Six Shareholders Recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers in Amreica

After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as the “Lawyer of the Year” for 2011.

George S. (Chip) King, Jr. has been named the “Best Lawyers’ 2011 Columbia, SC Securities Lawyer of the Year.”  The Best Lawyers in America® has listed King for almost 20 years in the area of Banking, Corporate and Securities Law.  He is the senior member of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s corporate securities and financial institution regulatory practice, and has been lead attorney on more than 40 mergers and acquisitions.  King is an associate member of the South Carolina Bankers Association and past chair of the Corporate, Banking and Securities section of the South Carolina Bar.  Listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, King received his J.D., with honors, and B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

H. Sam Mabry III has been named the “Best Lawyers’ 2011 Greenville, SC Product Liability Litigator of the Year.” He is recognized for his broad trial experience in complex litigation and is annually included in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® - Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, and Products Liability Litigation.  He is also listed in South Carolina Super Lawyers magazine for business litigation and is recognized as one of the publication’s Top 25. Mabry is a member of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He defends clients in class actions, business, commercial and financial services litigation, and product liability actions. He has practiced with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., and its predecessors since 1983.  Mabry received his J.D., cum luade, and his B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

Stanley H. (Stan) McGuffin has been named the “Best Lawyers’ 2011 Columbia, SC Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Lawyer of the Year.” McGuffin routinely represents financial institutions in connection with commercial and consumer loan defaults. He is listed in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law and is also included in South Carolina Super Lawyers™ magazine for Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights. He is certified by the Supreme Court of South Carolina in Bankruptcy/Debtor-Creditor Law.  McGuffin received his J.D. and B.S. from the University of South Carolina.

Stephen F. (Steve) McKinney has been named the “Best Lawyers’ 2011 Columbia, SC Bet-the-Company Litigator of the Year.” He works with business professionals and governmental agencies to try to avoid litigation and resolve disputes involving contracts and liability claims. His practice includes dispute avoidance and resolution – from liability planning to contract drafting to claims assessment, prosecution and defense. He is listed in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® - Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation and South Carolina Super Lawyers™ - Business Litigation.  McKinney received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Furman University; a Masters in Divinity, with honors, from Southeastern Seminary, Wake Forest; and a J.D. from Emory University.

Martin C. McWilliams, Jr. has been named the “Best Lawyers’ 2011 Columbia, SC Corporate Lawyer of the Year.” He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Corporate Law since 1995. His practice includes sophisticated transactions and complex litigation. A member of the full-time faculty at the University of South Carolina School of Law, he is responsible for courses such as Agency & Partnership, Business Corporations, Contracts, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities Regulation and Nonprofit Corporations. McWilliams received a B.A. from the University of Virginia, J.D. from the University of Mississippi, and a LL.M from Harvard University.

Benton D. Williamson has been named the “Best Lawyers’ 2011 Columbia, SC Real Estate Lawyer of the Year.” As a commercial and corporate real estate attorney for the past 30 years, he has closed numerous transactions and financings for projects ranging from retail shopping centers to industrial facilities. His reputation extends well beyond South Carolina. He advises major lenders, multi-national companies and investors on issues involving commercial financing, environmental, leasing as well as property acquisition and disposition. He is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and is recognized in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® -  Real Estate Law and South Carolina Super Lawyers™ - Real Estate. Williamson received a B.A. with honors from The University of the South (Sewanee), a B.A. (Jurisprudence) from University of Oxford, and a J.D. from The University of Virginia.

Steven Naifeh, President of Best Lawyers, says, “We continue to believe – as we have believed for more than 25 years – that recognition by one’s peers is the most meaningful form of praise in the legal profession. We would like to congratulate Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd attorneys King, Mabry, McGuffin, McKinney, McWilliams, and Williamson on being selected as the “Best Lawyersof the Year’ for 2011.”