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2009 Ceremony

A Gathering of Compleat Lawyer Award Recipients from Across the Years
View a Gallery of Photos from the 2009 Ceremony

University of South Carolina School of Law honors exemplary alumni at Compleat Lawyer Awards Dinner

Nine outstanding alumni were recognized for their significant contributions to the legal profession and high standards of professional competence, ethics and integrity at the University of South Carolina School of Law’s annual Compleat Lawyer Awards dinner on April 16, 2009. Established in 1992 by the USC Law School Alumni Association Board (LSAAB), the awards recognize alumni for outstanding civic and professional accomplishments.

Awards are given in categories based on years in practice. The Platinum Award, given to three attorneys who have been in practice over 30 years, were awarded to Mayor Robert “Bob” D. Coble, ’78, of Nexsen Pruet, in Columbia, SC; F. Earl Ellis, Jr., ’75, of Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims, PA, in Columbia, SC; and Toney J. Lister, ’74, of Lister, Flynn, Kelly & Talley, PA in Spartanburg, SC.

Bob Coble practices in the areas of health care, regulatory law, and governmental regulation. He also serves on both the Corporate Innovation Team and the Economic Development Team which serve the firm's current clients and helps recruit new industry to South Carolina. His skills in these areas are in part due to a longstanding commitment to public service. Mayor Coble is taking a leading role in the development of young lawyers at Nexsen Pruet. He is spending significant time with a group of young lawyers, helping them learn to build business networks and to understand the importance of community service.

Mr. Coble is a former member of the Richland County Council and has served five terms as Mayor of Columbia. He is affectionately known as "Mayor Bob." In 2004 Mayor Coble was named Ambassador of the Year by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. In 2007 he received the Regional Leadership Award from the Central Midlands Council of Governments, he was honored with the Knowledge Economist Award from the South Carolina Research Authority, and he was inducted into the Richland School District One Hall of Fame.

Mayor Bob frequently represents South Carolina on international trade missions. He has successfully recruited new industry to our state and is leading efforts in hydrogen fuel research. The "least" of our community are a passion of Mayor Coble's. He has promoted numerous efforts to see the needy of the Midlands. For instance, he is currently working to resolve the homeless issues in Columbia. In addition, Mayor Coble has volunteered with other community groups including Special Olympics, the United Negro College Fund and the Bethlehem Center. He does all this while nurturing strong relationships with his wife Beth and their six children.

Described by colleagues and courtroom adversaries alike as "cordial, capable and entertaining," F. Earl Ellis, Jr., is a well-respected workers' compensation attorney. A founding partner of Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims, P.A., Earl Ellis is known throughout the state for his leadership skills inside the courtroom, the mediation chamber, and the community.

Most recently, Ellis was presented with the 2008 Worthy Adversary Award by the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association (SCTLA), a special award given to an attorney who is honest, well respected among his or her peers, loyal and dependable to his or her clients, and above all, ethical.

"Earl embodies all that is good in this profession," says one of his frequent opponents, SCLTA President John Nichols of Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson, and Delgado Law Firm in Columbia. "He has an amazing way with lawyers, judges and clients, and is always respectful of opposing attorneys. He keeps his eye on the ethical ball. He wins the case by looking closely at the details, analyzing the data and knowing the facts. Earl sets an example for others to follow."

Over the years, Ellis's career has focused on workers' compensation matters, representing clients in courtrooms and boardrooms across South Carolina. His clients include textile mills, manufacturing plants, public utilities, and large retail establishments in defense of workers' compensation claims. He also serves as lead counsel for the self-insurance funds of hospitals and governmental entities throughout the state. Today, Ellis is in high demand as a mediator on workers' compensation, litigation and other matters.

Ellis also places a priority on mentoring the next generation of lawyers, says John T. Lay, Jr., an Ellis Lawhorne shareholder and a beneficiary of Ellis' guidance when he joined the firm in 1991."Earl taught me how to interact with my clients and earn their trust," says Lay. "He also taught me how to engage a jury. He's entertaining, fun, but above all, he's factual, which makes him very persuasive with juries. I love watching Earl in action. He is truly gifted and a genuine person."

Earl has used his leadership skills to support and advance a number of organizations. He is a past president of the South Carolina Bar, past chair of the House of Delegates, and the organizer and first president ofthe Bar's Workers' Compensation Section. He also is past president of the South Carolina Self-Insurers Association and serves on its board of directors. Ellis has published numerous articles and papers and regularly conducts workers' compensation seminars. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for the past thirteen years.

Earl is also active in the community and serves as President of the Columbia Film Society and Nickelodeon Theatre and past President of Columbia Green. From coaching youth soccer, football and softball, to serving as Senior Warden of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Ellis has kept strong his commitment to family and community. He and his wife Rebecca have three children and four grandchildren.

Toney J. Lister is considered by his colleagues to exemplify the highest standard of professional competence, ethics and integrity within his profession. Toney received his BS in business administration from the University of South Carolina in 1968 and his JD from the School of Law in 1974. He was on active duty in the US Navy from 1962-1972 and served 20 years in the US Navy Reserves, obtaining the office of Captain.

He is involved in the South Carolina Bar Association, the American Bar Association and other professional organizations such as the SC Trial Lawyers and American Trial Lawyers. His practice includes Family Court, Civil and Criminal Court and Workman’s Compensation and he has appeared before and is a member of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, US Appellate Court and the US Supreme Court.

Toney was on the Judiciary and Rules Committees for the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1974-1979. His involvement in education is diverse and is evidenced by his being a Board Member of Governor’s Leadership of South Carolina and President of the University of South Carolina Alumni Association of Spartanburg County. He is also on the Spartanburg County Commission on Higher Education. He is currently a USC Board Trustee and has been since 1994. He has served as the Municipal Attorney for the town of Landrum. He also serves on the Board at Camp White Pines, a South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice Resident Program serving troubled youth ages 12 through 15 years of age.

The Gold Award, given to three attorneys who have been in practice for 15-30 years, were awarded to Teri Callen Stomski, ‘92, South Carolina Counsel for Investors Title Insurance Company, in Columbia, SC; Gray T. Culbreath, ’88, of Collins & Lacy, PC in Columbia, SC; and A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., ‘89, of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, in Greenville, SC.

A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Teri Callen Stomski formerly practiced in the South Carolina Lowcountry in the areas of banking and real estate litigation. Following a move to Georgia where she provided in-house legal services in the banking industry, she worked for financial institutions in the Savannah, Georgia market and was named Business Banker of the Year in 2000 and 2001, the first female repeat winner of this award. Teri is a former adjunct professor at Savannah State University and is a frequent lecturer and contributing author for seminars relating to the title insurance industry.

Teri serves on the Board of Directors for Business Carolina, is Past President of the Central SC Chapter of Risk Management Association (RMA), and is a member of the Palmetto Land Title Association (Chair, Communications Committee; Legislative Committee, Education Committee), and the South Carolina Bar Association. She is active in civic organizations and has served in many capacities with the Junior Leagues of Columbia and Savannah, Junior Achievement of Central SC and Savannah and The Rotary Club of Five Points, where she was named "The Charles C. Foster Rotarian of the Year 2007-2008" and was elected to serve on the 2009-2010 Board of Directors. She also serves as the Chair-Elect of the Midlands Regional Advisory Board for Healthy Learners of the Sisters of Charity Health System.

Gray T. Culbreath received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wofford in Government in 1985 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army upon graduation. After receiving an educational delay from the United States Army, Gray attended and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, South Carolina, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1988. While attending law school at the University of South Carolina, Gray was a member of the Moot Court Bar as well as the National Moot Court Team. After being admitted to the South Carolina Bar in October of 1988, Gray entered the Army Judge Advocate General's Corp on active duty in December of 1988 and served until May of 1992.

Stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, Gray served as trial defense counsel for the 19th Infantry Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment. During that time, he tried numerous General Courts Martial to verdict, as well as numerous other administrative based proceedings. After leaving Trial Defense Service, Gray was an administrative law and procurement attorney for the United States Army Infantry Center until his discharge in May of 1992. From 1991 to 1992, he also served as the appointed United States Magistrate Judge for the Fort Benning, Georgia, Military Reservation.

After his discharge from active duty, Gray returned to his hometown of Columbia to work as an associate for Collins & Lacy, P.C., the same law firm he worked for throughout law school. Gray currently serves as the Managing Shareholder of the firm and concentrates his practice on the defense of class action, product liability, and complex and catastrophic injury lawsuits. In addition to these three principal practice areas, Gray has been involved in a wide variety of commercial lawsuits as well.

Gray's extensive federal and state trial experience in Products Liability, Class Action Litigation, Transportation Litigation, Business/Commercial Litigation, and Professional Negligence Claims, along with his active appellate practice, have led to his recognition in both Super Lawyers 2008 and Best Lawyers 2009. He has authored numerous articles on a variety of topics including Successor Liability, South Carolina Tort Reform, and Electronic Discovery Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. He is also a frequent speaker at professional conferences, including his most recent engagement at the 2008 Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting in Alberta, Canada on the subject of Class Actions: No Injury Classes, Wage & Hour Classes & Other Hot Issues.

Gray has held numerous leadership positions in professional legal organizations including the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, where he is currently Chair of the Class Action & Multi-District Litigation Section, and is currently the Vice Chair of the Products Liability Section. He also chairs the Judiciary Committee.

He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and Lawyers for Civil Justice. He currently serves as Treasurer for the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association, having previously served as Secretary (2008), Editor of The Defense Line (2005-2007), and a member of the Executive Committee (2000-2007.) He is an active member of the Defense Research Institute, the John Belton O'Neal Inn of Court, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Gray is the past Chair of the Defense Litigation Group for the International Society of Primerus Law Firms.

In addition to the many leadership positions Gray holds in professional legal organizations, Gray serves as the Chairman of the South Carolina State Museum Commission having been appointed by Governor James H. Hodges in July of 2001.

Prior to that, he served as the Vice Chairman of the Museum Commission from 1999 until July of 2001. The primary function of the Commission is the creation and operation of a State Museum reflecting the history, fine arts and natural history and the scientific and industrial resources of the State, mobilizing expert professional advice and guidance and utilizing all available resources in the performance of this function. As the Chairman of the Museum Commission, Gray is responsible for the operation of the Museum located in historic Columbia Mills Building in Columbia. During his tenure on the Museum Commission, Gray participated in the historic removal of the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina State House accepting the flag on behalf of the Museum on July 1, 2000.

A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr. practices in the areas of business litigation, product liability litigation, and other complex civil litigation. His litigation experience includes transportation industry products, contracts, class actions, business torts, trade secrets, federal and state unfair trade practices, securities laws, shareholder and partnership laws, commercial and consumer laws, and technology contracts.

Marvin is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates; the Product Liability Steering Committee of the American Law Firm Association; the Defense Research Institute; the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association; the American Bar Association; the United States Supreme Court Historical Society; the Greenville County Bar Association; and the South Carolina Bar. He has served on the South Carolina Bar Board of Governors, currently serves in the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar, and has recently been elected to serve as Secretary of the Board of Governors. He is also a member of the Society of Justice and a Life Fellow of the South Carolina Bar.

Marvin was appointed by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to the Task Force on Government Restructuring and Campaign Finance Reform and to the South Carolina Lottery Commission. He has been appointed by Greenville Mayor Knox White to the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustments. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and South Carolina Super Lawyers.

In 1989, he earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review, the Order of the Coif and the Order of Wig and Robe. Additionally, he served as a legal writing instructor. In 1986, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, cum laude, from Rhodes College where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa.

The Silver Award, given to three attorneys who have been in practice for fewer than 15 years, were awarded to Molly Hughes Cherry, ’93, of Nexsen Pruet, in Charleston, SC; Tanya A. Gee, ’02, Chief Staff Attorney at the SC Court of Appeals, Columbia, SC; and Thomas R. Young, Jr., ’96, of Whetstone Myers Perkins & Young, LLC, in Aiken, SC.

Molly Hughes Cherry practices in the litigation and in the employment and labor groups. She received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, in Government and Spanish from Wofford College where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated cum laude in 1993 from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was a member of the South Carolina Law Review, the Order of the Wig and Robe, the Order of the Barristers, the ABA Moot Court Team, and the John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court. During her third year of law school, Molly served as a legal writing instructor and from 2004-2006 served as an adjunct legal writing professor at the Charleston School of Law.

Molly is a certified specialist in Employment and Labor Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court; Council Member and Newsletter Coordinator for the SC Bar Employment and Labor Law Section; and Council Member of the Tort and Insurance Practices Section of the SC Bar.

She is a member of the South Carolina Women Lawyers' Association, Board of Directors; International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC); Charleston County Bar Association; South Carolina Bar; Trident Literacy Association, Board of Directors; Tri-County Human Resources Management Association, Board of Directors; SC Bar Judicial Qualifications Committee, Committee Member and the Wofford Alumni Executive Council. Molly offers her legal expertise to not-for-profit organizations and others in Charleston and throughout South Carolina. Locally, she provided pro bono services for the Charleston Stage Company, Trident literacy Association and Ashley Hall.

In 2003, Molly participated in Leadership Charleston and in 2007 she was selected for Leadership South Carolina. She was presented with the Charleston Business Journal’s “40 under 40” Award, which recognizes community leaders under the age of 40.

Tanya A. Gee graduated from the USC School of Law in 2002 in the top 15% or her class. She was a recipient of the bronze Compleat Lawyer Award, Claude Sapp Award, Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year Award, Pro Bono Outstanding Service Award and the CALI Award for Property I. She was a member of the Order of Wig and Robe, South Carolina Law Review (Associate Student Works Editor as a 3L), USC Law Pro Bono Board (President as a 3L), and Public Interest Society (President 2L and 3L years). She was also a volunteer for Richland County’s Guardian Ad Litem Program.

Tanya is the Event Chair for Richland County Young Lawyer Division’s Children’s Book Drive and Kids’ ID Project; member and Sunday school teacher for high school youth at Ebenezer Lutheran Church; Classroom Coordinator at Children’s Center at USC; and a Young Lawyer Legacy Supporter of the SC Bar Foundation.

In her short time since graduating law school, Tanya’s peers have marveled at how bright and knowledgeable she is of the law and what a wonderful intensity she possesses about her work. They say that she works very hard, and by example encourages others to do the same. In only five years, Tanya progressed from law clerk to Chief Staff Attorney, a feat that is is quite admirable.

She balances a busy work life with her attorney husband Chris Koon, and two children, Will and Sabin.

Tom Young is a 1993 honors graduate of the University of South Carolina - Columbia and a 1996 honors graduate of the USC School of Law. While at USC, Tom was the Student Body President and received the 1993 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award as the most outstanding graduate in his class.

Tom also serves on several Boards in the greater Aiken Community including Children's Place (chair), USC Aiken Partnership (vice-chair), Public Education Partners, Aiken County Dollars for Scholars (past chair), and the Partnership Board for the University of South Carolina Honors College. Previously, Tom served on the USC Young Alumni Association Board (chair) as well as a number of committees for the South Carolina Bar.

A native of Aiken, Tom and his wife Heather reside in Aiken with their two daughters Hailey (6) and Ashley (2). They are members of St. John's United Methodist Church and Tom is the volunteer attorney for Millbrook Baptist Church. Tom is the newly elected Representative for South Carolina House District 81. Tom practices law in Aiken.

Recipients are nominated by members of the South Carolina Bar and are chosen by a committee consisting of the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the President of the South Carolina Bar, the President of the Alumni Association, and the Dean of the Law School.

The LSAAB commends the high standards of these individuals whose conduct, competence and conscience reflect positively upon themselves, the legal profession, and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Walter F. Pratt, Jr., Dean of the School of Law, stated that, “Their example is worthy of emulation, and it is a privilege to honor them not only at this annual event, but year round.”