Stephanie Leonard Yarbrough

Stephanie Yarbrough practices in the areas of economic development, banking and finance and corporate law.

Ms. Yarbrough previously served as the Director of Economic Development for the City of Charleston.  In that capacity, Stephanie created and implemented programs directed at job creation and retention through specific efforts in business finance, marketing, small business development, business retention and expansion, technology transfer and real estate development.

Her work at the City also included managing the City’s Green initiatives, as well as overseeing the City of Charleston’s women and minority business recruitment programs.

Ms. Yarbrough has also worked for Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, PLLC in the corporate and securities practice group.  She advised public companies, their boards and their audit, compensation and corporate governance committees regarding compliance with the federal securities laws, Sarbanes-Oxley and related matters. 

Ms. Yarbrough also frequently advised public companies, their boards and special committees and their financial advisors in M&A transactions.  She provided counsel to public and private businesses in the financial services, manufacturing, retail sales, consumer products and health care industries in connection with structuring, negotiating and documenting all aspects of acquisitions, complex financings and third party credit arrangements, including multi-state, multi-lender and multi-currency transactions.  Ms. Yarbrough advised clients on all phases of buying and selling businesses, including mergers, purchases and sales of capital stock and assets, recapitalizations and other corporate restructurings (ranging in size from several hundred thousand dollars to several hundred million dollars).

Ms. Yarbrough was Student Body President while at the College of Charleston, and she received the Outstanding Service to the Student Body Award at graduation.  In law school, she served as Managing Editor of the SMU Law Review, was a Barrister and received the Outstanding Oral Advocate Award. 

• Former Director of Economic Development for the City of Charleston
• Appointed by the Mayor of Charleston to the Selection Committee for the Calhoun Street-East/Cooper River Waterfront Master Plan

• Former Charleston Economic Development Director Joins Nexsen Pruet