CLAWSON & STAUBES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the South Carolina Bar
Barbara M. Seymour practices in the area of Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics at Clawson & Staubes, LLC, in Columbia, SC. She assists lawyers and law firms in ensuring ethical compliance, including conflicts analysis; advertising review; risk management assessment; trust account management training; and, departure and dissolution guidance. Barbara also defends lawyers and judges in disciplinary enforcement matters. She represents Bar applicants before the Committee on Character and Fitness and the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Barbara provides consulting and opinions in legal malpractice matters. She represents lawyers and law firms in litigation matters related to disqualification, fee petitions, unauthorized practice of law, and sanctions.
Barbara earned her Bachelor's Degree in Management and Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1990. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1993. She began her legal career as a trial lawyer in Greenville, SC. She then worked as a prosecutor for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel to the Supreme Court of South Carolina for seventeen years, serving as the Deputy Disciplinary Counsel from 2007 to 2017. She serves an adjunct professor in the Paralegal Degree Program at Midlands Technical College. She previously taught in the Paralegal Certificate Program at Converse College. Her courses have included Civil Litigation, Legal Research and Writing, Business Law, Torts, Introduction to Law and Ethics, and Law Office Management.
Barbara is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the State Bar of Georgia, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and the Richland County Bar. Barbara was a Fellow of the National Institute for the Teaching of Ethics and Professionalism in 2006 and 2011. She frequently presents continuing legal education programs to state and national audiences on a variety of topics related to professional ethics. She is the creator of the SC Bar's three-part series Trust Account Academy and the author of Trust Accounting for South Carolina Lawyers: An Annotated Practice Manual. In addition to presenting seminars for MCLE credit, Barbara's service to the SC Bar includes volunteering for the Law-Related Education, Professional Responsibility, Unauthorized Practice of Law, and Diversity Committees.
Practice Areas
Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Bob was the Chairman of the Charleston Area Mental Health Commission from 1980-1982. He was the President of the South Carolina Municipal Attorneys Association from 1983-1984, and a past Board Member of the Hibernian Mutual Insurance Company. Bob is now Of Counsel to the firm and provides valuable insight and guidance to young attorneys.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Clawson & Staubes, LLC
Chris Nickels is a Partner at Clawson & Staubes, LLC. Chris, an experienced litigator with vast trial experience, focuses his practice on a variety of areas including defamation, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, insurance law, dram shop, and social host liability.
Chris is a South Carolina Supreme Court Certified Mediator and is rated by his peers as "AV Preeminent." AV Preeminent® is a significant rating accomplishment - a testament to the fact that Chris' peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence. Only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability receive a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of AV.
Chris earned Bachelor of Science degrees, magna cum laude, in Finance and Economics with a minor in Political Science. Following undergraduate studies, he earned a Juris Doctor with honors.
While practicing law full-time, Chris was elected to serve on Mount Pleasant, SC Town Council. From 2011-2015, Chris served as Chair of important Town committees and interacted with local and state government leaders. During his tenure, Chris developed a wide professional network with access to substantive individuals who can help and assist on many issues and problems.
In 2015, Chris completed Clemson University's Center for Economic Development's "Leadership South Carolina", a competitive statewide educational program designed for South Carolina's leaders to address issues affecting quality of life for those fortunate enough to live, work, or retire in the Palmetto state.
In 2017, Chris was sworn into office as a Charleston County School Board Trustee representing the Town of Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant has close to 20,000 students who attend 14 high performing schools. The Board is responsible for governing school attendance zones, student discipline, school transfers, school bus transportation, and making recommendations to the Charleston County School District to ensure quality public education in the East Cooper area for students and teachers.
Practice Areas
Litigation
Commander Morrissey is a retired line officer. His active-duty billets include Division officer assignments in engineering and operations on the USS DeWert (FFG 45), shore duty as a history instructor at the Naval Academy, and a Department Head tour as Chief Engineer of the USS Halyburton (FFG 40). During his shore tour in Annapolis, he obtained an offshore skipper "D" qualification while serving as officer rep for the Naval Academy's Offshore Sailing Team, and took a crew of 6 midshipmen to Bermuda and back in a 44'. Patrick joined the naval reserve during law school and subsequently became Commanding Officer of DART 1, an ordinance unit based at Weapon Station, Charleston, with which he deployed to Kuwait.
Darby is an associate in the Greenville office who practices general civil litigation with a focus in insurance defense. She started with Clawson & Staubes as a summer law clerk while attending the University of South Carolina School of Law. Prior to law school, Darby graduated from Clemson University with a degree in business management and a minor in psychology.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Member of the South Carolina Bar
Deidre is an attorney in the firm's Columbia office, where her practice focuses on insurance defense litigation. She primarily works with insurance companies to defend individuals in negligence cases ranging from motor vehicle accidents to dog bites. She is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of South Carolina.
Deidre is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the Richland County Bar Association, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. She is also an active member of the Junior League of Columbia and serves on the Healthy Kids with Special Needs Committee.
Elizabeth Wilkerson joined Clawson & Staubes in August of 2016. Her areas of practice focus on civil litigation and defending individuals and businesses in personal injury and other matters. She is also experienced in providing opinions related to insurance coverage matters and litigating those matters when necessary.
Elizabeth graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina in 2010. She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 2015 from the Charleston School of Law where she was Senior Articles Editor of the Federal Courts Law Review and served as President of the Public Interest Legal Society. She returned to Columbia, South Carolina, during her final year and completed law school at the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Before law school, Elizabeth worked for a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., where she gained experience in the federal legislative and administrative processes. She also organized events for state and national political leaders.
After graduating from law school, Elizabeth served as judicial law clerk to South Carolina Circuit Court and Business Court Judge Clifton Newman. As a judicial law clerk, she obtained invaluable insight into courtroom proceedings and trials, including a better understanding of the decision-making processes of the judge and jury.
Elizabeth serves on the firm's Recruitment Committee. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her husband and their young daughter. They are members of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
Practice Areas
Civil Litigation
Job Titles:
- Coach to the University of South Carolina Mock Trial Competition Team
Job Titles:
- Associate in the Columbia Office
Julie is an associate in the Columbia office of Clawson & Staubes, LLC, where her practice focuses primarily on insurance defense, civil litigation, and professional responsibility. She also handles appellate work and has argued before the South Carolina Supreme Court. Before joining Clawson & Staubes, Julie was an Assistant Attorney General at the South Carolina Attorney General's Office, where she handled hundreds of post-conviction relief hearings and appeals across the state.
Katelyn is an associate attorney in the Columbia office who focuses primarily on insurance defense and general civil litigation. Katelyn grew up in Columbia City, Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University in 2016 with a degree in Political Science. Before joining Clawson and Staubes, Katelyn clerked for South Carolina Circuit Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr. where she gained invaluable insights into the courtroom proceedings and trials.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Immigration and Nationality Section of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association
Grayson currently serves as the Chair of the Immigration and Nationality Section of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association. Grayson is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Carolinas Chapter.
Matt is the Managing Member of Clawson & Staubes, and has practiced law for over 32 years. Matt has tried over 200 cases to verdict for individuals and corporations and represents individuals, local businesses, state agencies, and major insurance carriers, appearing at every level in his workers compensation and litigation practice. Matt also practices in the areas of insurance coverage litigation, premises liability, product liability, and municipal litigation.
Mike joined Clawson & Staubes in 2014. He is now a partner with the firm's litigation team, focusing in the area of construction litigation. He was admitted to practice in the State of South Carolina and the U. S. District Court, District of South Carolina in 2012. Mike's practice is primarily focused on construction defect litigation and insurance coverage. He also handles personal injury cases and has experience in medical malpractice, products liability, and premises liability.
Ronnie served as a JAGC officer in the United States Navy, on both ships and shore commands. He served as Staff Judge Advocate for Commander SUBRON EIGHTEEN, Commanding Officer USS HOLLAND (AS-32), Commanding Officer U.S. Naval Air Station - Guam, and Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Marianas. He was appointed by the United States Department of Justice to serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney where he prosecuted civilians who committed crimes on military installations. He successfully prosecuted on behalf of the United States, the murder trial of UNITED STATES v. HERNANDEZ, and was later awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his service in Desert SHIELD and Desert STORM.
Sam served as the managing member of Clawson & Staubes, LLC from 1983 through 2015. During this time, the firm grew from 4 attorneys in Charleston to almost 40 attorneys in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Charlotte. He was active in the tort defense of individuals, partnerships, and corporations. Since 1980, he has tried numerous cases each year for a variety of different insurers.
St Andrews Church in Mt Pleasant is a very important part of his life. On April 15, 2021, he was ordained as a deacon in the Anglican Church in North America.
In earlier years, Sam was active in the field of International Missions and is the former co-chair of that committee at St. Andrew's Church, Mt. Pleasant. He has participated in mission trips to the Dominican Republic (1x), Venezuela (2x), Switzerland (1x), Honduras (1x), and Liberia (10x). In February 2010, he was part of a team that opened, in partnership with St. Thomas Episcopal Church of Monrovia, Liberia, the J. Dwalu Kimber School in Brewerville, Liberia, which serves a community of people who were displaced by the 15 years of civil war that ravaged the country. He last visited Liberia in February 2015 to re-establish contacts with clergy and friends at St Thomas after a 2 year absence as the country emerged from the Ebola crisis.
Todd is a past president of the Myrtle Beach Sunrise Rotary Club, of which he has been a member since 2014. He is active with the Horry County Bar Association including serving as the president (2023), vice president (2022), treasurer (2021), and secretary (2020). When he is not working, Todd enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, traveling, and rooting on his favorite sports teams
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner for Clawson & Staubes for the Greenville Office
- Managing Partner of the Clawson & Staubes Greenville Office
Trey is the managing partner of the Clawson & Staubes Greenville Office. His practice areas include insurance defense, mediation, coverage opinions, personal injury defense, premise liability defense, product defect defense, construction defect defense, and governmental liability defense. He has tried over 30 cases to verdict in various courts in South Carolina, including Federal District Court. Trey also has experience of arguing before the South Carolina Court of Appeals. Trey is also a certified mediator.