In The News

Congratulations to Joe W. Underwood, who was selected by his peers for inclusion in the first annual Legal Elite of the Midlands, featured in the October 2010 issue of Greater Columbia Business Monthly magazine. Joe was selected by other practicing attorneys as one of the top 10 Family Law attorneys in the Greater Columbia area.

11/10/2010 -- On November 10, 2010, Paul D. de Holczer was elected to a four year term as a member of the Advisory Council of Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness. The Advisory Council is charged with protecting the rights of individuals with mental illness in South Carolina.

10/25/2010 -– On December 17, 2010, Paul D. de Holczer, Esquire, will be a featured speaker on Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law at HalfMoon LLC's South Carolina Land Law Seminar at the Clarion Townhouse Hotel in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. For more information, please download the brochure.

10/4/2010 -- Wm. Bert Brannon was selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the field Trusts and Estates. Selection in Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprised of evaluations by the top attorneys in the country. Mr. Brannon’s inclusion marks the fourth consecutive year for him to be bestowed this distinction.

06/16/2010 -- U.S. News & World Report has ranked Moses Koon & Brackett, PC as a Metropolitan First-Tier Ranked Law Firm in Trusts & Estates Law for Columbia, South Carolina for 2010. The methodology for the U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" involved surveying thousands of law firm clients; leading lawyers and law firm managers; partners and associates; and marketing officers and recruiting officers. Each were asked what factors they considered vital for clients hiring law firms, for lawyers choosing a firm to refer a legal matter to, and for lawyers seeking employment. More on the methodology of selection is available in the brochure you can download below.

04/19/2010 -- Joe W. Underwood successfully changed 31 years of South Carolina law with the Supreme Court’s decision in Webb v. Sowell, 387 S.C. 328, 692 S.E.2d 543 (2010). Prior to this decision, the adult children of parents who divorced could maintain a suit against their parents for college education expenses, while the adult children of parents who did not divorce had no such right since neither parent was under a “continuing” support order, a prerequisite under the prior law. The Supreme Court found that the award of college education funds to adult children under such circumstances was a violation of equal protection and therefore unconstitutional as the law was being interpreted under the case of Risinger vs. Risinger, 273 SC 36, 253 S.E.2d 652 (1979). The Webb opinion may be found here.

04/02/2010 -- Wm. Bert Brannon was selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of South Carolina Super Lawyers Magazine in the fields of Estate Planning & Probate and Closely Held Business. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement (© 2010 Super Lawyers®, a Thomson Reuters business).

02/18/2010 -- Paul D. de Holczer covered the topic Overview of State Courts for the South Carolina Bar's Law School for Non-Lawyers at Midlands Technical College. The Bar periodically offers a seven-week LawSchool for Non-Lawyers course covering a variety of general legal subjects, which includes a helpful textbook on South Carolina law. Contact the South Carolina Bar for more information if you would like to enroll for the next course.

01/05/2010 -- W. Bert Brannon has been elected Secretary/Treasurer of The Richland County Public Library Foundation, created to ensure access to quality library services for future generations. Mr. Brannon previously served on the board of directors for the Downtown Columbia Sertoma Club, as chairman of the Columbia Tax Study Group and president of the Columbia Estate Planning Council.

12/20/2009 -- All of us at Moses Koon & Brackett wish our friends and clients Happy Holidays. We hope that the New Year brings you hope, happiness, health and success in all your endeavors!

10/09/2009 -- Paul D. de Holczer spoke on Eminent Domain at the South Carolina Bar's 2009 Master-in-Equity Bench/Bar seminar. The CLE was held on Friday, October 9th, before a live audience and also shown by live Webcast.

09/23/2009 -- Paul D. de Holczer has authored the South Carolina chapter for The Law and Procedure of Eminent Domain in the 50 States published by the American Bar Association. The American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Committee on Condemnation, Zoning & Land Use Litigation, is working on a project to publish the law of eminent domain in each of the 50 states and territories. The Law and Procedure of Eminent Domain in the 50 States is a work in progress online and available to ABA Members, but may be published in book form when outlines are complete for all the states and territories.

08/12/2009 -- W. Alex Weatherly, Jr. has been asked to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Carolina Entrepreneurs Club (CCEC). CCEC is an organization dedicated to the promotion of the formation of new businesses in the Midlands of South Carolina.

08/12/2009 -- Wm. Bert Brannon was selected by his peers for inclusion in 16th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® 2010 in the field of Trusts and Estates (Copyright 2009 by Woodward/White, Inc.).