Locations

Founded with one attorney in 1990, Nelson Mullins’ Charleston office has grown to more than 40 attorneys all devoted to service in the profession and the community and whose practices range from real estate to intellectual property. John McElwain talks about the role the firm plays in this growing, vibrant, historic city on the South Carolina coast.

Partner Jack Smith helped open the Charleston office in 1989 and has been working with clients in the area on environmental and land use law — a collaborative practice spanning across most firm offices — ever since. Compliance with environmental standards that protect the air, water, and lands of the coast, he says, usually leads to long-term security and stability for businesses. 
 

Associate Ben Brams describes the rewarding experience of walking through the streets of Charleston, knowing the part he’s played in its development.

Partner Robert Brunson chairs the firm’s private wealth services practice, which has probate litigators and estate planners with more than 200 years of experience combined. “We’ve litigated in federal court, state court, probate court,” he says. “When families have big disputes over substantial wealth, this is where they come because that’s what we do.”
 

Between attorneys and staff, the Charleston office is a small, tight-knit community focused on delivering Big Law solutions to clients. In her experience, associate Sydney Hamer says that her practice in Charleston is grounded in great relationships, but she also has the advantage of collaborating with associates and partners from all over the firm.

Charleston Office Managing Partner John McElwaine works with attorneys across the firm’s platform to secure, protect, and sometimes litigate for the sake of a client’s intellectual property rights. In this video, he walks through the four tiers of the firm’s IP practice.

As co-chair of the firm’s white-collar crime defense and government investigations team, Charleston partner Bart Daniel knows the team’s strengths in and out. The attorneys of the firm’s white-collar team have serious experience in trial — whether as criminal prosecutors, administrative prosecutors, or criminal defense lawyers — should a matter get to that point.

A 2016 study found that North Charleston, South Carolina, has the highest eviction rate in the country. Knowing how pressing this need is for his local community, Merritt Abney uses his experience in commercial litigation to regularly represent people facing housing crises — and potentially homelessness — in eviction hearings. 

Healthcare providers face a range of unique and challenging issues. Charleston partner Eli Poliakoff talks about the work Nelson Mullins does with clients to address these issues head-on, from government regulations to business arrangements and partnerships, so that they can focus on caring for patients.