme Court, seeking invalidation of severance agreement with former county administrator and reversal of trial court opinion
  • Represented S.C. Senate in an action before the S.C. Supreme Court, challenging appointment powers of the Governor of South Carolina
2011-Present Wyche, P.A.
2010–11 Law Clerk, Hon. Ed Carnes, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
2001–07 Wilson Hall School, English teacher
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 2016
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, 2016
  • United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, 2016
  • United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, 2012
  • South Carolina Bar, 2012
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2011
  • North Carolina Bar, 2010
  • National Association of College and University Attorneys, Member
  • American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Member
  • Christ Church Episcopal, Parish Choir and Assistant Chancellor
  • The Palmetto Project, Board Member 2017-present
  • Carolina Youth Symphony, Board Member 2013-present; President 2016-2020
  • Greenville County School District, Judge for Teacher of the Year Award, 2018-2020
  • Mount Athos Foundation of America, Board Member 2017-present
  • Rotary Club of Greenville, 2012-present; Board Member 2015-2018
  • Friends of the Reedy River, Board Member 2013-2016
  • Greenville County First Steps, Board Member 2014-2016
  • Leadership Greenville, Class 41
  • Co-editor, Captured at Kings Mountain: The Journal of Uzal Johnson, a Loyalist Surgeon, University of South Carolina Press (2011); co-edited with Dr. Robert M. Weir
  • Author, Briggs v. Elliott Revisited: A Study in Grassroots Activism and Trial Advocacy from the Early Civil Rights Era, 19 Journal of Southern Legal History 123 (2011)
  • Author, When “Practicable” and “Feasible” May Mean “Mandatory”: The Rights of Limited English Proficient Parents, 41 School Law Bulletin 2 (Sept. 2010)
  • Author, Caperton v. Massey: The Due Process Implications of Contributions to Judicial Campaigns, 4 Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy, Sidebar, 315 (2009)
  • “Education Law Update”: Annual Heads of School Conference, South Carolina Independent School Association, June 2021
  • “The Rights of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Parents”; Annual School Board Attorneys’ Conference, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, March 2010; School of Government, UNC-CH, August 2009
2020 Columbia Business Monthly, Legal Elite, Top Education Lawyer
2019 Recognized on Pro Bono Honor Roll by Supreme Court of South Carolina
2019 – present Recognized on Pro Bono Honor Roll by Supreme Court of North Carolina
2019-present Greenville Business Magazine, Legal Elite of the Upstate
2016-present Listed in South Carolina Super Lawyers
2014 Selected for Leadership Greenville, Class 41
2013 Named one of Greenville’s “Best and Brightest 35 and Under” by Greenville Business Magazine