Three new attorneys join Baker Ravenel Bender

Baker, Ravenel & Bender, LLC, is welcoming three additional attorneys to its ranks.

William A. Collins Jr. is coming on board as a partner, and Michal Kalwajtys and JC Davis will be associates. Collins and Kalwajtys join the law firm as a result of its merger with their former firm, Dougall & Collins.

“Chip” Collins practices in the areas of Construction Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Asbestos Litigation and General Litigation. In addition to the South Carolina Bar, he is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Carolina in 1992, and his Juris Doctor from the USC School of Law in 1995.

He is an elder at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church, and is involved with both Town Theatre and the South Carolina Shakespeare Company. He has enjoyed acting in local theater for most of his life, and finds the stage experience helps him improvise and react better in real time in court.

Kalwajtys practices in the areas of Personal Injury Defense, Construction Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Product Liability, and Appellate Advocacy. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as state courts.

He is a graduate of two law schools, in his native Poland in 2002, and the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2012.

He first visited the United States in the summer of 1997, and immigrated after law school in Poland. He is now firmly rooted in South Carolina and proud to call it home. He spends most of his free time playing guitar and violin.

JC Davis practices in the areas of Construction Litigation and Products Liability. She, too, is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, in addition to state courts.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University from 2015, and received a master’s in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Sam Houston State University in 2016. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2020.

JC grew up in a military family with an emphasis on service. She served as a firefighter before law school. She enjoys cooking for large groups of people, and caring for her 130-lb Great Dane puppy. She also loves playing catch, shooting hoops, and reading about theology and neuroscience.

About Baker, Ravenel & Bender

Baker, Ravenel & Bender, L.L.P., is one of South Carolina’s oldest law firms, established around 1900 as Melton & Belser. The name evolved to its current form in 1999. The firm today consists of seven attorneys who focus on litigation, covering myriad practice areas in state and federal courts. The firm is known for its work in the insurance defense field and media law, and also handles construction litigation, products liability, real estate litigation, restaurant and hospitality law, education law, and mediation. For more information, please visit http://brblegal.com/.