Turner Padget forms Government Relations & Public Policy service with addition of new attorneys

Turner Padget announced the formation of a Government Relations & Public Policy service with the addition of attorneys Edward J. Schafer and James F. Knox in the firm’s Columbia office. Schafer and Knox will help clients find the legislative and regulatory solutions they need to resolve complex issues.

“Our clients doing business before governmental entities face a number of unique challenges, and our Government Relations & Public Policy team will work diligently to help them navigate any legislative or regulatory obstacles they may encounter,” said C. Pierce Campbell, CEO of Turner Padget. “Ed and James’s impressive backgrounds in government affairs will complement and bolster our firm’s multidisciplinary approach to being the single source for all our clients’ legal needs.”

The Government Relations & Public Policy team will help local governmental entities, associations, nonprofits, industries and companies form legislative resolutions and advocate for the distinct issues they face. Through years of working with decision makers on the local, state and federal levels, the team provides clients with strategy development, public policy advice, legislation and amendment drafting. The group also works with elected officials to find solutions for clients in a spectrum of industries such as local government, energy, health care, housing, environmental, insurance and technology.

Schafer joins Turner Padget as Of Counsel with nearly two decades of experience in governmental relations, lobbying and association management. He has represented county and municipal governments, the housing industry, and disability rights organizations as a former staff attorney and lobbyist for the South Carolina Association of Counties, legislative counsel for the Municipal Association of South Carolina, and general counsel and director of government affairs for the Manufactured/Modular Housing Institute of South Carolina. Schafer earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his undergraduate degree from The Citadel. He is a graduate of Leadership Columbia and is on the board of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Knox joins Turner Padget as an Associate where he focuses his practice on insurance defense litigation, local government law and government relations. Prior to joining the firm, he spent six years with the South Carolina Association of Counties as a staff attorney and lobbyist where he advised counties on a broad range of legal matters and developed public policy. In addition to his legal career, Knox also serves in the South Carolina Army National Guard as an officer and an Apache helicopter pilot. He earned his law degree from Elon University and his undergraduate degree from The Citadel.

Turner Padget

As one of South Carolina’s largest law firms, Turner Padget has expanded into neighboring states with offices located in Augusta, Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Greenville and Myrtle Beach, along with strategic alliances in Florida and North Carolina.http://www.turnerpadget.com/