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On Jan. 28 the ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõ (LSC) 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 LSC 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 LSC 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 LSC 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 LSC. 

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.