Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd Names New Shareholders
January 4, 2011
Two Charleston, two Greenville lawyers elected
CHARLESTON & GREENVILLE, SC – January 4, 2011 – Haynsworth SinklerBoyd, P.A., is pleased to announce that Clay M. Grayson, David C.Humphreys III, Courtney C. Atkinson, and Christopher B. Major have beennamed shareholders, effective January 1.
CHARLESTON OFFICE: 134 Meeting Street, Third Floor, Charleston, SC 29401
Clay M. Grayson, a business lawyer, joined HaynsworthSinkler Boyd’s Charleston office in 2004. He assists clients at everystage of their business development — from the formation of theenterprise to the implementation of creative, tax-efficient strategiesfor expansion, protection of intellectual property rights, compensationand benefit packages, ownership succession, reorganizations, andmergers and acquisitions.
The Charleston native has developed a national practice dedicated totax-exempt organizations, with a particular focus on nonprofitfoundations that support universities and hospitals. Grayson currentlyserves as general counsel of Health Sciences South Carolina, where heconsults on a variety of projects. He has been published in SouthCarolina Lawyer, Practical Tax Strategies, and the SC Chamber ofCommerce’s South Carolina Business.
Grayson received his LL.M from New York University in 2004, and hisJuris Doctor and Masters of International Business Studies (MIBS,International MBA) degrees from the University of South Carolina. In1999, he received his Certificate, Italian/European Business, S.D.A.,at Bocconi, in Milan, Italy. Grayson graduated with honors from theCollege of Charleston in 1995.
Active in statewide and community activities, Grayson is a board memberof the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organization (SCANPO),Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and Jazz Artists of Charleston. A memberof the Hollings Cancer Center Advisory Citizens Council, he is agraduate of Leadership Charleston, Class of 2008.
David C. Humphreys III,a land use, real estate development and project finance lawyer, joinedthe Firm’s Charleston office in 2003. He assists lenders, developers,and municipalities in all aspects of real estate development, zoning,lending, and foreclosure. As the past chair of the City ofCharleston’s Board of Zoning Appeals–Site Design, and in his role ascounsel to planning departments of multiple area municipalities,Humphreys has extensive first-hand experience in achieving a balancebetween preservation of natural and historic resources and thedevelopment of well-planned projects that promote economic growth inCharleston County and throughout the State of South Carolina.
In addition to representing clients in zoning matters and purchase andsale transactions, Humphreys advises landlords and tenants with respectto office, retail and industrial leasing matters. Humphreys alsoassists clients in the formation of corporations, limited liabilitycompanies, partnerships and joint ventures.
A graduate of Leadership Charleston, Class of 2009, Humphreys currentlyserves on the March of Dimes Lowcountry Board of Directors and is apast member of the Board of Directors of the Charleston County FirstSteps program. He received his J.D., cum laude, in 2003, and his B.A.in history in 1999, both from the University of South Carolina.
GREENVILLE OFFICE: 75 Beattie Place, 11th Floor, Greenville, South Carolina 29601
Courtney C. Atkinsonfocuses on employment law and commercial defense litigation. She joinedHaynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Greenville office in 2003. She providesadvice and counsel to employers on various issues, including employmentpolicies and handbooks, non-compete/confidentiality agreements,prevention of claims of discrimination and harassment, and other humanresource matters. She also defends employers in actions in all courts,and before various federal and state agencies, including the EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission, South Carolina Human AffairsCommission (SCHAC), South Carolina Department of Employment andWorkforce, and both federal and state Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA and SC OSHA). She also has experience inhealthcare liability matters, products liability defense, generalbusiness litigation, and intellectual property litigation.
A Greenville native, Atkinson was named one of the “Best and Brightest35 and Under” by Greenville Magazine (2006). She is active in theUpstate’s legal community as well as the civic arena. She serves astreasurer of the Greenville County Bar Association, whose executivecommittee she has served on since 2004. Atkinson was recentlyre-appointed by Greenville City Council to serve on the City’sAccommodations Tax Advisory Committee.
Atkinson, a graduate of Leadership Greenville 35 serves on the board ofdirectors of YouthBASE, a non-profit group working with at-riskchildren, and on the board of directors of the Junior League ofGreenville, where she serves as Community Vice President. She alsovolunteers for the United Way of Greenville County, where she serves asa member of the Women’s Leadership Council.
She received her J.D., in 2003 from Washington and Lee University, andgraduated cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2000, with a B.A.degree in political science.
Christopher B. (Chris) Major, joined the Firm’s Greenville office in 2006. Major represents clients in state and federal courts throughout the Carolinas.
He is admitted to practice in both North Carolina and South Carolina aswell as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S.Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Greenville nativeregularly represents clients in the transportation and constructionindustries. In a landmark case, Major obtained summary judgment onbehalf of a German auto manufacturer arising from the development of astate-of-the-art automotive research campus.
Prior to joining the Firm, Major served as a law clerk to The HonorableG. Ross Anderson, Jr., U.S. District Judge for the District of SouthCarolina, and practiced law in Charlotte, North Carolina. A 2003 magnacum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law,Major was a staff member of the South Carolina Law Review during lawschool. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of SouthCarolina Honors College in 2000, with a B.A., in history.
Major devotes his volunteer efforts to legal organizations: hepreviously served on the South Carolina Bar’s Unautho
rized Practice ofLaw Committee and the HELP Task Force, which is charged with educatinglawyers and judges about substance abuse and mental health issues inthe legal profession and is a past chair of the Bar’s Law StudentLiaison Committee. With The Defense Research Institute, Inc., theinternational membership organization of all lawyers involved in thedefense of civil litigation, Major is a vice-liaison for theAlternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee.
About Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. provides business, litigation andfinancial legal services, and governmental relations to national andinternational clients. With a history dating back to 1887, it is one ofthe largest law firms in the Carolinas with more than 130 attorneys. The Firm has offices in Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Greenville, andMyrtle Beach, SC, and Washington, DC.
