Nexsen Pruet Elects Nine New Members

Columbia, SC — Nexsen Pruet announced that J. David Black, Amy Harmon Geddes, Stephen P. Groves, Sr., Gregory T. Higgins, Joseph M. Kahn, Christopher A. Ogiba, Brian T. Price, J. Frederick Reames, III, and Jeffrey S. Tibbals have been elected Members (partners) of the firm.

“We are pleased to add these attorneys to our Membership,” said Leighton Lord, board chairman of Nexsen Pruet.  “They have worked hard to serve our clients and contribute to their communities.  We are proud to hold them out as the future of our firm.”

J. David Black (Columbia) David Black practices in the areas of complex civil litigation, commercial litigation, software litigation, intellectual property, and procurement.  He also has broad experience in electric-utility law, including electric-service rights, eminent domain, territorial assignment disputes, and all aspects of litigation, regulation, and counseling, with an emphasis on cooperative organizations. Black earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before joining Nexsen Pruet, he served as law clerk to the Honorable Kenneth G. Goode of the Sixth Judicial Circuit.

Amy Harmon Geddes (Columbia) Amy Geddes practices in the areas of tort litigation, commercial litigation, and business litigation, with an emphasis on products liability and bad faith insurance claims.  She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, graduating from the South Carolina Honors College, and her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  Geddes served as law clerk to the Honorable Alexander S. Macaulay of the Tenth Judicial Circuit before joining Nexsen Pruet.

Stephen P. Groves, Sr. (Charleston) Stephen Groves practices in the Litigation and Insurance Groups, where he works in commercial litigation, appellate practice, and international law. Groves earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He has served on the editorial board of the South Carolina Lawyer and as a contributor to South Carolina Jurisprudence. Groves also has served as a contributor or contributing editor to the South Carolina Civil Procedure and The Law of Domestic Relations in South Carolina, and the ABA TIPS’ Property Insurance Law Committee’s Annotations to the Standard Fire and Homeowners Insurance Policy and Property Insurance Issues in Catastrophe Losses.

Gregory T. Higgins (Greensboro) Greg Higgins practices in the areas of construction law and commercial litigation. He represents owners, design professionals, subcontractors, suppliers, sureties, and insurers on various projects across the country. These include highways and bridges, high-rise commercial structures, hotels, malls, churches, and water and sewer plants. Higgins earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. He is a member of the Construction Law Council for the North Carolina Bar Association’s Construction Law Section and has been an editor of the organization’s newsletter, Change Order.

Joseph M. Kahn (Greensboro) Joe Kahn is an attorney with the health care group. His experience includes fraud and abuse matters, hospital/physician relationships and joint ventures, contract negotiations, managed care issues, and litigation. Kahn earned his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  He is a member of the Advisory Opinion Task Force for the American Health Lawyers Association’s Fraud and Abuse Practice Group. Additionally, he is an editor for Prognosis, the health care newsletter published by the Health Law section of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys.

Christopher A. Ogiba (Charleston) Chris Ogiba's practice focuses on commercial and construction litigation. He also has experience in litigating contract, real estate, First Amendment, personal injury, business disputes and dissolution, POA, insurance coverage, and UCC warranty cases. He earned his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and his law degree, with honors, from the Cornell Law School.  Mr. Ogiba has served as an adjunct professor at The Citadel, where he taught Law and the Legal Process.  Mr. Ogiba also serves as President of the Creek Point Civic Association and is a member of the Charleston Contractors Association.

Brian T. Price (Greenville) Brian Price practices in the corporate and commercial finance groups. His experience includes corporate law, startups, and banking and finance. He earned his undergraduate degree Wake Forest University and a joint law degree / M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the Greenville County Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar, and Leadership Greenville.

J. Frederick Reames III (Columbia) Rick Reames practices in the areas of taxation, trust and estate planning and administration, and general business law. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wofford College, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Reames also earned an L.L.M. degree in taxation from New York University School of Law.

Jeffrey S. Tibbals (Charleston) Jeff Tibbals concentrates his practice in the area of real estate litigation. His experience includes a broad range of real property litigation, class action litigation, and other complex tort and contract litigation. Tibbals earned his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and his law degree, cum laude, from Tulane University.  Tibbals is a member of the Board of Trustees of Charleston Stage Company, Inc. and chairs the firm's Pro Bono Committee.

Nexsen Pruet, LLC is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas, with more than 170 attorneys and offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C.  Founded in 1945, Nexsen Pruet provides a broad range of legal services to the business community and represents companies and other entities in local, state, national, and international venues.