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
• Successfully defended a private college in an action seeking an injunction to block demolition of a college building
• 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
• Assisted a public school district in an investigation by the South Carolina Inspector General

Internal Investigations

• Conducted internal investigation of sexual harassment allegations against a college administrator
• Conducted review of financial aid policies and practices of a public university
• Assisted an international company in investigating an alleged retaliatory discharge
• Assisted a private university in investigating alleged sexual harassment within an athletic program
• Guided a private university in investigating and responding to an alleged racial harassment incident
• Served as an investigator and adjudicator in numerous Title IX matters for public and private universities
• Investigated allegations of sexual harassment under Title VII and Title IX against a private university administrator made by a member of the university community
• Worked closely with an educational institution in aftermath of incident involving student health

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
• 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

• 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
• South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Trustee 2023-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, 2021-2024; President 2022-2023
• Friends of the Reedy River, Board Member 2013-2018
• Greenville County First Steps, Board Member 2014-2016
• Leadership Greenville, Class 41

• Presenter, (Tough) FAQs to Legal Counsel, Heads’ Fall Conference, South Carolina Independent School Association, November 2024
• Presenter, Title IX in Higher Education, SC Bar CLE, February 2024
• Panelist, Navigating Internal Investigations, Wyche CLE, August 2023
• Presenter, Maiden Voyage – A South Carolina Inspector General Investigation Debrief, SC Council of School Attorneys (COSA), March 2023
• Co-Presenter, Using Outside Investigators, College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), SC Chapter Annual Conference, September 2022
• Presenter, Title IX and Nondiscrimination, Presbyterian College, August 2022
• Presenter, Education Law Update, Annual Heads of School Conference, South Carolina Independent School Association, June 2021
• Presenter for numerous training sessions to schools on Title IX, including trainings on conducing and adjudicating hearings, maintaining impartiality, advising students, Title IX regulations, and preventing sexual harassment, 2018 – present
• Presenter, Defining Sexual Harassment, Wyche CLE, February 2018
• 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)
• Presenter, 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