Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP > Columbia, United States > Firm Profile

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Dispute resolution > E-discovery Tier 1

The e-discovery group at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is truly polymathic, able to offer ‘a seamless blend of traditional document review services with e-discovery legal counsel’. The group’s expertise spans all areas of e-discovery and information governance, including trade secrets, document preservation, data breaches and fraud. Active across numerous industry sectors, it is the firm’s work in the healthcare and life science field that stands out; Heyward Bonyata acts as discovery counsel to Eli Lilly in litigation proceedings relating to insulin pricing and medication side effects. Practice head John Martin is another key name, and uses his background as a litigator to aid clients in data collection in relation to court proceedings and government investigations. Though most of the team operate from Columbia, SC, the department also has a presence in Charlotte, NC through Rob Lindholm, who advises on white-collar and class action defence.

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort Tier 2

Product liability forms the backbone of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP‘s national litigation offering which continues to grow and was further enhanced by the arrival of a 22-partner team in January 2022 from Bowman and Brooke LLP, adding depth and even further geographical range including offices in several new locations. The team now has further strength in handling asbestos and talc-related mandates, as well as environmental toxic tort matters caused by chemical release and spill incidents. Michael Brown   in Baltimore is one of many first chair trial lawyers in the space and continues to represent Johnson & Johnson as lead trial counsel for the healthcare giant in its talc cases. Based out of South Carolina, Mark Jones  and David Dukes  co-head the team alongside Brown, with Dukes handling a significant amount of pharmaceuticals-related work as part of his broad product liability practice.

Industry focus > Education Tier 2

Primarily based out of Washington DC, the practice at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is now jointly managed by litigator Arthur Coleman  and Scott Palmer, and has a strong record acting in complex litigation and transactional matters. The group is well-versed in advising education boards and colleges on gender and sexual misconduct issues, including sexual harassment. Daniel Cohen in Atlanta is a key name, and has significant experience in gender issues, maintaining a busy pro-bono practice for student sexual assault survivors. Contacts in Atlanta also include Marquetta Bryan who litigates for schools on discrimination work. The firm’s affiliate consulting group EducationCounsel LLC remains active in policy for non-profit clients and academic institutions. Former co-head of the team Nina Gupta as well as Suzann Wilcox, both in Altanta, left the firm for Parker Poe in March 2022.

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport Tier 3

Combining deep sectoral knowledge of the transportation industry allied with strategic litigation credentials, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is a popular choice for handling product liability and class actions throughout the country. Drawing upon the expertise of many practitioners with former in-house experience at major car companies, the team is particularly effective at representing automotive clients, including many OEMs. Exclusively focused on work in the automotive sector, Steven McKelvey  combines commercial and advisory prowess, alongside litigation smarts, ensuring that he is a trusted advisor to stakeholders, both in a non-contentious and contentious setting. Mike Brown and Phil Cosgrove, based out of Baltimore and Los Angeles, respectively, are both noted for their advocacy skills, which they regularly implement to good effect for automotive defendants in product liability disputes. The arrival in June 2021 of Washington DC-based Terri Reiskin  from Dykema Gossett PLLC was also a major boost to the firm, particularly in light of her product liability and class action expertise within the sector. In addition, the recent recruitment of a sizeable team of litigation partners from Bowman and Brooke LLP provides added weight to the practice, with many having a focus on automotive matters as a function of their broad product liability expertise.

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices Tier 3

With an extensive team offering first chair trial experience, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP handles many simultaneous resource-intensive disputes, including as national and regional counsel. It is the firm’s trial-ready approach that is its strong suit, leading to early successes for client’s through dispositive motions including Daubert challenges, as well as trying cases, in many of the most challenging jurisdictions. Mark Jones and David Dukes co-head the products liability team from the firm’s Columbia headquarters, with Dukes particularly visible in the healthcare sector, including his work alongside West Virginia-based trial lawyer Marc Williams  for Johnson & Johnson in the opiate litigation. The team was further strengthened in early 2022 by the arrival of a large group of litigation lawyers from Bowman and Brooke LLP, including pharmaceutical product liability experts Rachelle Anderson and Alana Bassin, who are based in the firm’s new Minneapolis office.

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m) Tier 3

At Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, the team demonstrates a capacity for both buy- and sell-side transactions, placing particular emphasis on banking, technology, automotive and healthcare-related deals. Gus Dixon  is one of South Carolina’s most experienced M&A lawyers, having been in practice since the 1980s; he co-leads the group alongside Atlanta-based duo Michael Hollingsworth  and Rhys Wilson , a specialist in tax-efficient deal structuring.

Transport > Rail and road - litigation and regulation Tier 3

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has a strong reputation for its representation of car companies in dealership litigation. On the regulatory side, the practice fields experts in dealer relations, franchise matters and distribution-related work. In Columbia, Steven McKelvey has longstanding experience in representing automotive companies, while Keith Hutto acts in business litigation. In 2021, Washington DC-based Christie Iannetta, who focuses on automotive industry-related regulatory and compliance issues, joined as partner from King & Spalding LLP, where she was counsel.

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco) Tier 4

Primarily based out of its South Carolina office, and recently afforded further product liability bandwidth – including practitioners in newly established offices in Richmond and Minneapolis – following the arrival of a number of product liability litigators from Bowman and Brooke LLP, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP provides a ‘client-focused‘ service to an increasingly varied mix of consumer product industries beyond its core automotive focus. Mark Jones heads up the team that also includes ‘extremely experienced product liability lawyer and accomplished trial lawyer’ John Kuppens.

Government > Government relations Tier 4

The government public policy and government relations group at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is chaired by Greenville based David Wilkins, former ambassador to Canada. The group has a strong presence across the East Coast, providing assistance to advisors and advocates by leveraging deep bipartisan relationships, for a range of clients including sovereign countries, private sector clients, Fortune 500 global companies, non-profit organizations and cultural institutions. Recent instructions include transport industry representation, and advising on several major economic development projects. Korean governmental and corporate clients regularly seek out DC-based Woojin Shin in state and federal level trade issues. Raleigh-based Dennis Wicker retired in September 2022.

Labor and employment > Immigration Tier 4

Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing Tier 4

Healthcare > Service providers Tier 5

Known for its work on behalf of clients based in the Southeast, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP provides a full service to healthcare providers. In transactions the team provides a full slate of M&A, joint venture and financing advice to health systems. It is particularly known for its work on affiliation transactions. Regulatory compliance is another focus for the team. Myrtle Beach-based Thomas Moran leads the team, which saw the departure of Fort Lauderdale-based litigator Lester Perling in April 2022.

Real estate Tier 5

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP‘s sizeable nationwide real estate practice is best known for its representation in land acquisition and entitlement, development and leasing, particularly in build-to-rent, hospitality, resort and timber sectors. Key figures include Andrew Litvak and Eric Klinger-Wilensky in Atlanta, for sponsors, developers, and investors in retail and multifamily properties; Laurence Papel in Nashville for hotel development and in Boca Raton, Christopher Staller and David Itskovich .  

Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory

M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies

Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions): defense

Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense