MEET RICHARD

Richard has achieved newsworthy results at both the trial and appellate levels, including cases that hold institutional and government actors to account and set important legal precedent.**

• Most recently, he secured a settlement exceeding $2 million and a precedent-setting victory in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in civil rights litigation arising from a fatal carbon monoxide exposure at the Allen Benedict Court Apartments, a public housing complex in Columbia, South Carolina, that killed two residents. The case brought accountability to the government public housing authority for these preventable deaths and helped establish that public housing agencies must place resident safety ahead of bureaucracy, neglect, and indifference. Richard said publicly after the case:

“Out of the death of Calvin Witherspoon is going to come positive change. Public housing authorities here in South Carolina — especially here in Columbia — and across the country are now on notice: they must put public safety first.” 

Story: https://tinyurl.com/3mydcpax

Settlement:https://tinyurl.com/c8ncr54v

• Richard has also led the fight for accountability in a high-profile wrongful death case arising from a devastating Mother’s Day 2022 crash, when a Charleston County deputy—racing to a non-emergency stalled-vehicle call without lights or sirens—struck and killed a mother and her two daughters. The case seeks to hold law enforcement to account when government power is exercised without proper safeguards, and when preventable choices, unsafe policies, and disregard for public safety cause catastrophic loss to innocent families.

Story & Press Conference: https://tinyurl.com/mvv8wevb

• At the U.S Supreme Court he just successfully obtained a grant of certiorari, vacatur, and remand in Williams v. Charleston Cnty. Sheriff’s Office, No. 25-640, 2026 U.S. LEXIS 1486 (Mar. 23, 2026). The decision vacates a grant of immunity to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office as to civil rights claims brought from that Mother's Day crash and will bring much-needed accountability to all Sheriff's Departments across South Carolina.  The case was just remanded back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for further proceedings.

Story: https://tinyurl.com/2crt9d8p

SCOTUS Opinion: https://tinyurl.com/4mbprsh4

• Richard's work goes beyond individual injury cases to public-impact litigation that helps protect the rights of all South Carolinians. In October 2024, he obtained emergency relief for all citizens, extending South Carolina’s voter-registration deadlines by 10 days due to impacts of Hurricane Helene.  Richard publicly stated after the ruling:

 “This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s an issue of the public good and ensuring the right to vote is protected for everyone.”  

Story: https://tinyurl.com/yhrms83v

• Richard’s work has drawn significant media attention because his cases often involve issues of public safety, government accountability, civil rights, and institutional responsibility. He has appeared on television and in other media as a legal commentator, providing insight on a variety of legal issues.

 In addition to his trial and appellate practice, Richard has taught law students and lawyers, bringing more than 30 years of courtroom experience into the classroom. His teaching reflects the same principles that guide his practice: preparation, persuasion, accountability, and the disciplined use of law to protect people from preventable harm. 

• Richard serves as adjunct faculty at both William & Mary Law School (alma mater ’93) and Charleston School of Law, where he teaches Constitutional Civil Rights Litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, with a focus on integrating constitutional doctrine with trial and appellate advocacy in complex litigation. 

• He previously served on the faculty of Charleston Southern University, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Constitutional Law and Criminal Justice to police officers, correction professionals, and other criminal justice students.

• A frequent speaker and presenter on constitutional issues, civil rights litigation, and legal strategy, Richard has presented at Continuing Legal Education programs hosted by the South Carolina Association for Justice, and has also served as a panelist at both William & Mary Law School and Charleston School of Law.