Name Organization Speaking At
Christina Rogers
Christy Rogers is a Member at Nexsen Pruet in Columbia, South Carolina where she focuses her practice on employment litigation matters and employment and labor counsel and advice.
Prior to joining Nexsen Pruet, Christy served as Senior Corporate Counsel for Michelin North America, Inc. where she provided counsel and advice on employment, benefits, and data privacy-related matters for all Michelin operations in the United States.
Christy received her undergraduate degree from
Clemson University, cum laude , and
received her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, cum laude . During law school, Christy
was a member of the Mock Trial Bar and was selected as a member of the national
competition team. As a result of her advocacy skills, she was awarded the Sherod H. Eadon Scholarship and also served as Chief Justice of the Mock Trial Bar. At graduation, Christy was the recipient of the prestigious Compleat Lawyer Award.
Upon graduation from law school, Christy served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., Senior U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina.
Before attending law school, Christy was a litigation
paralegal for eight years. In that capacity she worked on a variety of cases in both state and federal court, assisting with many depositions, hearings, mediations, and trials.
Christy is the former co-chair of the SC Bar
YLD iCivis Committee and serves on the In-House Counsel Committee for the SC
Bar. She is a member of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, an invitation-only
organization that fosters excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and
legal skills. In 2019 Christy was the recipient of Clemson University
Psychology Department’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Early Career Award. She was has been recognized as a Legal Elite of
South Carolina in Employment Law was listed as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for
Employment and Labor in 2021 and 2022.
Maynard Nexsen, PC
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Joseph Clark
2020
Joseph D. Clark
Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.
Columbia SC
Joe Clark is a Shareholder in the Columbia office of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. and serves as the Columbia representative on the firm's three-member Management Committee. His practice areas include Corporate & Business, Corporate Organization & Governance, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance & Securities and Commercial Transactions.
Mr. Clark received his B.A. in 1983 from the University of South Carolina, his M.B.A. in 1989 from the University of South Carolina and his J.D. (cum laude) in 1995 from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Prior to joining Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, Mr. Clark worked for First Union National Bank (1989-1992) and First National Bank of South Carolina and South Carolina National Bank (1983-1989).
Mr. Clark is a member of the South Carolina Bar (Corporations, Banking and Securities Law Section, Past Chairperson); American Bar Association (Business Law Section); Speaker, Business and Corporate Law, South Carolina Bar Bridge the Gap Program; Richland County Public Library, Friends of the Library Board Member; and is an Adjunct Professor, University of South Carolina School of Law.
He is the Co-author of the South Carolina Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability
Partnerships (4th ed. 2012) and South Carolina Corporate Practice Manual (2nd ed. 2005).
Mr. Clark has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America ® - Corporate Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law.
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA
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Lawrence Girard
2020
L. Foster Girard
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.
Foster Girard concentrates on corporate finance and commercial transactions at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd.
Foster's practice is rooted in real estate matters, where he represents buyers, sellers and developers, and serves as lender's counsel. He handles a variety of real estate purchases and sales, and is well-versed in easement and land dispute matters.
He also advises on a number of financing documents and commercial contracts involving goods (including under Article Two of the Uniform Commercial Code), services and commercial real estate, and works to find practical legal solutions to achieve his client companies' business objectives. These solutions include general corporate matters, including choice of entity, entity formation and governance documents.
In the past, he assisted on private placement offerings and on bank acquisitions.
Education
University of South Carolina, J.D., 2009 The Citadel, B.S., 2006 Admissions
Honors and Awards
Columbia Business Monthly's "Best & Brightest 35 and Under" 2017 Order of the Coif Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA
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Melissa Cassell
Melissa
focuses her practice on corporate, employment law and commercial real estate.
She is licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina, allowing her to better
serve clients whose business and legal matters cross state lines.
She
represents clients in acquiring real estate, assets, entities and key
employees, from start up to growth to winding up. With clients in a variety of
industries, she has drafted and negotiated a myriad of agreements, including
purchase and leasing agreements, employment and severance agreements, service
agreements, buy and sell agreements, and corporate governance agreements.
In the
healthcare realm, Melissa has represented practitioners including dentists,
physicians and physical therapists. She has assisted both for profit and
nonprofit providers reaching and executing acquisition, employment and
partnership agreements, all while navigating the various local and national
requirements on healthcare providers.
In 2009,
Melissa earned her B.S. degree, cum laude, in Business Administration from the
University of South Carolina where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
In 2013, she earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South
Carolina, where she was an editing member of the Real Property, Trust and
Estate Law Journal, a member of the Pro Bono board and research assistant for
Alan S. Medlin.
Melissa
has served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School
of Law, teaching a Small Business Organization Law Capstone class in which
third-year students navigate legal matters that face a hypothetical company
during the formation and capitalization stages. As part of her practice, she
regularly assists small business owners with many of those same issues,
including formation, capitalization, and reorganization of their companies.
Melissa lives in Fort Mill with her husband, Andrew and son, Ben.
Morton & Gettys, LLC
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Robert Bethea
Robert P. Bethea, Jr.
Adams & Reese, LLP
Columbia SC
Rob Bethea joined Adams and Reese in 2013 as a Partner following the firm's expansion into South Carolina by merger with Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims, P.A. Rob served as the Partner in Charge of the Adams and Reese Columbia office from 2013 to 2017 and now chairs the Middle Market Mergers and Acquisitions Team for the firm.
Rob advises clients on business transactions in the southeastern United States and beyond. He provides counsel on startups, mergers, stock and asset acquisitions, recapitalizations, taxation, business contracts and agreements, succession planning, franchising, securities and finance. Rob advises clients in a range of industries including health care, professional services, manufacturing and distribution, marine products, and industrial services. With advanced training in tax law, he has extensive experience advising clients on the often-complex tax consequences of business decisions and options, and he brings extra value to clients when negotiating transactions. Rob also plans and structures transactions in close coordination with clients' accountants, bankers, and other advisors.
He has represented clients in contractual and business disputes - including management and shareholder disagreements, shareholder oppression and fiduciary duty claims, and successor liability and indemnity claims - as well as in government and regulatory investigations and compliance matters. Rob also provides counsel on the protection of trade secrets and intellectual property, including non-compete, confidentiality, and non-solicitation agreements.
Rob earned his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 1997; received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996; and received his B.A. from Wofford College in 1993.
Adams and Reese LLP
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Thomas Brumgardt
Tom Brumgardt practices in the areas of corporate
law, mergers and acquisitions, and insurance regulation.
Experience
·
Experience with mergers and
acquisitions, corporate formation and governance issues, commercial contract
issues and other corporate transactions
·
Experience with insurance
regulatory issues (including captive insurance and other alternative risk transfer mechanisms)
Recognitions
Professional
Activities
·
Corporate, Banking, and
Securities Section, South Carolina Bar (former chairman)
·
Former delegate, S.C. Bar’s
House of Delegates
·
American Bar Association
·
South Carolina Bar Association
·
D.C. Bar
·
Richland County Bar
Association
Leadership
·
President and Chairman, South
Carolina Captive Insurance Association (2012)
·
Former Secretary/Treasurer and
Chairman of Governmental Affairs Committee, South Carolina Captive Insurance
Association
·
Former Director and
Secretary/Treasurer of CIPAC, a political action committee of the South Carolina Captive Insurance
Association
·
Former Chairman and Section
Delegate to House of Delegates, Corporate, Banking and Securities Law Section
of the South Carolina Bar
·
Graduate of Leadership
Columbia (2004) Education
Education
·
University of South Carolina
School of Law, JD (2001)
·
University of South Carolina,
Honors College, BS, Finance (1998)
Admissions
·
South Carolina
·
District of Columbia
Practice Areas
·
Captive Insurance
·
Corporate Governance
·
General Counsel Services
·
Mergers & Acquisitions
Articles
& Speeches
·
Annual Conference 2016,
Insurance Managers Association of Cayman - Speaker (December 2016)
·
S.C. Captive Insurance
Association Conference - Speaker (November 16, 2016)
·
Montana Captive Insurance
Association Tenth Annual Conference - Speaker (July 19-21, 2016)
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP
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William Higgins
Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani, LLC
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William Umbach
2020
William M. Umbach
Adams & Reese, LLP
Columbia SC
William M. Umbach advises businesses on a full range of legal matters, including commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, entity formation, governance, restructuring, business planning, corporate divisions, recapitalizations, and divestitures. With advanced training in taxation, he is able to help his clients organize, manage and reorganize their businesses to adapt to the changing business climate and to structure transactions in a tax-advantageous manner. Will also advises on lending transactions, including setting up new entities and representing borrowers when financing and refinancing credit facilities.
Will has advised clients in a variety of industries, including textiles, marine and other types of manufacturing, automobile and boat dealerships, and health care entities of various types, including large physician medical practices and hospital trust services companies. His clients range in size from individuals navigating local markets to Fortune 100 companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue, and he currently serves as outside general counsel for a leading manufacturer with locations in four U.S. states, China and India, as well as other companies in the manufacturing, fitness amenities, and appraisal services industries.
EXPERIENCE
Structured and negotiated multimillion-dollar sales and acquisitions of stock and assets of ongoing businesses, including representing certain members of a business' management team in a $20+ million dollar acquisition of the equity of the managed business. Structured and negotiated mergers, split-ups, split-offs, and spin-offs that utilized various non-recognition provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including representing a group of sellers in connection with a multi-step reorganization and sale of a portion of the equity of their existing business at a valuation in excess of $55 million. Represented borrowers in the negotiation and closing of various secured credit facilities, including a $125 million credit facility financed by private equity and supported by tax incentives and $50 million credit facility to finance a dividend recapitalization of the borrower. Represented executive to determine the excise tax consequences of severance payments made upon a change in control of employer and negotiated settlement of claims for severance payments based in part on the same.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Will is an active member of the Taxation sections for both the American Bar Association and South Carolina Bar and currently serves as a Council Member of the South Carolina Bar, Tax Law Section.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Will is active in the community, performing pro bono work for a charitable entity that provides affordable housing for low-income families and another that runs a group residence for children.
Adams and Reese LLP
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