Nexsen Pruet Welcomes New Hires in Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina
Nexsen Pruet is pleased to announce the addition of six attorneys - Creston W. Brown, Mary A. Massalon and Erica H. Wells in Columbia, South Carolina and Brittany N. Clark, Lauren Deyo* and Kenneth "Toby" Whitmire in Greenville, South Carolina.
Further information on the new hires and their focus areas:
- Creston Brown, based in Columbia, South Carolina, is an Associate with the Litigation team.
Creston earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he graduated in the top three percent of his class. In law school, Creston proudly served as Editor-in-Chief of the South Carolina Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif, Order of the Wig and Robe and the John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court.
Before attending law school, Creston held numerous positions in Columbia companies working in Business Development and Sales. He worked on international projects and was responsible for strategic sales and growth. Creston also owned his own small business which manufactured and distributed products throughout the United States.
Creston was a clerk with the firm in 2018.
- Brittany Clark, based in Greenville, South Carolina, is an Associate with the Employment & Labor team.
Prior to joining Nexsen Pruet, Brittany practiced at a large international law firm in Washington D.C., where she focused on domestic and international business litigation, including class actions, securities litigation and arbitration proceedings. Before her time in Washington, Brittany served as law clerk to the Honorable Dennis W. Shedd of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She also served as law clerk to the Honorable Terry L. Wooten, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Brittany earned her law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she graduated first in her class. While in Columbia, she also served as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the South Carolina Law Review.
- Lauren Deyo*, based in Greenville, South Carolina, is an Associate with the Bankruptcy & Financial Services team.
Before joining Nexsen Pruet, Lauren worked as an in-house counsel and AVP for Fidelity National Title. There she handled negotiations, managed litigation in federal and state courts across the country and identified and analyzed title defects and escrow errors. Lauren also assessed and cured issues dealing with a wide variety of matters such as fraud, forgery, zoning and land use, easements, taxes, foreclosure and more.
Lauren attended Emory University School of Law, where she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant and coach and competitor on the Kaufman Securities Moot Court team. She also served as a Foreclosure Law Clerk for Rubin Lublin, LLC, reviewing titles and post sale deeds and conducting research on bankruptcy law and creditor and debtors rights.
*Ms. Deyo is not currently licensed to practice in the state of South Carolina.
- Mary Massalon, based in Columbia, South Carolina, is an Associate with the Real Estate & Environmental team.
During law school, Mary worked as a Law Clerk for the Judiciary Committee of the South Carolina House of Representatives, during which she performed legislative research and prepared summaries and briefings. Before law school, Mary worked as a media coordinator where she managed media placement and developed marketing strategies and as an executive administrative assistant.
Mary earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating cum laude. While earning her degree, Mary was a research assistant and served on the Symposium editorial staff for the South Carolina Law Review. She received a CALI award in Special Topics in Legislative Drafting.
Mary was a clerk with the firm in 2018.
- Erica Wells, based in Columbia, South Carolina, is an Associate with the Litigation team.
Erica earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was on the Dean's list and earned the CALI award in Fourth Circuit Practice. During law school, Erica served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Dennis W. Shedd, Circuit Court Judge for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and to the Honorable J. Michelle Childs, United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina. Erica returns to Nexsen Pruet after working as a Summer Associate and school-year clerk. During this time, she gained extensive experience in trial preparation, research and writing.
Before law school, Erica graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia.
Erica was a clerk with the firm in 2018.
- Toby Whitmire, based in Greenville, South Carolina, is an Associate with the Real Estate & Environmental team.
During law school, Toby worked for various law firms where he assisted with deposition and hearing preparation, and drafted discovery and pleading documents. Toby was also a participant in the University of South Carolina School of Law's Veterans Legal Clinic, where he served indigent veterans by providing pro bono legal services in a variety of civil matters.
Before attending law school, Toby worked as a corporate accountant for a multi-national engineering and construction firm.
Nexsen Pruet is an AM Law 200 Firm with more than 200 professionals in eight offices providing regional capabilities with international strengths.
About Maynard Nexsen
Maynard Nexsen is a full-service law firm with more than 550 attorneys in 24 offices from coast to coast across the United States. Maynard Nexsen formed in 2023 when two successful, client-centered firms combined to form a powerful national team. Maynard Nexsen’s list of clients spans a wide range of industry sectors and includes both public and private companies.
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