The firm received the award in recognition of its commitment to providing free legal advice and representation to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Since 2009, the firm has dedicated its pro bono efforts to representing residents of the Hannah House, a transitional housing facility for women and their children. The firm’s lawyers have handled a variety of cases on behalf of the residents, including matters related to divorce, child custody and support, domestic violence and disability benefits.

“There are many, many attorneys at Sowell Gray who contributed to this award, just as they contribute their time, talents and energies to this community on a daily basis,” managing partner Cal Watson said.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

“Tina has proven herself time and again since coming to Sowell Gray,” managing partner Cal Watson said. “We are extremely pleased to elect as a member someone with such immense talent and dedication.”

Cundari, who grew up in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, earned a bachelor’s degree at the College of Charleston and a law degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Following graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk to The Honorable Jean Hoefer Toal, Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. During her second year of clerking, she taught legal writing at the University of South Carolina School of Law. In 2010 she spent four months as a law clerk to The Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

“I’m thrilled about becoming a member of Sowell Gray,” Cundari said.  “The members of this firm have taught me how to practice law and what it means to be a complete lawyer. It is an honor to join them as a member.”

Her practice at Sowell Gray focuses on commercial litigation and business dispute resolution, as well as appellate advocacy.

Cundari is also involved in the community, currently serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia. She’s also president of the Shandon Neighborhood Council. She’s been an active member in the South Carolina Bar, previously serving as co-chair of the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division Cinderella Project.

About Sowell Gray
Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

A 2011 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, Davis earned a bachelor’s in history from Wake Forest University in 2008. He also studied abroad for a year, at the Institute for the International Education of Students in Barcelona, Spain.

While in law school Davis earned a number of academic honors, including induction into the Order of the Wig and Robe and Order of the Coif. He won CALI Awards, which go to the highest-scoring student in each law school class, in trial advocacy and family law.

His practice at Sowell Gray will focus on products liability, healthcare litigation and construction litigation.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

Sowell Gray was recognized as a tier one law firm in five areas: administrative/regulatory law; commercial litigation; personal injury litigation – defendants; professional malpractice law – defendants; and workers’ compensation law – employers. The firm also was ranked in litigation – construction.

“We’re very pleased to have earned such an excellent placement from such a prestigious news publication,” Sowell Gray managing member Cal Watson said. “It’s even more gratifying because the rankings were based on the opinions of clients as well as evaluations from other attorneys. It’s great to see that the people we represent and our peers have rated us so highly.”

Best Law Firms rankings were compiled after more than 100,000 surveys were sent to clients, attorneys, and law firms. Clients evaluated firms on benchmarks such as responsiveness, understanding of a business and its needs, cost-effectiveness, civility, and whether they would refer another client to a firm. Law firms assessed their peers in areas including integrity, cost-effectiveness, and whether they would refer a matter to a firm and whether they consider a firm worthy competition.

A firm’s performance in “Best Lawyers” rankings also was taken into account. Sowell Gray attorneys – Grady L. Beard, Elizabeth Van Doren Gray, Rebecca Laffitte, Thornwell F. Sowell, Robert E. Stepp, Monteith P. Todd and J. Calhoun Watson – were highlighted in eight categories in that publication.

The law firm rankings appeared in a November edition of the U.S.News, as well as in a special publication going to 30,000 general counsels in the U.S. and at USNews.com.

About Sowell Gray
Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

The committee fields complaints from people who suspect that someone has practiced law without a license and coordinates with state authorities in taking appropriate action. Unauthorized practice of law is prohibited to protect the public from the consequences of inaccurate legal advice and the erroneous preparation of legal documents.

Hill is a graduate of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. She’s held a number of other Bar leadership positions, including serving on the Ethics Advisory Committee from 2006-08. She is currently a member of the South Carolina Bar Professional Responsibility Committee and of the Richland County Bar Executive Committee.

Hill’s practice at Sowell Gray focuses on professional liability and ethics; probate and estate litigation; commercial litigation and business dispute resolution; and appellate advocacy.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

Lindsay is a 2009 graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Dual Degree Program with a J.D. and a master’s degree in international business administration. She earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Clemson University in 2005.

Lindsay served two judicial clerkships prior to joining Sowell Gray, with The Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina in 2010-11 and with The Honorable G. Thomas Cooper, Jr., Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina in 2009-10.

She is a member of the South Carolina Young Lawyers Division, serving on committees for the Cinderella Project and the annual Backpack Drive. Additionally, Lindsay is a board member of Contemporaries of the Columbia Museum of Art.

Her practice at Sowell Gray will focus on commercial litigation and business dispute resolution.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

The publication bills itself as definitive guide to the country’s leading lawyers and firms. Sowell Gray was named one of the top in South Carolina in the recent edition, and members Thornwell Sowell Elizabeth Van Doren Gray and Robert Stepp were highlighted as local litigation stars.

According to Benchmark, the list of “future stars” recognizes attorneys whom peers and clients consistently identified as likely to be become “local litigation stars” in coming years.

Hill is a graduate of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. She serves as the Chair of the South Carolina Bar Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee and she is also a member of the South Carolina Bar Professional Responsibility Committee.

Hill’s practice at Sowell Gray focuses on professional liability and ethicsprobate and estate litigation commercial litigation and business dispute resolution; and appellate advocacy.

Benchmark: Litigation is in its fifth edition. A new publication, Benchmark: Appellate, also highlighted Sowell Gray, identifying the firm as one of the top appellate practices in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

About Benchmark: Litigation

Benchmark: Litigation is designed as a detailed analysis of the country’s top litigators as well as a reference for corporate counsel who need outside help with a case. For more information, go to www.benchmarklitigation.com.

Additionally, the guide has named Sowell Gray members Thornwell Sowell, and Robert Stepp as local stars.

The Fourth Circuit covers all of South Carolina, as well as North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.

Benchmark: Appellate is produced by the publishers of Benchmark: Litigation. That guide, in its fifth edition, highlighted Sowell Gray as one of the top litigation law firms in South Carolina.

Benchmark: Appellate was created to meet a “demand for increased focus on the appellate litigation practice,” the publishers say. Attorneys are selected for both Benchmark publications after extensive face-to-face interviews around the country to pinpoint the best attorneys at both the local and national levels. Additionally, Benchmark says it includes attorneys based on outstanding success during that year, as well as on consistently positive feedback from peers and clients.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

About Benchmark

Benchmark is designed as a detailed analysis of the country’s top litigators as well as a reference for corporate counsel who need outside help with a case. For more information, go to www.benchmarklitigation.com.

Additionally, the guide has named Sowell Gray members Thornwell Sowell, Elizabeth Van Doren Gray and Robert Stepp as local litigation stars. All three have been included in previous editions of Benchmark.

Benchmark: Litigation is in its fifth edition. Each year, the publishers conduct extensive face-to-face interviews around the country to pinpoint the best all-around “bet-the-company” trial attorneys at both the local and national levels. Additionally, Benchmark says it includes attorneys based on outstanding success during that year, as well as on consistently positive feedback from peers and clients.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.

About Benchmark Litigation

Benchmark Litigation is designed as a detailed analysis of the country’s top litigators as well as a reference for corporate counsel who need outside help with a case. For more information, go to www.benchmarklitigation.com.

The Sowell Gray attorneys were highlighted in eight different categories.

• Grady L. Beard, Workers’ Compensation Law, Employers
• Elizabeth Van Doren Gray, “Bet the Company” Litigation and Commercial Litigation
• Rebecca Laffitte, Personal injury Litigation, Defendants; Insurance Law; Construction Litigation; and Product Liability Litigation, Defendants
• Thornwell F. Sowell, “Bet the Company” Litigation and Commercial Litigation
• Robert E. Stepp, Commercial Litigation
• Monteith P. Todd, Personal Injury Litigation, Defendants
• J. Calhoun Watson, “Bet the Company” Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Professional Malpractice, Defendants

The directory, used by thousands of lawyers and corporations, is widely regarded as the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Compiled after a survey of 3.9 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country, the guide is advertisement-free and no fee is required to be included.

“We’re very pleased that our peers have again recognized the efforts the attorneys at Sowell Gray make to serve our clients on a daily basis,” managing partner Cal Watson said. “It’s gratifying that all of our members have been selected for the guide, particularly when you consider that we were recognized in such a variety of practice areas.”

Best Law Firms in America, a companion publication to Best Lawyers, is scheduled for release in the fall. Last year, Sowell Gray was included in Best Law Firms in addition to the individual recognition its attorneys earned in Best Lawyers.

About Sowell Gray

Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowellgray.com.