Employment and Labor Law Section

Memorial Scholarship Winner

Employment & Labor Law Section 2024 Memorial Scholarship Recipient, Bryce Pigeon (USC JFR School of Law) receiving his certificate (he also received a check for $1,000) from Section Chair, Cherie W. Blackburn.

Cherie W. Blackburn

The Employment & Labor Law Section would like to take this opportunity to thank Cherie W. Blackburn for her extraordinary dedication and leadership as Chair of the Section for the 2023-2024 Bar year.

Congratulations Donald Gist

Donald Gist with the Gist Law Firm, PA in Columbia has been named the Distinguished Lawyer of 2024 by the South Carolina Bar Employment & Labor Law Section. Mr. Gist was recognized at the Section Midyear meeting that was held on May 10th, in Columbia.

Nominations for 2024-25

Not less than ten (10) members of this Section, in good standing, may file, by mail, with the Chair of this Section a nominating petition making nominations for one or more of the offices to be filled in the ensuing year. The petition shall contain the signatures and printed names and addresses of the Section members making the nominations as well as the written consent to serve if elected of any person so nominated.  Such a petition must be duly filed with the Chair of the Section not later than September 18^th otherwise, the petition may be properly disregarded as a nominating device. Nominations will be closed on September 19^th.  

The following nominations have been made for the 2024-2025 Employment & Labor Law Section Council:  The proposed slate will be voted on at the Section Annual Meeting scheduled at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, October 28^th, at the Charleston Marriott, in Charleston, SC, in conjunction with the NC/SC Joint Conference.

Officers
Chair: Janet E. Rhodes
Chair-Elect: Melissa F. Spence
Vice Chair: Jack E. Cohoon
Secretary: Chandra A. Stallworth

Council Members
Section Delegate: Jennifer K. Dunlap
Immediate Past Chair: Cherie W. Blackburn      
CLE Coordinator: Samantha Albrecht                                                                                
CLE Co-Coordinator: Grant Burnette LeFever
Newsletter Coordinator: J. Paul Porter 

Committee Chairs 
Labor Mgmt Relations: Michael D. Carrouth 
EEO: Mary Katherine Littlejohn
Immigration Law: Bernhard W. Mueller
Membership: Julius “Jay” W. Babb, IV 
Occupational Safety & Health: D. Michael Henthorne
Specialization: J. Hagood Tighe
Distance Learning Education: Nekki Shutt 

Nominating petitions must be received no later than September 18^th, and should be sent to Tara G. Caine, SC Bar, Post Office Box 608, Columbia, SC 29202, or emailed to tcaine@scbar.org.

Section Information

This Section serves as a forum for all segments of the employment bar to review and comment on regulatory policy and procedure as well as legislative initiatives. Committees include: Equal Employment Opportunity Committee; Education Committee; Labor Management and Relations Committee; Specialization Committee; Membership Committee; and Occupational Safety/Health Committee.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Employment & Labor Law Section, please forward dues payment in the amount of $15 to: SC Bar, Attn: Tara G. Caine, P.O. Box 608, Columbia, SC 29202. Please make checks payable to the S.C. Bar and note in the memo portion Employ Dues.

Newsletter

The Employment & Labor Law Section is resurrecting its Section newsletter in the summer of 2024.

If you would like to have an article published in the Employment & Labor Law Newsletter, please send your submissions to tcaine@scbar.org and after July 1, 2024, submissions may be sent to J. Paul Porter at paul@cbphlaw.com. 

Newsletter Guidelines

Section Goals, FY2023-2024

Cherie W. Blackburn, Chair

1. Promote continuing legal education and professional development by:

• Conducting a Section CLE at the Bar Convention. The Section will request that this seminar be videotaped and offered for CLE credit later. 
• Conducting a Section Midyear Meeting in May, that offers Employment and Labor Law specialization credit. 
• Coordinating the NC/SC Joint Employment and Labor Law annual program.  This program will be videotaped and offered for CLE credit later. 
• Producing online CLEs and distance learning programs, including seeking volunteers from the Section to speak on topics that will be available for on-line CLE credit. 
• Informing members of significant developments in Employment and Labor Law, legislative updates, upcoming events, etc., through the Section newsletter, community platform, Bar Website, and various other social media.

2. Institute membership and participation initiatives by: 

• Offering one free year of membership to all new Bar members. 
• Providing a discount to Section members on the Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyers publication, and any additional updates.
• Honoring a Section member for their meritorious service to the Section and practice of law by, recognizing this individual at the Section Midyear with the Distinguished Lawyer of the Year award.  
• Activating the subcommittee structure, primarily by looking to the subcommittee chairs for assistance in identifying speakers for Employment and Labor Law-related continuing legal education programs.  
• Selecting a recipient for the Section Memorial Scholarship by honoring a rising third-year law student from the University of South Carolina School of Law or the Charleston School of Law who has interest in the practice of employment and labor law and who demonstrates leadership and academic potential. This recipient would be acknowledged at the Section Midyear meeting and would be presented with a check in the amount of $1,000.00.
• Identify ways to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Section and its leadership i.e., approaching law students, SC Women Lawyers Association, SC Black Lawyers Association, etc. regarding potential networking opportunities.

Employment and Labor Law Specialization