First and foremost, Mr. Belcher is a trial lawyer. For more than 15 years, Mr. Belcher has focused his practice on litigation and trying cases to jury verdict. Through more than 100 jury trials, Mr. Belcher has developed winning strategies for trying cases.

Mr. Belcher focuses his practice in two major areas: Construction litigation and Professional Malpractice litigation.

Construction Litigation

Mr. Belcher devotes the majority of his practice to construction related disputes and litigation, including surety law, commercial and residential development law, complex construction litigation, and construction defect and construction-related product liability litigation. He has tried countless lawsuits to jury and non-jury verdicts and has obtained numerous defense verdicts on behalf of his clients in various types of construction, business, and insurance-driven lawsuits. He also has marked experience in forms of alternative dispute resolution including mediations, AAA arbitrations, and private arbitrations.

Mr. Belcher has represented construction sureties, general contractors, sub-contractors and owners in every aspect of the construction process. He routinely advises contractors and owners on risk allocation methods and contract forms to make the construction process run smoothly and to clearly set forth the parties’ expectations. In this capacity, he commonly counsels businesses on securing proper forms of insurance to include general liability coverage, builder’s risk coverage and securing adequate project-specific payment and performance bonds. During the construction process, he remains involved to address any payment and performance issues that may arise. To the extent that parties encounter performance issues and/or delay claims during and after the project, Mr. Belcher works to resolve these issues without the need for protracted litigation. He has assisted in the work-out and pre-suit resolution of numerous projects dealing with payment and performance construction claims.

National Insurance Coverage Practice

Mr. Belcher’s experience in construction litigation also includes the representation of insurance carriers in insurance coverage litigation and other property and casualty litigation. As co-leader of Hall Booth Smith’s National Insurance Practice team, Mr. Belcher routinely represents insurance carriers in property losses to commercial buildings, hotels, multi-family complexes and infrastructure. He assists insurance carriers in navigating the coverage issues and, when necessary, litigating coverage disputes.

Professional Malpractice Litigation

When Mr. Belcher joined Hall Booth Smith in 2011, he began to put his years of trial experience to work in Hall Booth Smith’s nationally renowned medical malpractice group. He has experience representing medical facilities, doctors and other medical professionals in claims of professional negligence. He has tried cases to jury verdict throughout South Carolina on behalf of medical professionals.In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. Belcher also frequently speaks to construction, insurance and business professionals on various legal topics including, but not limited to:

South Carolina Jury Verdicts and Trends: A Focus on Orangeburg and Allendale Counties, South Carolina Law Update
Presentation of North Carolina and South Carolina State Law Issues
What the Other Side is Thinking: Trends in Opening Arguments and Trial Strategy and South Carolina Jury Verdict Update
Joint and Several Liability in South Carolina and the Value of Contribution Claims in Construction Litigation
Managing the Schedule and Cost of Delays: A Discussion of Typical Contract Terms, Excusable v. Non-Excusable Delay, South Carolina’s Treatment of Delay Damages, and Liquidated Damages
Handling Change Orders: Contractual Clauses and Their Importance in Avoiding Disputes and Determining the Cost of Changes
Understanding Legal and Practical Consequences of Alternative Project Delivery Methods
Dealing with Concurrent Delay, a case study on the Concord & Cumberland Project
Charleston, School of Law Symposium: The role of the construction lawyer in construction projects

While in college, Mr. Belcher was a member of the Hampden-Sydney College Honor Court, Sophomore Chair of the College Activities Committee, and a 3-Year lettermen on an NCAA college football team. During law school, he was a member of the West Virginia Law Review, was Associate Justice of West Virginia University College of Law Moot Court Bar, received the “book” award in Complex Commercial Drafting, and was a participant in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. He received his law degree with a concentration in commercial business matters.