°µÍø51

On Jan. 28 the °µÍø51 (°µÍø51) Board of Directors will present Pro Bono Service Awards to the Columbia office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP; a United States Bankruptcy Court chief judge; the South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association; and three South Carolina attorneys in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to equal justice.

The °µÍø51 Pro Bono Service Award Reception will take place at 5 p.m. at the Nelson Mullins law office in Charleston (151 Meeting Street). The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the °µÍø51 Board of Directors’ first quarterly meeting of the year.

Speakers at the event include George Cauthen, partner at Nelson Mullins; John G. Levi, Chairman of the °µÍø51 Board; Alice F. Paylor, Past President of the South Carolina Bar; Marie-Louise Ramsdale, President of the South Carolina Bar Foundation; and James J. Sandman, President of °µÍø51. 

Recipients of the Pro Bono Service Award are:

• Michael Charles Abbott, attorney and co-founder of Abbott, McKissick & Hopewell, LLC, in Florence, S.C., who has volunteered his legal expertise and time to South Carolina Legal Services (SCLS) for the past five years.
• Eddye L. Lane, Columbia, who has handled numerous pro bono loan closings and conducted outreach seminars on legal issues relating to Social Security, bankruptcy, and other consumer matters. 
• The Columbia office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, a law firm committed to providing pro bono service through a partnership with SCLS. Attorneys handle a variety of cases for low-income clients, including bankruptcy and landlord/tenant eviction issues. The firm has its own pro bono coordinator to support the extensive contributions Nelson Mullins attorneys make to clients referred by SCLS. 
• James H. Price, III, Greenville, who has been a supporter of SCLS since its formation in 2002. For the past three years he has participated in a weekly clinic at Triune Mercy Center for people seeking information and counseling for problems involving housing, employment, public benefits, and re-entering the community following incarceration.
• South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association, a statewide volunteer organization of bankruptcy attorneys whose members are dedicated to handling pro bono referrals. Over the past two years, 37 association members have taken 119 pro bono cases.
• The Honorable John E. Waites, Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina. He helped create a referral service matching pro se litigants to bankruptcy attorneys. Since its creation in 2008, the list has grown to include 50 attorneys.