Press Releases

Partner John T. Lay Jr. has been elected Dean of the Corporate Counsel College of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) for 2022. IADC has been serving a distinguished membership of corporate and insurance defense attorneys and executives since 1920. Its activities benefit approximately 2,500 invitation-only, peer reviewed members and their clients, as well as the civil justice system and the legal profession. IADC takes a leadership role in many areas of legal reform and professional development. As Dean, John T. will continue to uphold the organization's mission to ensure equal opportunity in the legal profession, creating a pipeline of future leaders in the field that reflect the diversity of...

Gray T. Culbreath has been appointed treasurer of the Southeastern American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA). SEABOTA is a chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) that promotes ABOTA’s goal of preserving the Seventh Amendment, enhancing the honor of the legal profession and civility in the practice of law. Gray T. Culbreath represents corporations, individuals and insurers in trials and appeals. For over 30 years, he has handled complex trials and appeals in federal and state courts across South Carolina. His career has taken him from Army courtrooms to almost every federal and state courthouse in South Carolina. Gray principally practices in the areas of commercial and class action...

Attorney Zach Weaver has been named by South Carolina Lawyers Weekly as a Go To Lawyer in business law. The “Go To Lawyers” program identifies and recognizes top lawyers across the state in a given practice area. The first field of practice for this new program is business law. A Go To Lawyer is a lawyer who is well-versed in the nuances of case law, statutes, issues, and regulations business clients will encounter. Zach is a business and commercial litigation partner in the firm’s Greenville, South Carolina, office. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex issues before and during litigation, providing guidance on resolving disputes and trying them to a jury when appropriate. Some of Zach’s most...

Gallivan White Boyd congratulates partner H. Mills Gallivan on his second term as chairman for the board of directors at Bon Secours St. Francis – Greenville. In this position, Mills will help guide local leadership toward the fulfillment of the overall mission, vision and values of Bon Secours St. Francis for the upstate of South Carolina. Mills has deep roots in the Greenville community and has long invested in its growth and development. His career as civil defense trial attorney, counselor and mediator spans more than four decades. Mills brings his skill of negotiation, leadership and execution to the Board of Bon Secours St. Francis. He has formerly served Greenville and the St. Francis communities as a...

Gallivan White Boyd is pleased to announce that Heather A. Chiovaro and Eleanor L. Jones have joined the firm as associate attorneys. Heather A. Chiovaro is an associate practicing in the firm’s Charleston, South Carolina, office. Her primary legal focus is handling construction defect litigation.  Heather’s industry knowledge and experience includes representing developers, design professionals, contractors and construction product manufacturers. Heather also has experience handling complex products liability, class action and mass torts litigation. Eleanor L. Jones has joined the firm as an associate attorney in the Columbia, South Carolina, office. Eleanor’s practice will focus on business and...

Johnston Cox has been accepted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Founded in 1958, ABOTA is an invitation only national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges. ABOTA and its members are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ABOTA membership consists of more than 7,600 lawyers— equally balanced between plaintiff and defense—and judges spread among 96 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Johnston is a partner in the firm’s Columbia, South Carolina, office. For the past 25 years, his practice has focused on insurance litigation, business litigation, commercial...

The firm and seven of its attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2021 Edition of Benchmark Litigation – United States. Benchmark Litigation is the definitive guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys. Rankings are based on extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists and their clients, as well as analysis of the market’s most important cases and firm developments. Local Litigation Stars for each state reflect only those individuals who were recommended consistently as reputable and effective litigators by clients and peers.

  • Gray T. Culbreath - Columbia, South Carolina Appellate; Product Liability
  • John T. Lay, Jr. - Columbia, South...

Gray T. Culbreath has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. The induction ceremony at which Culbreath became a Fellow took place online before an audience of 670 Fellows during the recent Induction Ceremony at the 2020 Annual Meeting and 70th Anniversary Celebration of the College. Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by...

Twenty-five attorneys have been included in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. With an almost 40-year history of highlighting top legal talent in America, Best Lawyers has become an important resource for finding experienced lawyers nationwide. Peer-reviewed listings by Best Lawyers are now published in almost 75 countries around the world. Gallivan White Boyd congratulates the following attorneys included on the 2021 Best Lawyers list.

CHARLESTON

  • Grayson Smith Personal Injury Litigation–Defendants

CHARLOTTE

  • Christopher M. Kelly Railroad Law

COLUMBIA

  •  Johnston Cox Insurance Law Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
  • Gray T. Culbreath Bet-the-Company...

Partners Gray T. Culbreath, T. David Rheney and Ronald K. Wray II were named 2021 Lawyers of the Year by Best Lawyers in America. Each year, only one lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the Lawyer of the Year. These lawyers are selected based on voting averages received from peer-review assessments. Gray T. Culbreath was named Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants in the Columbia area. Culbreath was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the following practice areas: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Product...

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