Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Firm Details:
Managing Partner: J Calhoun Watson
Number of partners: 20
Number of other lawyers: 11

Firm Overview:
Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC. is a South Carolina law firm focused on litigation and business. The firm is known for excellence, high standards, and community service. Skilled in all areas of litigation, its attorneys provide business and litigation advice as well as representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte is the only law firm in South Carolina that is a member of Meritas, a global affiliation of commercial law firms, allowing the firm to effectively and efficiently manage complex transactions involving multiple jurisdictions.

Main Areas of Practice:

Administrative & Regulatory:
Represents clients before a wide range of regulatory agencies and administrative courts on a variety of matters, from disciplinary proceedings, to permitting issues, to actions opposing rate increases. The firm serves municipalities and companies seeking to do business with local government.

Appellate Advocacy:
The group is comprised of lawyers who have served as appellate court law clerks and have extensive litigation experience. The firm handles appeals in cases originating in the firm and cases tried by other lawyers. It has successfully litigated numerous appeals before state and federal courts.

Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights:
Bankruptcy and creditors rights lawyers represent a variety of commercial finance clients, particularly banks and other traditional financial institutions. The firm also represents creditors’ committees and bankruptcy trustees, handling all types of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights litigation matters.

Business Transactions:
Attorneys have the depth of experience needed to assist clients with organization planning and formation through the various stages of your business growth. The firm stands ready to work with clients on mergers, asset acquisitions, operating agreements, vendor and employment contract negotiations, purchase or sale contracts, and much more.

Commercial Litigation:
Business litigators handle a wide variety of business issues, focusing on complex commercial litigation and resolution of commercial disputes. The firm’s experience ranges from securities litigation, banking and financial services litigation, class actions, intellectual property, insurance disputes, business torts, real property and title insurance, to all types of commercial disputes and corporate counseling. Lawyers defended one of the longest non-jury trials in South Carolina history.

Commercial Transportation & Trucking:
The firm has extensive experience in the investigation of trucking and other transportation accidents, enlisting the services of accident reconstruction experts, engineers, transportation consultant experts and adjusters when necessary. Lawyers serve as Rapid Response Counsel for several trucking and bus companies, providing legal advice to companies needing assistance with compliance issues involving federal and state laws and regulations.

Construction Litigation:
Prosecutes and defends construction claims brought by or against owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, suppliers, manufacturers, design professionals, builders risk insurers, and sureties. The firm has served as counsel in cases involving synthetic stucco systems and roofing systems, and has helped clients in the negotiation and drafting phase of construction projects.

Election Law:
Represents clients involved in all facets of election disputes, ranging from defending incumbents in challenges brought by the losing candidates to representing election commissions involved in election protests.

Healthcare Litigation:
The firm’s lawyers are committed to defending physicians, hospitals, extended care facilities, and all types of health care professionals and institutions in matters involving medical malpractice, nursing home defense, medical devices, pharmaceutical litigation, and partnership and corporate disputes. This practice handles claims arising from alleged professional negligence and malpractice, disciplinary actions before the South Carolina Medical Board, and disputes regarding hospital credentialing privileges. The firm also handles cases involving serious injury or wrongful death and assists healthcare professionals in matters involving medical malpractice, nursing home defense, medical devices, pharmaceutical litigation, and partnership and corporate disputes.

Mediation & Arbitration:
Some of the firm’s lawyers serve as mediators, bringing their extensive litigation and trial experience to the cases they mediate. Cases mediated include personal injury, workers compensation, and complex business disputes.

Premises Liability:
The firm represents a variety of companies and businesses that are frequently faced with claims that occur on their premises. Attorneys have experience investigating and litigating these issues, whether a customer slips and falls on water or a more serious incident occurs that results in death.

Probate & Estate Litigation:
Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte’s lawyers handle a wide range of disputes involving probate and estate matters regarding challenges to a will or trust, life insurance disputes, actions in matters involving medical malpractice, nursing home defense, medical devices, pharmaceutical litigation, and partnership and corporate disputes.

Products Liability:
Represents clients in cases involving industrial equipment, pharmaceutical and medical devices, household appliances, deer tree stands, automotives, logging equipment, and chain and skill saws, to name a few. The firm also serves as local counsel for clients who have national or regional counsel.

Professional Liability & Ethics:
Defends lawyers and law firms confronting legal malpractice claims and represents lawyers during investigations and subsequent proceedings involving the South Carolina Office of Disciplinary Counsel. The firm also represents directors and officers, accountants, brokers, real estate professionals and engineers in lawsuits alleging malpractice, fraud, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and conspiracy.

Real Estate & Title Insurance:
Focuses on commercial real estate transactions and represents buyers, sellers, and financial institutions in all phases of real estate transactions. The firm negotiates and drafts real estate documentation for it’s clients including, but not limited to, acquisition documents, loan documents and commercial lease agreements.

Securities & FIRNA:
Represents broker-dealers, registered representatives, and financial institutions in a broad range of customer and industry disputes, in state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Workers’ Compensation:
The workers’ compensation team represents employers, insurance carriers, self-insureds, and third-party administrators in all phases of claim defense, from the initial strategy sessions, through discovery, and into the trial and appellate levels. The leader of this practice group is the coauthor of The Law of Workers’ Compensation Insurance in South Carolina, regarded as the most comprehensive treatise on South Carolina workers’ compensation law.

Clients:
Corporations, individuals, banks, elected officials, state and local government, state agencies, insurance companies, lawyers, law firms, hospitals, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, officers and directors, accountants, brokers, real estate professionals and engineers.