Womble Carlyle today announced that it has merged with the Columbia, S.C. firm of Hall and Bowers, LLC, creating Womble Carlyle’s new Columbia office.

 

The Columbia office is the firm’s 14th office in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Silicon Valley – and third in South Carolina, joining Charleston and Greenville. The new office will focus on campaign finance and election law, public policy, administrative and regulatory law, constitutional litigation, and business litigation. Attorneys joining Womble Carlyle are:

 

• Butch Bowers, the former Chairman of the South Carolina State Election Commission and a former Special Counsel for Voting Matters for the United States Department of Justice.
• Kevin Hall, an experienced business litigator and one of the most well-known attorneys in South Carolina’s political law arena.
• Todd Carroll, an experienced appellate and trial attorney who also serves as special counsel to the governor.

 

“Our clients frequently interact with South Carolina lawmakers and regulatory authorities,” said Chuck Baker, Managing Partner of Womble Carlyle’s Charleston office. “Our new Columbia team adds even more experience and knowledge to guide our clients through those interactions.”

 

“Womble Carlyle has more than 70 attorneys in South Carolina, and we are the largest law firm in North and South Carolina. The addition of our Columbia colleagues expands our areas of practice, which will benefit clients throughout the firm,” said Allen Grumbine, Managing Partner of the firm’s Greenville office.

 

The firm’s new Columbia office is located in the historic Lorick House, a Victorian-era mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

The past year has been one of tremendous expansion for Womble Carlyle. Womble Carlyle merged with Buist Moore Smythe McGee, P.A., in April 2011 to create a 40+ attorney Charleston office. In October 2011, the firm opened a Silicon Valley office – its first on the West Coast – to serve clients in the tech industry.

Ken Young of Young Mayden, LLC assisted Womble Carlyle in identifying Hall and Bowers as a strategic fit for what the firm’s clients need in the Columbia market.