Accolades & Announcements

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Saxton & Stump is pleased to announce that eight attorneys in its Charleston, SC office have earned recognition in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, one of the legal industry’s longest-standing and most respected peer-review publications.

For over four decades, Best Lawyers has compiled its annual rankings through a rigorous, confidential peer-review process involving top attorneys nationwide, with the goal of spotlighting exceptional legal talent across practice areas.

The eight Saxton & Stump attorneys honored on the 2027 Best Lawyers in America® list from the firm’s Charleston office are:

Cherie W. Blackburn has been named to the list in five categories each year since 2005: Copyright Law; Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment; and Trademark Law. She received the prestigious honor of being named “Lawyer of the Year” in two different practice categories — Litigation – Labor and Employment and Employment Law – Management — in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Blackburn is a shareholder and a member of the Labor and Employment, Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions, and Intellectual Property Litigation groups.

Bijan K. Ghom made the Best Lawyers list for the first time this year, earning recognition in the Litigation – Trusts and Estates category. He was previously named to the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” list, which honors attorneys who have been in practice for five to nine years and have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence early in their careers. Ghom practices in the firm’s Business and Corporate, Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions, Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Litigation, Trusts and Estates, Labor and Employment, and Litigation groups.

D. Michael Henthorne has earned recognition in the Litigation – Labor and Employment and Employment Law – Management categories every year since 2013. In 2024, Best Lawyers named him “Lawyer of the Year” for Employment Law – Management in the Columbia, SC region. Henthorne is a shareholder in the Labor and Employment and Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions groups.

Elizabeth “Beth” J. Palmer was named to the list for the seventh straight year in Commercial Litigation and was also recognized for a second year in Litigation – Trusts and Estates. Palmer is a shareholder in the firm’s Trusts and Estates, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions groups.

Alice F. Paylor was recognized in six categories: Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Employment Law – Individuals; Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment; and Litigation – Trusts and Estates. She has been named to the Best Lawyers list for 18 consecutive years. Paylor earned the Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” honor in the Charleston, SC region for Litigation – Labor and Employment in 2017, and was named again for Bet-the-Company Litigation in 2019 and 2025. Paylor is a shareholder at Saxton & Stump and a member of the Labor and Employment, Litigation, Education, and Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions groups.

Christy L. Rogers made the list in the Litigation – Labor and Employment category for the third consecutive year. She is a shareholder at Saxton & Stump and is a member of the Labor and Employment and Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions groups.

Rene Stuhr Dukes made her debut on the Best Lawyers list in the Family Law category. She is a shareholder at Saxton & Stump, where she serves as co-chair of the Family Law group and is a member of the Education and Labor and Employment groups.

Senior counsel Isabelle S. Young was named to the list for the second year in the Commercial Litigation category. Young is a member of the firm’s Investigations, White Collar and Criminal Defense, Litigation, Title IX, Education, and Appellate Advocacy groups.

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Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^® recognizes 13 Charleston office attorneys, two of whom have been awarded a Best Lawyers^® “Lawyer of the Year” designation. In addition, two Charleston attorneys have been selected to the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America.

In each metropolitan area, only a single attorney in each legal practice area is designated as the “Lawyer of the Year.” MVA’s Charleston office attorneys selected for 2027 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” honors include the following:

• Christopher A. Ogiba | Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• H. Manning Unger | Land Use and Zoning Law

MVA’s Charleston office attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2027 Edition) include the following:

• Christopher “Chris” T. Colwell | Banking and Finance Law; Commercial Transactions / UCC Law; Equipment Finance Law; Land Use and Zoning Law; Real Estate Law
• Reid E. Dyer | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Lesley A. Firestone | Administrative / Regulatory Law; Commercial Litigation; Energy Law; Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental; Litigation – Real Estate
• Brandon Gaskins | Commercial Litigation; Employment Law – Management; Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Jenny M. Heichelbech | Tax Law; Trusts and Estates
• Charles M. Jordan, Jr. | Health Care Law
• Cynthia J. Lowery | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Paul M. Lynch | Tax Law; Trusts and Estates
• Christopher A. Ogiba | Commercial Litigation; Construction Law; Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Banking and Finance; Litigation – Construction; Litigation – Labor and Employment; Litigation – Real Estate; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Trudy H. Robertson | Commercial Litigation; Health Care Law; Litigation – Trusts and Estates
• William “Bill” D. Rust | Health Care Law
• H. Manning Unger | Commercial Transactions / UCC Law; Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Economic Development Law; Land Use and Zoning Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Real Estate Law
• David B. Wheeler | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America list recognizes U.S. attorneys who have been in private practice for less than 10 years and exhibit outstanding professional excellence. MVA’s Charleston office attorneys selected for the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America include the following:

• Michaela L. Cronin | Trusts and Estates
• Rachel L. Gibbs | Real Estate Law

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Turner Padget is pleased to announce that Charleston shareholder Richard S. Dukes has been re-elected to serve as a director of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) for the 2026-2027 term and has been appointed Co-Chair of the FDCC Evolve – AI and Technology Committee, effective August 1, 2026.

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Charleston School of Law opened its doors for Fall 2026, welcoming 275 new students, the largest incoming class in the school’s modest 23-year history.

Saxton & Stump is pleased to announce that D. Michael Henthorne has joined the firm as a shareholder in its Labor and Employment and Business Litigation and Strategic Solutions groups.

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Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Gavin Wait as a partner in the firm’s Charleston office.

Saxton & Stump shareholder Alice F. Paylor has been named to South Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s 2026 “Influential Women of Law” list, a prestigious recognition honoring accomplished female attorneys whose leadership, advocacy, and professional excellence have made a lasting impact on the state’s legal profession.

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The Supreme Court of South Carolina released the results of the February 2026 Uniform Bar Examination, and Charleston School of Law tops the bar passage list in both the First-Time UBE and Overall Pass rankings.

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly has named Saxton & Stump shareholder Cherie W. Blackburn to its 2026 “Employment Law Power List,” recognizing her decades of leadership helping employers and human resources professionals navigate complex workplace laws and compliance challenges.

Charleston School of Law President J. Edward Bell, III, and Board of Trustees Chair Jane H. Aiken are pleased to announce that Jonathan A. Marcantel has been selected as Dean of the Law School, effective immediately.

Johanna Valenzuela has joined Burnette Shutt & McDaniel.

Saxton & Stump announced today the promotion of Zachary J. Duffy and Bijan K. Ghom to equity shareholder.