Event Information

Alan assists clients in navigating the legal and business landscape of construction in areas ranging from contract review and general business matters through litigating construction defects, pay disputes, and other construction claims. Alan’s grandfather and father were custom homebuilders and developers, providing him with unique insight into the needs of the industry’s small businesses. Alan’s legal experience also includes the representation of general contractors and developers in commercial and multi-family projects with exposure in the millions.  

Alan’s passion for being an attorney derives from the opportunity to counsel his clients through good times and bad. A former high school English teacher, Alan also loves the opportunity to engage and educate clients on current topics in the industry from a legal perspective. Alan is on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, an organization through which he has also authored articles for The DefenseLine and served as a panelist on current legal topics. Alan is a graduate of Clemson University (B.A. in English), the University of South Carolina (M.A.T. in Secondary Ed./English), and the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D.).  

Admitted to Practice:

South Carolina Supreme Court (2011)

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (2012)

A native of Columbia, Ben graduated from Woodberry Forest School in Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was awarded the Robert McCormick Figg, Jr. Trial Advocacy Award and the Claud Sapp Award for scholarship, industry, and leadership.  Ben also served as president of the USC School of Law Pro Bono Board while in law school and is currently a member of the Pro Bono Advisory Council. After law school, Ben served as a law clerk for the Honorable G. Thomas Cooper, Jr. of Camden, South Carolina before joining Bruner Powell as an associate and becoming a partner.

Understanding that no two companies or projects are alike, Ben takes a practical approach to each client based on that client’s goals and circumstances.  During his practice, Ben has gained experience in both trial and appellate courts in South Carolina, federal court, arbitration, and administrative proceedings.  He has handled cases involving construction law, professional negligence defense, collection of judgments, commercial collections, as well as business and general litigation.  With respect to the construction industry, Ben has represented owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, builders, and design professionals in a wide array of construction projects ranging from single family homes to commercial buildings to heavy highway construction.  He has represented clients in contract negotiation and drafting, contract default claims, termination claims, delay and acceleration claims, mechanic’s liens, performance and payment bond claims, defective workmanship and construction defect claims, insurance coverage for construction defect claims, and claims on public projects related to bid protests and contract disputes.  Ben is currently a Member of the South Carolina Bar Construction Law Section Council.

Ben listed in Best Lawyers in the areas of Construction Law and Litigation-Construction.  He is Peer Reviewed on Martindale-Hubbell.  In 2020, Ben was recognized again as one of Columbia Business Monthly’s Legal Elite of the Midlands for construction law.

Bryan Kelley

Elmore Goldsmith Kelley & deHoll, PA

Bryan represents a wide range of general contractors, subcontractors, developers, and surety companies in North and South Carolina. He primarily practices in the areas of construction law and surety claims and disputes. Bryan's experience includes assisting clients with claim avoidance strategies, mechanic's liens, bond claims, payment claims, defect litigation, insurance coverage, scheduling and delay issues, and change order disputes. 

He is a former Chairman of the Construction Section Council of the South Carolina Bar and has served as a lecturer on a variety of construction topics for legal and industry groups including Carolinas Associated General Contractors. He is a co-author of the South Carolina Construction Law Deskbook, published by the Construction Law Section of the South Carolina Bar, and regularly presents the South Carolina Construction Law Update at the Construction Section's annual meeting.

Bryan is rated "AV" preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.  He has been named to "The Best Lawyers in America" for Construction Law and Construction Litigation in South Carolina and Lawyer of the Year for Construction Litigation (Greenville) by Best Lawyers.  He has also been recognized among the "Legal Elite" by Greenville Business Magazine for Construction Law.  Bryan holds an undergraduate degree from Wofford College and attended law school at the University of South Carolina. 

Christy E. Mahon

Sweeny Wingate & Barrow, PA

Christy Mahon is a member at Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow.  She is past Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary for the South Carolina Bar Construction Law Section.  Her practice areas include construction law, products liability, general insurance defense, premises liability, insurance coverage litigation, and appellate advocacy.  

Prior to joining the firm, she was a staff attorney for the Supreme Court of South Carolina.  She is a summa cum laude graduate from both undergraduate and law school.  She was external editor and articles editor for the Law Review, recipient of the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award, and recipient of the Corpus Juris Secundum Awards in Contracts, Property, Civil Procedure, and Torts.  She is a member of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, and the Defense Research Institute.  Christy has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star.  Christy has recently been accepted into membership of the FDCC. 

In 2000, Judge Clifton Newman was elected to the South Carolina Circuit Court by the South Carolina General Assembly and he has served continuously since. He has served as the Presiding Judge over the Multi-Week Trial Docket for South Carolina, a specialized docket of complex construction and other multi-week cases. He is a Business Court Judge. He has been appointed by the South Carolina Supreme Court to serve as Presiding Judge and as Special Referee in several complex civil and criminal cases.

Judge Newman is a member of the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession, the South Carolina Commission on Judicial Conduct and the South Carolina Circuit Court Advisory Committee. He is a past President of the American College of Business Court Judges and he has served as Co-Chair of the Judges Initiative Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Judge Newman is Chairperson of the South Carolina Civil Rules Committee, a member of the South Carolina Judicial Council, and the John Belton O’Neal Inn of Court where he is a member of the mentoring team.

He recently became an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Law where he teaches Trial Advocacy.

Henry L. Deneen joined Murphy & Grantland in July 2016 and founded Blindspot Solutions, LLC in July, 2019. Blindspot Solutions focuses on EI training for professionals and Executive Coaching.

He began his legal career as a litigator in private practice, later being appointed a municipal judge for the city of West Columbia, SC.  He served as Chief Legal Counsel for then-South Carolina Governor, David M. Beasley from 1995 through 1997.  Beasley and Deneen co-founded The Center for Global Strategies, Ltd. (www.centerforglobalstrategies.org), a non-profit organization connecting businesspeople to international initiatives.  He currently serves as the Executive Director of CGS and as Executive Director of Global Hope Network International (www.ghni.org).  Deneen also served as President of Greater Europe Mission, during which time he earned a Doctorate in Executive Leadership, with a focus on Emotional Intelligence.   He now regularly offers CLE-accredited courses on Emotional Intelligence designed specifically for lawyers.

A South Carolina native, he served clients in matters involving the defense of South Carolina businesses and through mediation primarily in the upstate from his home in the Greenville area. He continues to serve as Leadership Development Director for Murphy & Grantland, P.A.

Deneen is certified as a Mediator in South Carolina Circuit, Family, and Probate Courts.  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  He and his wife, Celia, have been married for over 30 years and have four children: Laura, Lee, Leslie, and Layna, two of whom are married. Henry and Celia have three beautiful grandchildren.

Mr. Matthews helps clients in litigation involving contract disputes, business torts, fiduciary law and shareholder claims. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation.

Mr. Matthews negotiates and reviews agreements for complex business transactions. He was honored as one of the "Legal Elite of the Upstate" in Greenville Business Magazine (Construction, 2015).

RECENT EXPERIENCE

• Obtained a jury verdict in a contract dispute involving a coastal golf club. 
• Upheld the property rights of an owner in a case that he argued before the Supreme Court of South Carolina.  Rockville Haven, LLC v. Town of Rockville, 714. S.E.2d 277 (S.C. 2011)
• Represented a contractor in a large number of lawsuits related to the construction of an German-owned automotive plant.

Justin O’Toole Lucey is the principal attorney of the Justin O’Toole Lucey, P.A. located in Mt. Pleasant, SC. Justin Lucey enjoys a good professional reputation in the community as a construction and complex transaction litigator.

He has served as Plaintiff’s counsel in dozens of defective construction cases, involving large groups of townhomes, condominium complexes, primary and secondary residences, low-rise and mid-rise buildings, and residential and commercial structures. His firm is reputed to have two of the three largest residential construction settlement recoveries in the state of South Carolina. More recently, the firm received a multi-million dollar construction defect recovery on a nine-story research center building on behalf of the State of South Carolina.

Mr. Lucey has also tried a number of large cases to verdict. In 2006, Mr. Lucey led the recovery of a $4,100,000.00 inverse condemnation verdict against the State of South Carolina. Several years later, Mr. Lucey co-led the recovery of a verdict in the amount of $7,700,000.00, on behalf of his condominium clients, which at the time was one of the largest construction verdicts in the state. In September of 2011, the firm obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $12,500,000.00 on behalf of its townhouse clients, which was once again the largest known construction verdict in the state of South Carolina. The firm served as lead counsel it its most recent 2014 verdict of $55,000,000.00 on behalf of condominium conversion clients, which is the third consecutive construction trial in which the firm has set the record for the largest construction verdict recovery in the state. This verdict is reputed to be one of the largest of any type of verdict in the state.

Mr. Lucey has and currently serves as lead, co-lead, or liaison counsel in numerous class action suits, and has played an active role in multi-district litigation involving defective construction products. Prior class actions have resulted in significant monetary recovery for class members.

Mr. Lucey has spoken on numerous subjects including Trial of Complex Multi-Party Litigation at the 2008 South Carolina Bar Convention; and Tort Reform, the New (non) Joint and Several Liability, and Other Current Trial Issues at the 2009 South Carolina Bar Convention.

Laura F. Locklair, Esq.

Boyle Leonard & Anderson, P.A.

Laura Locklair joined Boyle & Leonard, P.A. in 2017, and is the managing attorney of the firm's Charleston office.  Mrs. Locklair studied at the University of South Carolina School of Law where she was a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe.  After gaining admission to The South Carolina Bar in 2008, she began representing owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, architects, and engineers in connection with design and construction defect litigation involving commercial properties and multi-family and single family residential dwellings.  

Mrs. Locklair also has experience representing companies, homeowners' associations, and property owners in personal injury cases arising out of alleged construction defects and industrial accidents, title insurance claims, and insurance disputes.  Mrs. Locklair now focuses her practice on the representation of policyholders relative to risk transfer issues in the commercial general liability context, insurance claim presentation, bad faith matters, and commercial and business litigation.

In 2015, Mrs. Locklair was nominated for and held a seat on the General Counsel Construction Law Section for the South Carolina Bar.  She was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2018, a peer designation awarded based on, among other cogent factors, professional achievement in legal practice.
Mrs. Locklair is originally from upstate South Carolina.  

In her spare time,  Laura enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her husband, Jason, and daughter, Gwen.
 

Nicholas A. Farr is a partner in the firm’s Greenville, South Carolina, office. He centers his practice on insurance coverage, torts and personal injury defense and ERISA litigation. Throughout his legal career, he has had the opportunity to try numerous cases before a jury in state and federal courts. He represents insurers in various insurance coverage issues as well as extra-contractual and bad faith cases. These issues are comprised of different policy types including: 

Commercial General Liability

Personal Auto

Commercial Auto

Garage Keeper’s Liability

Professional Liability

Homeowners and Commercial Property

Another significant portion of Nicholas’ legal practice is personal injury defense. He has handled matters of all types during his legal career, but often handles the litigation of automobile accidents and premises liability claims. 

Nicholas recognizes the importance of appreciating the diversity among clients, counsel and opposing parties. He has the unique ability to easily interact with all races, religions and creeds. He uses this ability in his client service efforts. He prides himself on client interaction and recognizes that building a positive client relationship is essential to being a successful advocate for the client. 

Education

Clemson University

B.S., Psychology (2003)

Wake Forest University

M.A., Religion (2007)

University of North Carolina School of Law

J.D. (2010)

Bar Admissions

South Carolina Bar

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

Associations & Professional Memberships

Greenville County Bar Association

South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association (SCDTAA)

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers in America- Insurance Law (2022)

Greenville Business Magazine

Legal Elite: Insurance; Personal Injury (2016 – 2021)

Holderness Moot Court Bench

Order of the Barristers

South Carolina Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Insurance Coverage (2016 – 2021)

Community Involvement

Interfaith Forum, Past Chair

Leadership Greenville, Class 46

Sarah Elizabeth (Wetmore) Butler has been practicing law in Charleston, South Carolina for twenty three years. She is a 1996 graduate of Wake Forest University and a 1999 graduate of the Wake Forest University School of Law. Sarah focuses her practice in the areas of construction litigation, professional liability, premises liability, personal injury defense, and general insurance defense and coverage. Sarah is a Past President of the Charleston Lawyers Club, an organization with more than sixty years of focus on community service and events designed to promote the camaraderie of the local bar. She is also Past President of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association (SCDTAA). Sarah was awarded the South Carolina Leadership in Law Award in 2016, awarded to legal professionals in the Palmetto State who have achieved success in their law practice, made contributions to society and have had an impact on the legal industry. She is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and is a fellow with the Litigation Counsel of America. Sarah is the South Carolina Chair of the Southeastern Women Litigators Annual Conference, which will hold its third event in 2024 in Nashville, TN. She is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Over the years, Sarah has enjoyed expanding what began as a general liability and insurance defense background to include construction litigation. She enjoys defending general contractors, subcontractors, architects and engineers, and has also had experience assisting insurance carriers with a variety of construction claims issues. A frequent speaker at seminars and events, Sarah has presented on topics such as: Jury Bias, Biomechanical Evidence, Civility in the Practice of Law, Jury Charges, Verdict Forms & Special Interrogatories, Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith, AIA Contracts, Demonstrative Evidence,  Reservations of Rights, Common Construction Coverage Issues, Settlement Agreements, Diversity and Inclusion, Work Life Balance, The Working Woman's Toolkit, Additional Insurance Coverage, A Candid Look At Women in Law, Risk Transfer in Construction Defect Cases. She is looking forward to being part of a panel discussion on Mental Health and Wellness at the upcoming SCDTAA Annual Meeting.

Sarah lives on Folly Beach with her husband, Drew, and their four children. She enjoys live music, travel, reading, boating and just about anything their kids are doing. She is engaged in a Life Coach Certification Program with an accredited institution and is on her way to adding Life Coach to her resume. Sarah recently took up surfing and volunteers with Waves For Women and Surfer's Healing.