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Six Ellis Lawhorne attorneys named 2010 South Carolina Super Lawyers

Submitted by: Melanie Lux on Mar 31, 2010 at 12:52 pm Tagged with: 2010 Super Lawyers, Beach, Ellis, Ellis Lawhorne, Lay, McCants, Sojourner, Thomas Source: Lux Strategic Communications

COLUMBIA, S.C., April 1, 2010 - - Ellis, Lawhorne and Sims, P.A., is pleased to announce six of its attorneys have been named 2010 South Carolina Super Lawyers. Included in the prestigious listing are: John F. Beach, F. Earl Ellis, Jr., John T. Lay, Jr., John L. McCants, David C. Sojourner, Jr., and Karen Hudson Thomas.

Super Lawyers is a register of outstanding lawyers representing more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The magazine is published in all 50 states and reaches more than 13 million readers. The South Carolina issue is distributed to all attorneys in the state.

Beach is a shareholder and a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He has been practicing law for more than 27 years. His business litigation practice primarily consists of large contractual disputes and lawsuits involving trusts, securities, real estate development, and condemnation matters. His clients are often individuals and closely-held companies. Beach also has an active administrative law practice. His cases frequently involve complex issues related to businesses and activities that are regulated by federal, state, or local bodies. Beach earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Ellis is a founding shareholder in the Firm and a member of the Workers’ Compensation Practice Group. For more than 30 years, he has focused his practice on workers’ compensation, representing self-insured companies. He is lead counsel for the self-insurance funds for hospitals and governmental entities throughout the state. A certified mediator, Ellis has mediated more than 300 cases. He is the recipient of the 2010 Best Lawyers in America® Workers’ Compensation Lawyer of the Year for Columbia, S.C. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for the past 14 years. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Lay is a shareholder and a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He has been trying cases for more than 19 years, serving as lead counsel to a wide variety of clients in federal and state courts in South Carolina. He was named to three sections of the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in America, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation. Lay is the past-president of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

McCants is a shareholder and practices construction, commercial and bankruptcy law in the Firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He has served as lead counsel in numerous cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Having practiced law for more than 23 years, McCants is experienced in jury trials, non-jury trials, mediation, and arbitration. He is a past-president of the Richland County Bar Association and the South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association and was selected to the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in America. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Sojourner is a shareholder and a member of the Firm’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on helping clients address complex personal and professional tax planning issues and establishing effective, practical estate and business succession plans. Sojourner also is involved in major trust litigation matters. He is a certified specialist in Taxation Law and Estate Planning and Probate Law. Sojourner was selected to the 2010 edition of the Best Lawyers in America. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his LL.M. in Taxation at the New York University School of Law.

Thomas is a shareholder and a member of the Firm’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group. She is a Certified Taxation Specialist and a Certified Estate Planning and Probate Specialist. Thomas provides legal counsel to professionals, farmers, owners of closely held businesses and large land holdings, and other wealthy individuals on tax and estate planning and probate matters. Her practice is focused primarily on complex probate administration and post-mortem tax planning. Thomas was selected to the 2010 Best Lawyers in America. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and her LL.M. in Taxation at the New York University School of Law.

To learn more about the Firm’s lawyers and their practice areas, visit www.ellislawhorne.com.

About Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims, P.A.
Established in 1980, Ellis Lawhorne & Sims, P.A., is among South Carolina’s top law firms, with more than 35 attorneys. The Firm serves regional and national corporate and individual clients in four main practice groups: Business, Real Estate and Finance; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Trusts and Estates; and Workers’ Compensation. For additional information about the Firm, visit www.ellislawhorne.com.

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