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Cooke, Killough and Helms Honored as Best Lawyers in America

William Helms, a Barnwell Whaley attorney at law

December 14, 2009

Charleston, S.C. – M. Dawes Cooke, Jr., B.C. Killough and William C. Helms of Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms, LLC, have been selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Selection is based on a confidential and comprehensive peer-review survey completed by over 2.5 million attorneys in the country. Cooke was selected in the specialties of alternative dispute resolution, bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation and personal injury litigation. Killough was selected as for his practice in corporate law. Helms was selected in the specialty of personal injury litigation. In addition, Best Lawyers ranked Barnwell Whaley the number one law firm in Charleston for alternative dispute resolution.

M. Dawes Cooke, Jr., a Barnwell Whaley attorney at law Cooke, whose practice areas include alternative dispute resolution, medical malpractice, professional liability, products liability and commercial litigation, holds an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, chairman of South Carolina’s Commission on Judicial Independence and Impartiality, member of the Defense Research Institute, member of the Charleston County Defender Board of Directors, and member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC). Cooke also serves as vice president-legal of the East Cooper Community Outreach, as president of the East Cooper Breakfast Rotary Club, and as vice chairman of the Rotary District 7770 Gift of Life Board of Directors. He earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina (cum laude), where he served as clerk of court for the Society of Wig and Robe and as symposium editor for the University of South Carolina Law Review. In 1993, he received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from The Citadel.

B.C. Killough, a Charleston attorney at law B.C. Killough focuses his practice in the areas of commercial transactions and intellectual property – including patent litigation, licensing and prosecution, and trademark litigation and prosecution. His background in engineering and business facilitates his provision of services to technology related businesses. A native of Kentucky, Killough graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology and worked as an engineer for Cummins Engine Company before receiving his M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina. He is a licensed title insurance agent in South Carolina and an instrument rated private pilot. He holds an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, representing the highest level of professional excellence.

Helms, who also holds an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, focuses his practice in the areas of alternative dispute resolution, construction law, professional liability, products liability, probate, real estate, civil litigation, and insurance defense. He is a member of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association’s Executive Committee, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the International Association of Defense Counsel, and the Rotary Club of Charleston. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Preservation Society of Charleston and the Board of Trustees for Charleston Day School. Helms received his J.D. from Emory University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi, Order of the Coif and the Bryan Society.

Established in Charleston in 1938, Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms, LLC, serves and counsels businesses and professionals in the state of South Carolina and beyond. Widely respected for their work in complex litigation matters, the firm’s 16 members and associates focus on the areas of intellectual property, civil litigation defense, professional malpractice defense, construction law, business law and products liability defense.

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Firm backgrounder

Established in Charleston in 1938, Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms, LLC, serves and counsels businesses and professionals throughout South Carolina and beyond.

With over seven decades in business under the same banner, the firm is highly respected for its work in complex civil litigation in state and federal courts at both trial and appellate levels.

The firm’s 15 members and associates focus on intellectual property protection, civil litigation defense, professional malpractice defense, construction law, business law and products liability defense.

Barnwell Whaley is a full-service firm of seasoned lawyers supported by an experienced staff of paralegals, secretaries, medical and science professionals, engineers, chemists, law clerks, accounting and administrative personnel totaling 21 staff members. Though the firm may be considered “boutique” in size, the depth and diversity of its professional team allows it to handle complex civil litigation without the encumbrances and overhead of larger firms.

The firm serves and counsels businesses in Charleston, the Carolinas and throughout the country, and is engaged as counsel in several international matters involving intellectual property.

Sample clients include Sawgrass Technology, Maybank Industries Group, The Medical University of South Carolina, the S.C. State Ports Authority, The Citadel (including its defense in the landmark case attempting to admit women to the institution in 1995), Traveler’s Insurance, CNA Insurance, and Lloyds of London, among others.

One of the central practice areas for Barnwell Whaley is its insurance defense practice, which represents numerous insurance carriers and self-insured businesses in the state. The firm is frequently retained to defend insured individuals and businesses who have been sued in various types of negligence actions, including professional liability and malpractice, products liability, construction defects, vehicular accidents, premises liability and other insured risks.

The common thread that connects all of Barnwell Whaley’s practice areas is complexity. Barnwell Whaley’ attorneys have been described by their peers as "lawyers' lawyers." The firm is frequently called by other attorneys to help at trial and is often selected to handle the most difficult cases in a company’s portfolio.

Barnwell Whaley is dedicated to obtaining the best possible outcome for its clients. Often that means carefully and thoroughly preparing a case for trial and then trying the case to a decision. However, there are times when a thoughtfully negotiated settlement is the best interest of the client both emotionally and economically. In any case, the firm always puts the needs and best interests of its clients first.

Barnwell Whaley is located on Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C.

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