Anna Vilatte

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-343-3860
309-253-0237

Fax:

803-779-3423

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avilatte@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina Bar, 2023
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2023
    – Order of the Barristers
    – Moot Court
  • University of Illinois, B.A., History, 2019
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
  • Young Lawyers Division of the South Carolina Bar 
  • Richland County Bar Association

Before attending law school, Anna was a Court Advocate in her hometown of Peoria, Illinois where she helped domestic violence and sexual assault victims file Orders of Protection. This experience offered her the opportunity to attend court hearings on behalf of victims. Since relocating to South Carolina for law school, Anna met her fiancé who serves in the Air Force. In her free time, Anna enjoys spending time with her fiancé and their labradoodle, Winnie. 

Michal Kalwajtys

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-343-3872

Fax:

803-779-3423

Mkalwajtys@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina Bar, 2013
  • United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, 2014
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2015
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 2012
  • American Institute for Paralegal Studies, Paralegal Certificate, 2004
  • Nicolaus Copernicus University, Faculty of Law and Administration, Torun, Poland
    • Magister Prawa (Juris Doctor Equivalent), 2002
  • University of Cambridge, England, Board of Continuing Education, Diploma in an Introduction to English Law and the Law of the European Union, 2001
SUPPORT STAFF

Michal Kalwajtys joined Baker Ravenel & Bender following its merger with the firm of Dougall & Collins where he had practiced insurance defense for seven years.

Michal’s J.D. from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law is actually his second law degree. In 2002, he earned a law degree at a university in his native Poland.

Michal first visited the United States in the summer of 1997; he worked as a camp counselor in Pennsylvania. Michal returned to the same camp during the next three summers, eventually meeting there a counselor from Florida, who would become his wife. He immigrated to the United States after they married and he finished law school in Poland. Following the birth of his son in Columbia in 2010, and having become US citizen in 2016, Michal is now firmly rooted in South Carolina and proud to call it home.

Michal spends most of his free time playing guitar and violin. Since his high school days, he has been a rock and metal guitarist. Over nearly three decades, Michal has performed several hundred shows in dozens of venues throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and in and around his hometown of Torun, Poland. You can still see him perform from time to time with his heavy metal band “Bona Lisa.”

Susan Drake DuBose

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-799-9091
803-343-3868

Fax:

803-779-3423

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sdubose@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina, 1996
  • U.S. District Court District of South Carolina, 1997
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2000
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D. (Cum Laude), 1996
  • Carolina Legal Scholar
  • Order of the Coif
  • Order of the Wig and Robe
  • John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court
  • Student Works, Editor
  • South Carolina Law Review
  • University of Georgia, B.A. (Summa Cum Laude), English and Psychology, 1993
  • Phi Beta Kappa
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
  • Richland County Bar Association
  • South Carolina Bar Association
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
  • Chair, Children and Youth Committee at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (2009-2012)
  • Past Chair Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Vacation Bible School
HONORS AND AWARDS
  • 2016 Legal Elite of the Midlands – insurance law
SUPPORT STAFF
Susan joined the firm in 1996 and left in 2002 to focus on her family. Susan and her husband, Jones, have three children.  Susan returned to the firm in 2010 after her youngest child started school.  She is so thankful that the firm welcomed her back and has enjoyed returning to the practice of law.  Much of her free time is spent watching her children play soccer, baseball, and basketball. When not attending athletic events, her family enjoys spending time on the May River in Bluffton.  Susan is also an active member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Jay Bender

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-799-9091

Fax:

803-779-3423

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jbender@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina, 1975
  • U.S. District Court District of South Carolina, 1975
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • U.S. Supreme Court
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina J.D, 1975
  • University of South Carolina
  • B.A in Journalism, 1970
CERTIFICATION/SPECIALTIES
    • Certified Civil Mediator, State and Federal Courts
    • Certified Arbitrator
PEER RATING

Martindale Hubbell rated AV 5.0/5.0

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
    • Permanent member, Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference
    • Richland County Bar Association
    • South Carolina Bar
    • Richland County Planning Commission, Member, 1979-83; Chairman, 1981
    • South Carolina Occupational Health and Safety Review Board, Chairman, 1983 -1990
PUBLISHED WORKS
  • “Law Affecting South Carolina Newspapers”, SCPA Foundation, 1995
  • Legal Guide, S.C. Broadcasters, 1998
  • “Closed Doors and Closed Drawers: Public Access to Courtrooms and Court Records”, S.C. Lawyer,   Nov./Dec., 1994
  • “The Constitution and the Challenge to the Culture of Confidentiality”, S.C. Lawyer, May/June, 1995
  • “Restraints on Extrajudicial Comment: Who Can Say What, When and Where?”  S.C. Lawyer, May/June,   1999
  • “One Week That Changed the State”, S.C. Lawyer, Nov./Dec., 1999
  • “An Outbreak of Prior Restraint in the Palmetto State”, S.C. Lawyer, March 2012
HONORS AND AWARDS
  • Best Lawyers in America
  • Super Lawyer
SUPPORT STAFF

Jay Bender has built a national reputation as a lawyer for newspapers and broadcasters, and is regarded as South Carolina’s foremost authority on the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.  Bender represents the South Carolina Press Association, the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, and many of the members of those associations.  Since beginning his media law practice in 1975 Bender has appeared in a multitude of trial and appellate courts, both federal and state, to advocate press-related cases.  As a lobbyist for the South Carolina Press Association, Bender was instrumental in the adoption of amendments to strengthen the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act and the adoption of a reporter’s shield law.  Bender has also published two books on South Carolina media law.

Bender holds the Reid H. Montgomery Freedom of Information Chair at the University of South Carolina where he is a visiting professor in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies and a lecturer in the School of Law.  Bender teaches courses in the law and ethics of mass communication in both schools and a course on constitutional limitations on commercial speech regulation in the law school.  Bender’s students include undergraduates, law students and doctoral candidates.

In addition to his media law practice and his teaching Bender is a frequent speaker to press groups, lawyer organizations, judges and academic assemblies on access to courts, public records and meetings, and free speech issues.  Bender is quoted regularly by reporters commenting on free speech and access controversies ranging from a police department’s refusal to provide a crime report to the arrest of protesters on the state capitol grounds.

Bender has prepared summaries of South Carolina media-related law for the Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press and the Libel Defense Resource Center. He has also written on media law issues for the South Carolina Bar magazine, his most recent publication being “An Outbreak of Prior Restraint in the Palmetto State” in the March 2012 issue of South Carolina Lawyer.  Bender’s provocative speech on free speech at the inaugural  Columbia TEDx talks received a standing ovation.

Between 1975 and 2006 Bender was an attorney for the Catawba Indian Nation and participated in litigation and negotiations leading to the settlement of a land claim that arose in 1840.

Away from his professional career Bender has been active in community service having been a “radio reader” on the South Carolina Radio Network for the Blind for 30 years and a frequent platelet donor for the Red Cross.  In 2010 Bender received an award for service to journalism and the community from the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and previously was honored as an outstanding alumnus of that school.

Bender has been a vintage motorcycle racer (a reference to both the rider and his mount), a whitewater kayaker, marathoner and mountain climber.  Bender has ridden a motorcycle from Key West, Florida to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska and later to the “Four Corners” of the United States:  Key West, Florida, San Ysidro, California, Blaine, Washington, and Madawaska, Maine.  Bender’s more sedate hobby is collecting pueblo and Catawba pottery.

William (Chip) Collins, Jr.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-343-3870

Fax:

803-779-3423

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wcollins@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina Bar, 1995
  • United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, 1996
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 1997
  • Supreme Court of the United States of America, 1999
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1995
  • University of South Carolina (with Honors from South Carolina College), B.A., Political Science, 1992
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
  • Defense Research Institute
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
  • Board of Governors, Town Theatre
  • Elder, Spring Valley Presbyterian Church
  • South Carolina Shakespeare Company
SUPPORT STAFF

From the age of 10, Chip has been an actor, and he is still very active in the Columbia theatre community, having appeared in over 30 shows across many theatres in the Midlands.  Because of the nature of live theatre, where anything can happen (and often does), the ability to improvise and react in real time has benefitted him greatly during trials.

When not practicing law or treading the boards, Chip is a husband and the father of four rapidly growing children.  This also provides him an excuse to be an active member of the Gamecock Bourbon Society.

Catharine Garbee Griffin

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-799-9091
803-343-3863

Fax:

803-779-3423

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cgriffin@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina Bar, 1987
  • United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, 1987
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 1987
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law
  • J.D., 1987
  • Order of Wig and Robe
  • Dean’s List
  • University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
  • B.A. English, 1984
JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
  • Law Clerk 1988-1989, The Honorable Jean Hoefer Toal
PEER RATING
  • Martindale Hubbell rated AV 5.0/5.0
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
  • Richland County Bar Association
  • John Belton O’Neal Inn of Court (Past President)
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorney’s Association
  • Defense Research Institute
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
  • Volunteer, WA Perry After School Program
  • Liturgy Prep teacher, Trinity Episcopal Church
HONORS AND AWARDS
  • 2017 Bar Register Preeminent Attorney – Listed Lawyer
  • 2017 Top Attorneys in the Midlands
  • 2017 AV Preeminent Attorney
SUPPORT STAFF
“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare”

Juma/Kangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon Winner

Running and practicing law have a lot in common. After running a marathon a year for more than a decade – including seven Boston Marathons – Catharine has learned that running up hills allows you to relax on the other side; that running the tangents saves steps; that flat terrain can be boring; that various weather conditions — rain, cold, heat — offer some advantage; and that preparation is the key to finishing a race. All of these principles, absorbed during the miles spent on the road running to prepare for a marathon, equally apply to her daily practice as a litigator.

When not running or practicing law, Catharine enjoys the company of her three beautiful daughters, and she hopes to run a marathon with one of them before she is too old.

S. Markey Stubbs

AREAS OF PRACTICE

DIAL DIRECT NUMBERS

Phone:

803-799-9091
803-343-3864

Fax:

803-779-3423

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mstubbs@brblegal.com

ADMISSIONS
  • South Carolina Bar, 1986
  • U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, 1987
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 1987
EDUCATION
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1986
  • Clemson University, B.S., Administrative Management, 1983
CERTIFICATION/SPECIALTIES
  • Certified Court Mediator and Arbitrator
PEER RATING
  • Martindale Hubbell rated AV 5.0/5.0
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
  • Phi Alpha Delta
  • Richland County Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • South Carolina Council for Mediation and Arbitration
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
  • Board of Directors, former Chairman, Executive Board, PALSS (1999-2012)
  • Sponsor Torch Cabaret (2008-2017)
  • Sponsor Orange Party (2009-2012)
  • Community Impact Award – United Way – 2005
HONORS AND AWARDS
  • 2017 Bar Register Preeminent Attorney – Listed Lawyer
  • 2017 Top Attorneys in the Midlands
  • 2017 AV Preeminent Attorney
SUPPORT STAFF
A former gym rat and instructor at Gold’s Gym, Strong Hold, and YMCA, Markey is now content with weight training and a much reduced cycling schedule to Personally Fit and occasionally across town to the office.

Administrative Law

At Baker, Ravenel & Bender, our attorneys have appeared before various state, local and federal regulatory agencies across South Carolina on behalf of corporations and individuals. We have  addressed boards, commissions and departments on behalf of clients in a range of occupations and businesses.

Our attorneys have:

  • Represented South Carolina professionals such as teachers, insurance carriers and brokers in licensure issues that threaten both   their reputations and their livelihoods.
  • Helped businesses with zoning and land use ordinances .
  • Stood at the forefront of education innovation, representing charter schools involved in litigation with school districts.

Administrative law is about more than just knowing the agency or the topic, though. It is also about litigation skills, and we strive to handle our administrative law work with the same exacting detail and case management that we would devote to a court case. We stay in constant communication with clients, carefully outlining options at each stage of the case so that they can make informed decisions.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Mediation and arbitration are two forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution – ways to resolve cases without going before a judge or jury, often saving money and settling the case faster.

In mediation, a trained professional acts as a neutral facilitator, listening to both sides in a case and guiding them toward an agreement which the parties control rather than a judge or a jury. In arbitration, a neutral professional acts as a fact finder and rules on a case.

At Baker, Ravenel & Bender, our attorneys have vast experience and training in alternative dispute resolution and have helped many litigants achieve their objectives outside of the courtroom by participating in alternative dispute resolution before litigation commences and during the pendency of litigation.

In addition to representing clients at mediation or arbitration, Cravens Ravenel, Jay Bender and Markey Stubbs are certified South Carolina mediators. As experienced litigators who understand the challenges of complex and difficult cases, our attorneys who serve as mediators provide creative insight to help reach resolutions in cases.

Appellate Advocacy

As a part of one of the oldest litigation firms in South Carolina, the attorneys at  Baker, Ravenel & Bender realize that the verdict often is not the end of a case but instead the beginning of a very lengthy next step.

Our attorneys handle appeals as well as trial work, a combination that enhances their skills as trial lawyers as a case is tried to a jury and also for appellate review.    Baker, Ravenel & Bender often is called upon to handle appeals for other firms as well, stepping in either after the trial is over or as the case is being developed.

Our attorneys have appellate experience across all state and federal levels, up to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Our appellate lawyers include skilled researchers and polished advocates capable of presenting compelling arguments whether orally or in writing.

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