Member Profile
Board members are noted with red asterisk (*)
Turner Padget Graham & Laney PA
Main Office: Columbia, South Carolina
Website: http://www.turnerpadget.com
Address: 1901 Main Street, 17th Floor Columbia, South Carolina 29202
Turner Padget is one of South Carolina’s largest law firms with attorneys in offices strategically located across the state in Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Greenville and Myrtle Beach. Widely known for our practical approach to the law, our attorneys have earned national recognition for their success and experience across South Carolina and beyond.
Nathaniel A. Turner opened his office for the general practice of law in 1929, after serving as an attorney for the South Carolina Tax Commission and division director for the South Carolina Highway Department. More than eighty years later, Nat Turner’s solo practice is now one of South Carolina’s largest law firms, with more than 200 employees serving a diverse client base.
Leadership
In 2009, Turner Padget’s shareholders voted to reorganize the firm’s governance structure to best focus on its core practice areas. Led by chief executive officer, R. Wayne Byrd, and an executive committee that includes R. Hawthorne Barrett, J. Kenneth Carter, Jr. and Lanneau Wm. Lambert, Jr., the governance structure allows us to take a more cohesive and flexible approach to management to best serve our clients and more effectively meet the needs of our attorneys and staff. This shift provided the firm with an opportunity to enhance client service, attract and retain top talent, and improve day-to-day operations, thus resulting in increased value for the firm’s clients.
Innovative Billing
We continually evaluate our billing methods and design custom plans for clients, which include some of South Carolina’s largest employers with a diverse range of business and legal interests. As other firms begin to move away from the standard billable hour in reaction to the economy, we have offered innovative billing solutions since the early 1990’s. Our alternative structures include task-based billing arrangements, phase billing, per-case billing, as well as yearly flat-rate billing.
Recognition
Our attorneys possess distinguished academic credentials and depth of experience, and they are often recognized for their individual leadership and legal prowess. The firm regularly receives accolades for its outstanding commitment to client service. Recent examples include:
Turner Padget earned national recognition in the 2015 edition of Chambers USA, a highly-regarded legal directory, featuring client-led intelligence on America’s leading lawyers for business. The firm received the top rankings among South Carolina law firms in three practice areas: Labor and Employment, Litigation—General Commercial and Real Estate. In addition, seven of the firm’s shareholders are ranked as leading practitioners in their respective fields. They are: John S. Wilkerson, General Commercial Litigation; Shawn R. Willis, Real Estate; Reginald W. Belcher, Labor and Employment; J. Kenneth Carter, Jr., General Commercial Litigation; Lanneau W. Lambert, Jr., Real Estate; Franklin G. Shuler, Jr., Labor and Employment; and R. Wayne Byrd, General Commercial Litigation.
Benchmark Litigation 2015 recognized Turner Padget as one of five “highly recommended” litigation firms in South Carolina. The eight lawyers who were named “Local Litigation Stars” are R. Wayne Byrd, J. Kenneth Carter, Jr., Richard S. Dukes, Edward W. Laney, IV, Steven W. Ouzts, Thomas C. Salane, W. Duvall Spruill and John S. Wilkerson.
Twenty Turner Padget attorneys were included in the 2015 edition of Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Lanneau W. Lambert, Jr., was named Lawyer of the Year in the practice area of Banking and Finance Law, and Franklin G. Shuler was named Lawyer of the Year in the Employee Benefits practice area. Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”
Super Lawyers announced that fifteen of the firm’s attorneys have been named by Super Lawyers magazine as top attorneys in South Carolina for 2015. In addition, nine attorneys were named as South Carolina Rising Stars.
The firm is recognized in the 2016 edition of U.S. News—Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” list. The firm is honored in 37 practice areas in the Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville markets.