Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough is a southern gem—the firm is among the Top 20 firms in both Vault’s Best Law Firms in Atlanta and Best Law Firms in the South Atlantic. But its reach goes much further than the South Atlantic—the firm’s attorneys, policy advisors, technical specialists, consultants, and other professionals work in 16 states and 32 offices across the U.S., including the Carolinas, as well as in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, West Virginia, Colorado, and the District of Columbia. 

A Family Firm Blossoms and Booms

Nelson Mullins was founded in 1897 by Patrick Henry Nelson II in his home state of South Carolina. Nelson was a major player in the South Carolina legal industry, including serving as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and President of the South Carolina Bar Association. The firm stayed in the family for decades, run by Nelson’s son and then grandson until the 1960s. The 1970s saw the beginning of the firm’s growth and expansion, from 18 attorneys in 1978 to more than 200 by the early 2000s. Today, the firm is home to more than 750 lawyers and is among The American Lawyer’s 100 largest law firms by gross revenue. 

Practice Areas Abound

The firm practices in more than 100 practice areas, including banking and financial services, corporate and securities, cybersecurity, employment, estate planning, health care, insurance, litigation, technology, white collar, and more. Around a quarter of the firm’s attorneys focus on corporate work, serving clients that range from startups and family businesses to private equity funds and venture capital funds to large companies and institutional investors—and everything in between. The firm works on around 150 private equity, venture capital, and angel financing transactions each year, with total aggregate deal values reaching into the billions annually.

On the litigation side, the firm has broad experience, including in such areas as antitrust, appellate, asbestos, bankruptcy, class action litigation, commercial litigation and business torts, IP, products liability, professional liability, toxic torts, and white-collar defense. With its Encompass division, the firm offers comprehensive e-discovery services to clients, maximizing the firm’s efficiency. The firm also prides itself in its alternative dispute resolution experience, including in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies and arbitration panels.

Promoting Pro Bono

Pro bono is ingrained in the culture of Nelson Mullins. Since 1990, the firm’s lawyers have contributed more than 813,000 hours to pro bono clients. Attorneys have access to a firmwide pro bono administrator, who provides a diverse range of opportunities, including those regarding domestic violence, estate planning, guardianship, legislative reform, nonprofits, prisoners’ rights, and special education. Lawyers can also participate in pro bono clinics, like the Lawyers 4 Vets program, which offers counsel to law-income vets on various matters.