Jay Bender

Foster Girard leads Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd's Corporate Practice Group out of the Columbia office, and concentrates his practice on corporate finance and commercial transactions. Foster represents buyers, sellers and developers in real estate matters, and serves as lender's counsel. He also advises on a number of financing documents and commercial contracts involving goods, services and commercial real estate.

W. Verne McGough, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Litigation and Controversy - Tax, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. W. Verne, who practices law in Cayce, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in wh...

Jody A. Bedenbaugh is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law. Jody A., who practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jody A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Adam Hegler is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Adam, who practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adam is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bill practices primarily in the areas of corporate and commercial workouts, bankruptcy and real estate transactions. He is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law by the SC Supreme Court and primarily represents creditors and other parties in real estate development, asset-based financing and other commercial workout and bankruptcy matters. Because of his transactional, commercial finance and real estate background, he has extensive experience representing purchasers of a...

Nick is a litigator focusing his practice in workers’ compensation defense. He has experience representing businesses, insurance companies, captives, third-party administrators and self-insured employers before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Nick serves on the planning committee for the Annual Medical Conference of the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Educational Association, and places a...

Beth is tenacious and a rigorous thinker. Her practice focuses on business disputes of all kinds, in courtroom and arbitration settings, including FINRA. Beth’s clients include publicly traded and private companies and their officers and employees operating in a wide array of industries such as real estate development, insurance, energy and utility, restaurant and retail, financial investing, and health care. Beth’s litigation experience also includes trust and estate work, and ap...

Jon Pearson is a partner in the firm's Columbia office. His practice emphasizes employment litigation of all types before state and federal courts, as well as traditional labor law. He has handled lawsuits and administrative charges involving wrongful discharge, Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as well as many other types of employment-based claims. Jon has al...

Rachel Atkin Hedley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Rachel Atkin, who practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Rachel Atkin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kevin's litigation practice involves class action defense and insurance disputes and his general litigation practice has included a wide variety of trial and appellate matters for the firm's clients from collapsed structures to medical malpractice and unfair trade practices. His insurance practice centers on life insurance and commercial liability/property insurance and has involved virtually every aspect of the business, with insurance products ranging from home service policies to complex a...