Columbia Lawyers

As a landowner, I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect by their government. The forced acquisition of private property can be an extraordinarily stressful and harmful experience for individuals and businesses involved. My role is to alleviate that burden and ensure that my clients are treated fairly and receive just compensation. I take pleasure in addressing the various challenges that can arise during the condemnation process and uphold a belief in a collaborative and flexible approach to resolving cases.

Jill Lesley is a passionate advocate for individuals facing challenging legal battles, bringing a deep commitment to justice and fairness to her work at Cromer Babb Porter, LLC. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, and raised in the Atlanta metro area, Jill returned to her hometown to pursue a career dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of others. Jill earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with honors from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Combining her academic background in human behavior with her drive for advocacy, she attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating in May...

Jake Modla has practiced law in North and South Carolina since 1990, focusing on labor and employment matters. He began his career representing employers at Haynsworth Baldwin Johnson and Greaves and Ogletree Deakins, handling discrimination, wage and hour, and civil rights cases and appearing before the United States Supreme Court in O’Connor v. Consolidated Coin Caterers Corporation. In 2004, Jake joined Family Dollar Stores, serving as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and later Vice President of HR Operations. He later practiced at Littler Mendelson, the world’s largest labor and employment law firm, where he defended employers in federal litigation and advised...

Mr. Simmons' practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, products and pharmaceutical liability, premises liability, medical malpractice and white collar criminal defense. He holds Martindale-Hubbell's highest AV rating, is Lead Counsel rated, and is a member of the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, South Carolina Super Lawyers and the National Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Trial Lawyers. In 1992, Mr. Simmons served as the youngest Presidentially-appointed United States Attorney in the country, having been named to the post by President George Bush. As United States Attorney, Mr. Simmons directed the federal...

David's legal practice is devoted exclusively to litigation. Litigation is a broad term, but it generally refers to any type of legal dispute resolution process that may eventually require resolution through the court system. While there are many areas of litigation, David primarily focuses on legal disputes: (1) arising out of eminent domain and condemnation (government taking a private landowner's property); (2) business disputes, such as contract or lease disputes, partnership breakups, or disputes with governmental bodies; and (3) construction, both plaintiff and defendants, construction defects, breach contract, and professional negligence of design professionals. David has...

Ramie Shalabi practices personal injury and workers’ compensation law. He was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina by a textile mill worker and a seamstress. He began working at a local grocery store at the age of 14 and has not stopped working since. He attended the University of South Carolina where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science while minoring in Business Administration. Upon graduation, Ramie attended one of the top law schools in the southeast – Wake Forest University School of Law. While in law school, Ramie was an editor for the Wake...

Franklin McGuire Jr. is a trial lawyer and an Army National Guard officer in Columbia, SC. Originally from Lexington, SC, Franklin was a small business owner and entrepreneur for several years before going to law school. He values his time spent in business and the unique perspective it gave him on the law and how it can impact normal people and small business owners — both for good and for bad. Today, Franklin loves his practice at Goings Law Firm, where he spends his time helping normal people navigate the chaos of the insurance world after the worst has happened. Whether...

John is a 1966 History graduate of The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina; earning his J.D. in 1969 from the University of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. In addition, John attended graduate school at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (1970). He is a member of the State Bar Associations of South Carolina, Florida, and Michigan. Currently, John has offices in Columbia and Edisto Beach, South Carolina handling primarily DUI, drug cases, and criminal matters. He often testifies as an expert witness in police procedures, high speed chases, and other law enforcement practices. John serves as Counsel for the South Carolina Trooper's Association,...

Alissa's practice is almost entirely devoted to criminal defense. She works for Touma Law Group and is the principal attorney in the Columbia, South Carolina office. Alissa attended the State University of New York at Buffalo to earn her law degree and MBA. She practiced law in New York until 2013 when she migrated to South Carolina. Alissa has been practicing criminal law since 2014, when she began working for Jack Swerling. She practiced under Jack's guidance until early 2024 when she moved to Touma Law Group. Alissa is originally from New York, and an avid New York Jets fan....

Nicholas G. Callas has been practicing law in South Carolina since 1991. He has extensive knowledge and skill representing clients in Workers' Compensation, Personal Injury, and Social Security Disability matters. Mr. Callas provides aggressive, determined, and experienced representation, focused on the best possible results.
He is dedicated to recovering the compensation you need and deserve.

Mr. Callas received his B.A., cum laude, from Boston College in 1982. He earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1990. Mr. Callas's prior experience includes work as an Assistant State Prosecuting Attorney, Fifth Circuit Solicitor, Richland County. Additionally, he is a...

John practices in business transactions and concentrates his practice in commercial real estate development, commercial real estate leasing (with an emphasis on retail leasing), commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions and marina/resort development. John advises developers, investors, lenders, buyers and sellers with regard to financing, leasing, land use and development, conservation easements, construction, real estate title insurance, and all aspects of structuring commercial loan and business transactions. John enjoyed similar practices with large firms headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina before co-founding Graybill & Lansche, LLC. John graduated with Honors in Psychology from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia....

I am a dedicated criminal defense attorney based in Columbia, South Carolina. I serve clients throughout Richland County and beyond, with a strong commitment to protecting the rights of the accused. My legal practice is focused solely on criminal defense, where I offer strategic and compassionate representation to individuals facing serious charges in South Carolina state courts. My experience spans both civil and criminal law, but I found my true calling in criminal defense. I take pride in guiding my clients through every stage of the legal process, from arrest to resolution. I work tirelessly to build strong defenses that reflect...

Danny Vega has been fortunate to practice law representing injured workers for nearly 20 years. Danny has represented injured workers all over the state of South Carolina. Danny was born to missionary parents and grew up in the mission field. Although a family of humble means, being a missionary kid meant moving frequently. By the time he was ten, Danny lived in Columbia (where he was born), Atlanta, Jacksonville and San Juan. Throughout his life he has also lived in Charleston, Miami, Orlando, Virginia Beach and finally Columbia once again. Danny has been married for more than 25 years and is...

Melinda grew up in the greater Columbia, South Carolina area where she currently resides. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and graduated from Charlotte School of Law with honors (cum laude). While in law school she was inducted into the prestigous Order of the Crown (honor society) and received a merit scholarship. After law school, Melinda spent over eight years at a public interest law firm practicing family law. Melinda was the head family law attorney and was recognized as Attorney of the Year in 2016 while employed at...

Attorney Marion M. Moses is a results-driven criminal and personal injury lawyer centrally located in Columbia, NC. He has over nineteen years of experience, as well as significant trial experience as a member of the South Carolina Bar and multiple other bar associations throughout South Carolina. Further, as a former prosecutor, Attorney Moses can provide an additional perspective in crafting your defense as he anticipates the prosecution’s methods. He is dedicated to each one of his clients, and he takes care to develop a strong and sensible argument for every case he handles. You can expect personalized attention as Attorney...

Elizabeth Dalzell is a personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Kenneth Berger in Columbia, SC, a firm that exclusively handles catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Elizabeth handles cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, drunk driving crashes, boating wrecks, product liability, and wrongful death. Before working as a plaintiff's attorney, Elizabeth worked at an insurance defense firm, allowing her to gain valuable insights that make her a strong advocate for his injured clients. To schedule a free consultation, visit bergerlawsc.com or call (803) 790-2800.

Chase helps get the most compensation for individuals who suffered catastrophic injuries and businesses in complex litigations. Clients deserve the best results and to be kept in the loop. We saw a gap in the market. Too many law firms fail to communicate their cases to their clients; fail to proactively prosecute cases instead of reacting to the insurance companies or other side; and fail to use or understand the best resources. These law firms put the "firm-first" instead of the client. Chased formed Keibler Law Group to fill that gap. We rely on...

Jacob Born is a founding partner at SBLTV and leads the firm’s litigation team, focusing on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients in complex matters involving nursing home neglect, trucking accidents, industrial injuries, and product liability. Jacob takes pride in securing meaningful results for individuals and families facing powerful corporate defendants. A Columbia native, Jacob earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and his J.D. from the Charleston School of Law. He is licensed to practice in both South Carolina and Georgia and is active in numerous professional organizations, including the American Association for Justice,...

James “Jamie” D. George, Jr. graduated from Presbyterian College in 2015 and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2018. Jamie served as a member of the editorial staff (Volume 68) and as a student works editor (Volume 69) for the South Carolina Law Review. Upon his law school graduation, he was admitted as a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe. In addition to practicing law, Jamie teaches as an adjunct professor at Presbyterian College. His course provides a survey of South Carolina Law.

Virginia Kendall concentrates her practice in personal injury litigation. She grew up in Prince George, Virginia until she moved to South Carolina to attend the University of South Carolina, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2019 with a degree in Criminal Justice. After college, she worked for the University of South Carolina before moving to Arkansas, where she graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law in 2023. During law school, she was a member of law review where she published an article in the UALR Law Review journal (Volume 45)...

James Christopher Sproat (Jim) is an attorney with Smith, Born, Leventis, Taylor & Vega, LLC. Mr. Sproat received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of South Carolina in 2008 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2011. While at the University of Cincinnati, Mr. Sproat served as both the Student Bar Association President and the Managing Editor of the Immigration and Nationality Law Review. He was admitted to practice law in South Carolina in 2011, after working with both the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio...

George’s practice is concentrated in workers’ compensation and personal injury claims. He has handled hundreds of cases before the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, including through trial and appeal before the South Carolina Court of Appeals. George has likewise handled hundreds of cases in state and federal courts throughout South Carolina. He is passionate about representing injury victims and takes great pride in the personal relationship he builds with each of his clients. George holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Citadel. After graduating, he accepted a Commission into the U.S. Air Force. He deployed multiple times during his...

Wesley concentrates his practice in commercial real estate development. He advises developers, buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, lenders, and investors with regard to real estate development, sales, acquisitions, financing, leasing, construction, land use and zoning, and title insurance matters. Wesley initially served as outside counsel to a commercial real estate development company which focused on large shopping center and free standing drugstore development. He continued his practice at a large firm headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina before co-founding Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani, LLC.

Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Mr. Stanley attended the University of South Carolina where he received his B.S. in Business Administration. While attending the University of South Carolina, Mr. Stanley was the captain of the South Carolina baseball team that went to 3 straight College World Series.

Upon completing his Bachelor’s degree, Mr. Stanley earned a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Information Science from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. Following the completion of his Master’s degrees in 2010, Mr. Stanley attended law school at Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando, Florida,...

Holly Saleeby Atkins is the founding member of the Atkins Law Firm and one of the most well-respected workers’ compensation attorneys in the state. Holly brings a unique perspective to the practice of Workers’ Compensation as she is one of a handful of lawyers in SC that has worked in every aspect of the Workers’ Compensation system—as a defense attorney, a Commissioner, and representing injured workers. Prior to being appointed to the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, Holly worked as a defense attorney for ten years representing insurance companies and employers in workers’ compensation matters. She was then...

Carrie Warner is an experienced trial attorney who has proven her talents inside and outside of the courtroom. Ms. Warner has successfully litigated numerous complex cases, including those in the areas of family law and civil litigation. She and her team made legal history in 2014 when they successfully challenged South Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage. As a dedicated advocate who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, she is equipped to handle a wide range of family law, probate, estate, and appellate cases. Ms. Warner regularly participates in conferences and has been featured in statewide publications.

Lexington Criminal Defense and Personal Injury Attorney

Columbia, SC Attorney Nick Mermiges combines years of South Carolina family court experience with elite academic credentials and an unwavering dedication to his clients' interests. Nick has handled hundreds of divorce, custody and family cases in South Carolina. He has taken multiple cases to trial in Richland and Lexington Counties. He knows what needs to be done before a case begins, after a case is filed, and throughout litigation to help his clients get the outcome they want. Nick believes that the goal of every family court attorney should be to get their client through the family court system as expeditiously as...

Charles "Charlie" Terreni has practiced law in Columbia, South Carolina, since 1990. He is a 1990 graduate of the University of South Carolina School Of Law. He earned his B.A. degree in International Studies with a minor in French from the University of South Carolina in 1985. After graduating from law school, Terreni practiced with Cooper, Beard & Dibble (1990-91) and with the Dibble Law Offices from 1991 to 1995. He served as Executive Assistant to the Lieutenant Governor from 1995 to 1996. In 1996, he returned to private practice, opening the Terreni Law Firm, LLC. In 2004, Terreni joined the Public...

South Carolina bankruptcy attorney. I help clients with Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy matters. Offices in Irmo, Columbia, Florence, Greenville, and Charleston.

Mr. Jowers represents patients harmed by medical malpractice, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. He is admitted to practice before all courts in the state of South Carolina, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (2002), and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (2003). Additionally, he has been admitted to practice pro hac vice in numerous states throughout the country. Mr. Jowers graduated with honors from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in 1998. Afterwards, he entered the University of South Carolina School of Law and graduated in 2001. During law...

* Note: Voluntary inactive status in KS - can be reactivated any time.

Attorney Hair focuses his practice on car wrecks, dog bites, and trip and fall cases. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is a group where membership is limited to attorneys who have achieved million dollar verdicts or settlements. Attorney Hair has also been selected by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for consecutive years. He has served hundreds of clients across South Carolina!

Haley graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law and concentrated her studies in real estate and taxation. Haley is a licensed real estate broker and began her career managing and selling real estate. Her practice involves advising lenders, developers, investors, buyers and sellers with regard to all aspects of commercial real estate transactions.

Maggie Chappell practices in the areas of personal injury and mass torts. She has handled truck and auto accidents and catastrophic injury cases. She also works on the mass torts team which handles 3M combat earplug cases and talcum powder ovarian cancer cases, among many more. Maggie was born and raised in Inman, South Carolina. She moved just down the road to attend Wofford College and graduated in 2012 with a degree in English. After college, she worked as a legal assistant for Mark Arden before attending the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2015. Maggie was lucky to...

Andrew Fajardo is an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who has argued cases and handled appellate work before the State Workers’ Compensation Commission and the appellate courts. He has focused his legal career almost exclusively in the field of workers’ compensation. Andrew joined Chappell, Smith & Arden in July of 2015. He brought with him innumerable skills and diverse experiences that have aided the firm in helping protect and compensate workers. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys playing classical piano. He also appreciates most anything associated with motor sports and spending time on outdoor activities such as hunting and...

R. Lawton Harper concentrates his practice solely in workers’ compensation. He was born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina. He left home to attend Elon University in North Carolina, where he graduated in 2017 with a degree in History and Education. After college, he returned to the Lowcountry and served South Carolina as a social studies teacher and basketball coach at Summerville High School. He then enrolled at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he graduated with honors in 2022. He is excited to once again be helping the people of South Carolina. In his free time, Lawton...

After working as an attorney in Jackson, Mississippi, Attorney Tom Eller returned to his home state of South Carolina. Here, Eller continued his practice, focusing on personal injury as well as worker’s compensation. His experience in personal injury extends to cases which involve car accidents, defective products, as well as preventable harm resulting from the negligence of others. His passion for helping clients facing a personal hardship is what drives him to fight for maximum compensation in each case. He understands the strains that personal injuries place on a person both mentally and physically and assures that he will stand...