Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP said Tuesday it is expanding its presence in South Carolina by acquiring the law firm of Hall and Bowers LLC in Columbia.
Womble Carlyle, which has a major office in Winston-Salem, already is the largest law firm in the Carolinas, with 385 attorneys, and more than 550 overall. The Columbia office will start with three attorneys and one other staff member.
With the acquisition, Womble Carlyle will have 14 offices in seven states and Washington.
Keith Vaughan, chairman of Womble Carlyle's firm management committee, said it was important to the firm's future to have an office in the state capitals of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It already has offices in Atlanta and Raleigh.
The Columbia office will focus on campaign finance and election law, public policy, administrative and regulatory law, constitutional litigation and business litigation.
Attorneys joining Womble Carlyle are Butch Bowers, former chairman of the S.C. State Election Commission; Kevin Hall, an experienced business litigator and political-law attorney; and Todd Carroll, an experienced appellate and trial attorney who also serves as special counsel to the governor.
"Our clients frequently interact with South Carolina lawmakers and regulatory authorities," said Chuck Baker, managing partner of Womble Carlyle's Charleston office. "Our new Columbia team adds even more experience and knowledge to guide our clients through those interactions."
It is the second major acquisition in South Carolina for Womble Carlyle in the past 10 months.
In April, it took over Buist Moore Smythe McGee PA of Charleston, S.C., gaining 44 lawyers. It gained the expertise of Buist Moore's Admiralty and Maritime practice area — "a strong position to serve the currently under way expansion of the Panama Canal."
Vaughan said that Womble Carlyle has no current plans for other offices in the Carolinas.
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