Legal Publisher Recognizes Ten Nexsen Pruet Attorneys For Excellence; Three Practices Areas Again Rated No. 1

COLUMBIA, SC – Ten Nexsen Pruet attorneys have been named among the top legal practitioners in their fields in the 2007 edition of the Chambers USA Guide, and three of the firm’s practice areas were rated No. 1 in South Carolina.

The publication cited David Dubberly for labor and employment law; Vickie Eslinger for labor and employment law; David Gossett for real estate; Mark Knight for corporate/mergers and acquisitions; Susi McWilliams for both labor and employment and general commercial litigation; Ed Menzie for both corporate/mergers and acquisitions and real estate; Neil Robinson for real estate; Tom Stephenson for labor and employment; and Tom Tisdale for general commercial litigation.

All were named among the state’s top three attorneys in their respective practice areas, and Menzie was ranked as the top corporate/mergers and acquisition lawyer. Each earned a spot in last year’s Chambers guide as well.

For the third straight year, the firm’s corporate/mergers and acquisitions, real estate law, and general commercial litigation practices were ranked No. 1, while the employment practice was rated No. 2. In addition to the firm and individual recognitions, Chambers also listed Jeff Vinzani as “up and coming” in real estate law.

Rankings in the Chambers USA Guide are based on more than 10,000 interviews conducted across the country. Attorneys are rated based on factors that include legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities valued by clients. Lawyers and firms who achieve the listings are widely considered to be leaders in the fields.

Neil Robinson practices in the firm's Charleston office. He has broad experience in complex real estate transactions; administrative law, including permitting, zoning and land sales registrations; community association and condominium law; and commercial and resort real estate development. He is recognized in Best Lawyers in America in real estate law, and is listed in both Who’s Who in Real Estate Development and Who’s Who Legal. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Clemson University Foundation, a member of the Clemson Board of Visitors, and a founding trustee of the Clemson Real Estate Development Foundation.

Tom Tisdale, based in Charleston, practices in the firm’s litigation and appellate groups. He is a former president of the South Carolina Bar and is listed in Best Lawyers in America for business litigation and First Amendment law 

Jeff Vinzani practices in Charleston and concentrates on general business law, including complex real estate and finance transactions; commercial and industrial leasing law; administrative law, including permitting and zoning; commercial, industrial, and resort development; and representing lenders in connection with making and restructuring loans, negotiating workouts, and enforcing creditors' rights.

Tom Stephenson is based in the Greenville office and concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, labor law, employment law, and employment-related litigation. He is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in employment and labor law; is a certified mediator; and has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America for alternative dispute resolution and labor and employment law. He currently serves as vice chair of the Board of Trustees of the Medical University of South Carolina.

David Dubberly chairs the firm's employment and labor law group and practices in the Columbia office. He is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in employment and labor law and is a member of the court's Employment and Labor Specialization Advisory Board. A former chair of the South Carolina Bar's Employment and Labor Section, he is also listed in Best Lawyers in America.

Vickie Eslinger practices in Columbia, concentrating on general and business litigation, labor and employment, and international law. She is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in labor and employment law, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America for labor and employment law and family law. She has also received the Compleat Lawyer Platinum Award from the University of South Carolina School of Law in recognition of her more than 30 years in the profession.

David Gossett is based in the Greenville office, where he concentrates his practice in the economic development, real estate, and lending areas. He is regularly involved in financing some of the larger agribusinesses in the country and is a board member of the Upstate Alliance, a regional economic development group. He has represented new and expanding business in all phases of their projects in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Mark Knight is based in the Columbia office and heads the firm’s corporate practice group. He concentrates his practice primarily on the areas of securities, mergers and acquisitions, corporate, and partnership law. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America for corporate, securities, and mergers and acquisitions Law, and is a former chair of the S.C. Bar's Corporation, Banking and Securities Section.

Susi McWilliams, who practices in the Columbia office, is a trial lawyer with experience in products liability, employment, business litigation, malpractice defense, securities, and lender liability. She is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in employment and labor law; is a member of the America College of Trial Lawyers; and sits on the board of the South Carolina Ethics Commission. She is also listed in Best Lawyers in America for labor and employment law.

Ed Menzie practices in Columbia, and combines extensive corporate, finance, real estate, and securities experience in the representation of a variety of clients, including major real estate developers. He is listed in the corporate law and real estate Law sections of Best Lawyers in America, and is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Since 1986, he has served on the Board of Directors of Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc.

For more information on the Chambers' ratings visit ChambersAndPartners.com.

NEXSEN PRUET, LLC is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas, with more than 180 attorneys and offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1945, Nexsen Pruet provides a broad range of legal services to the business community and represents companies and other entities in local, state, national, and international venues.