Soon after they purchased their current church building, the congregation of Wise Drive Church of the Nazarene in Sumter discovered that the roof of their Church sanctuary was structurally unsound and an inspecting engineer warned that the roof could collapse.

But last fall, Columbia partner Bill Latham and his family joined the happy congregation as they dedicated the new sanctuary, which included a new roof and structural reinforcements. Mr. Latham had represented the church in its three-year battle over who was responsible for repairing the church. After numerous fact witness and expert depositions, Mr. Latham and the defendants were able to reach a settlement under the terms of which the defendants paid for the extensive repairs to the church.

"Mr. Bill Latham has represented us for the last three years. I seriously question whether or not we would have reached this successful conclusion to this matter had it not been for his insight, guidance, wise counsel, and perseverance," said Edward L. Estep, District Superintendent of the S.C. District Church of the Nazarene.

Former associate Derrick Williams had initially taken on the case as fee paying matter. When Mr. Williams left the Firm six months later to accept an appointment by the Governor to become a Workers Compensation Commissioner, the litigation continued under Mr. Latham's watch.  When it soon became readily apparent that the Church could not afford to continue with the litigation, the Firm approved continuing the case on a pro bono basis.

"I believe Mr. Latham went far beyond the call of duty in assisting us in this matter. Numerous times he made trips to Sumter to meet with our church board there. He also represented us well through months of negotiations with the other parties who were involved in this matter. He was always responsive, always pressing forward, and always represented us in ways that benefited us," the Rev. Estep said.

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