M. Dawes Cooke, Jr.

Ken Harrell joined Joye Law Firm in 1994 and became a managing partner in 2006. With 30 years of experience, he protects the rights of injured South Carolinians, including cases involving workers’ compensation, car accidents, and defective products. Ken also heads up the firm’s pharmaceutical and medical device litigation group.

Marlon Kimpson represents victims of corporate malfeasance, from investors in securities fraud cases to consumers harmed by large data and privacy breaches, as well as people injured or killed in catastrophic incidents. Building upon the firm’s relationships with unions and governmental entities, Marlon represents individuals, state and municipality pension funds, multi-employer plans, unions and other institutional investors in securities fraud class actions and in mergers and acquisit...

Manning Unger, co-managing member of the firm’s Charleston office, practices in the areas of business, mergers and acquisitions, securities, financial services, economic incentives, and commercial real estate law. Equipped with an MBA and a law degree, Manning has a passion for helping his clients with business deals and diving into the details to better advise them. His work consists of providing advice structuring, negotiating, documenting, and closing deals, as well as acting as a co...

Professional Experience Nathan Crystal is a scholar and a practicing attorney. He has advised individuals and entities, including major law firms, on matters of contract law and professional ethics and has lectured throughout the world on these subjects. He frequently serves as expert witness or consultant in multimillion dollar cases. Nathan Crystal is a Class of 1969 Professor Emeritus of Professional Responsibility and Contract Law, University of South Carolina. He taught for 34 years at t...

I am an attorney in Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP Charleston office, where I focus my practice on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. If there’s one word you can use to describe my approach to developing legal strategies it would have to be pragmatic. My clients benefit from a real-world understanding of financial issues backed by logical plans for resolving tough and complex fiscal situations. With a practice that spans nearly three decades, I have extensive ...

A veteran litigator with strong roots in complex litigation, Fred Baker has worked on a broad range of environmental, medical costs recovery, consumer and products liability cases and holds numerous leadership roles within the firm. Fred represents individuals, institutional investors, and governmental entities in a wide variety of cases. He leads the firm’s tobacco litigation, and was a member of the legal team that litigated the groundbreaking tobacco litigation on behalf of several S...

Cheryl H. Ledbetter is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Cheryl H., who practices law in Charleston, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Cheryl H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ryan attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. He received his law degree from the Charleston School of Law, where he co-founded the Charleston School of Law Business Society. He was also a member of the Charleston School of Law’s Honor Council and its Moot Court Team. Ryan has been listed as a Rising Star Super Lawyer from 2016 to the present. He has enjoyed a 10.0 Avvo Rating since 2017 and was honored with the Avvo Cl...

A Charleston native, Jim returned to his beloved hometown after practicing at two firms ranked in American Lawyer’s top 50 list. Jim leads the firm’s business law practice. He works regularly with corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships on shareholder buy-outs, private securities offerings , and business purchase and sale agreements , including business succession issues. His practice areas include: Securities and Private Equity Corporate Transactions Business ...

Doug Muller brings considerable experience in federal and state courts, both at the trial and appellate levels. His maritime clients benefit from the professional judgment he has gained over 20 years as an admiralty lawyer and litigator. For his maritime clients, Doug often works with tight deadlines and on very short notice to respond around the clock to those with urgent needs. His broad-based knowledge informs his general maritime practice, in which he represents ship owners, vessel charte...