Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. Attorneys Take on Leadership Roles

Columbia
John P. Boyd, an associate attorney in the firm’s Columbia office, is vice chair of the South Carolina Biomass Council (SCBC) and will assume the chairmanship in December. A native of Columbia, John's law practice focuses on environmental law, regulatory and administrative law, and general corporate law. The SCBC has more than 250 members including electric utilities, wood products companies, pulp and paper companies, alternative energy start-ups, and research universities. The SCBC works cooperatively with state legislators, biomass producers and users, and other stakeholders to increase awareness and use of biomass energy, working toward a long term strategy to make biomass energy a feasible utility-scale alternative to traditional power generation and traditional transportation fuels.

L. Foster Girard, an associate attorney who practices business law in the firm’s Columbia office,
has been recognized for his service as co-chair of Community Law Week by Tina Herbert, 2010-2011 chair of the South Carolina Bar’s Young Lawyers’ Division (YLD). Foster - named a “Star of the Quarter” by Herbert - helped lead the YLD’s participation in Cocky’s Reading Express, a collaboration of the University of South Carolina Student Government and the University’s School of Library and Information Science to encourage reading among young children in South Carolina. Other 2011 Community Law Week projects included book drives, Speakers in Schools, and refurbishing a DSS playroom. The Simpsonville, SC native helps Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd clients with corporate finance and commercial transactions.

William R. (Will) Johnson, an associate attorney in the firm’s Columbia office, has been named secretary/treasurer of the South Carolina Bar’s Young Lawyers’ Division (YLD). He also is serving on the board of the Leadership Columbia Alumni Association for 2011-2012. A graduate of Leadership South Carolina Class of 2011, Will’s practice concentrates on business planning and economic development matters. In 2011, the Lake City, SC native was honored as one of 10 “Emerging Legal Leaders” by South Carolina Lawyers Weekly.

Greenville
Christine (Chris) Gantt-Sorenson, a shareholder in the firm’s Greenville office, is serving as general counsel and as an officer of the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Chris is a trial lawyer, concentrating in employment defense litigation by defending employers in employment-related claims and litigation in venues from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is the past president of the Greenville County Bar Association, and is a member of the SC Women Lawyers’ Association. Prior to joining Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, the Greenville native was a prosecutor in the SC Attorney General’s office for four years.

Kathleen C. (Kathy) McKinney, a shareholder in the firm’s Greenville office, has been appointed to the Greenville Symphony Orchestra’s board of directors. A member of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Public Finance team, she has been bond counsel for more than 100 revenue bond issues, resulting in $3 billion of capital investment in South Carolina. Kathy, a longtime resident of Greenville, currently serves as an Independent Director of the FHLBanks Office of Finance board and is the first South Carolinian to hold this position. She is a past president of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, a 3,000-member organization.

Boyd B. (Nick) Nicholson, Jr., a shareholder in the firm’s Greenville office, has been selected to participate in the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Greenville Class 38. Nick leads the firm’s Governmental, Utilities and Nonprofit team and practices primarily in the areas of construction law, procurement law and local government law. He is a past chairman of the Construction Law Section of the South Carolina Bar. The Greer, SC resident is a board member of the South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools.

Margaret R. (Meg) Scoopmire, special counsel in the firm’s Greenville office, will join the Leadership South Carolina Class of 2012. A native of Greenville, SC, her law practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions and representation of banking and financial institutions in real estate, construction, development, and asset-based loan transactions. She leads Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Real Estate team and is a designated attorney for the US Small Business Administration Development Company Loan Program (504). Meg serves on the board of CREW Upstate and also on the board of United Ministries and Friends of Springwood Cemetery.