Stephen G. Morrison is a partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. He is resident in the Firm’s Columbia office where he practices in the areas of technology law and litigation, business liability, product liability, and securities litigation.

Leadership and advocacy are the hallmarks of Mr. Morrison’s career. His leadership in the legal profession has been recognized by his election as president of the Defense Research Institute, a national organization for defense attorneys; his election as chairman of the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar; his election as president of Lawyers for Civil Justice, a national coalition of business and legal professional leaders working to improve the American civil justice system, and his election by his partners to key leadership roles within Nelson Mullins. Mr. Morrison is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee, a governing body of seven partners who oversee Firm standing committees, strategic initiatives and Firm operations. His previous managerial positions within the Firm include chairman of the Firm’s Litigation I Group, 2001-06; chairman of the Firm, 1996-97; chairman, Planning and Business Development Committee, 1992-93; member, Professional Quality Committee, 1985-86; and member, Management Committee, 1980-87.

Mr. Morrison’s courtroom advocacy is widely known. He has served as lead counsel in more than 20 states, has tried more than 240 cases to jury verdict, and has argued more than 60 appeals in the nation’s highest courts, including an argument before the United States Supreme Court. He also has participated in international chamber of commerce arbitrations in Europe.

Mr. Morrison has tried cases covered by Court TV, network and cable news, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and local media. He is regularly named to “Nation’s Best” lists published by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Who’s Who, and Technology’s Best. He has been named a pre-eminent lawyer by the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Morrison and the Firm are regularly selected as national, regional, and lead counsel by America’s Fortune 500 companies and by other leading global companies to manage difficult class actions, high profile commercial disputes, sensitive internal investigations, and challenging personal injury cases. A list of Mr. Morrison’s representative clients includes the American Red Cross, AT&T, BellSouth, ComSouth Bankshares Inc., Ford, Freightliner, General Motors, Hoffman-La Roche Inc., Honda North America, Inc., Isuzu Motors America, Inc., Kawasaki Motors, Mazda Motors of North America and Wal-Mart. Mr. Morrison’s professional leadership was recognized by the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, which awarded him the Robert Hemphill Award for lifetime achievement and service to the profession.

Committed to advancing legal education, Mr. Morrison, since 1982, has served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law where he teaches courses in legal writing and trial advocacy. He has participated on seminar faculties and presented speeches in 34 states and in multiple international venues. He has published numerous articles and essays, primarily in the fields of technology, advocacy, professionalism, evidence, and damages.

Mr. Morrison’s business leadership was recognized by his appointment as executive vice president, general counsel, chief administrative officer and secretary to Policy Management Systems Corporation, an international technology company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where he served for seven years until the sale of the company to Computer Sciences Corporation. His corporate responsibilities included leadership of several business areas, including Human Resources, where he chaired the company’s diversity and “Great Place to Work” initiatives; Marketing, where he led the branding and communications initiatives; Quality, where he led global process re-engineering and certification; Business Ethics and Conduct, where he led worldwide compliance and education; Law, where he was the Chief Legal Officer; and Corporate Governance, where he led the implementation of new governance structures and controls. His boardroom leadership has been recognized by his election to numerous PMSC domestic and international boards; his service on the board of directors of several technology companies, including the Trelys Venture Fund Board of Directors; and his election to the National Bank of South Carolina Board of Directors.

An advocate for the poor, his leadership includes service as chairman of the Richland County Public Defender Corporation Board. He also serves as co-lead counsel for South Carolina’s poorest and most isolated children in a legal action seeking to require the State of South Carolina to provide a constitutionally adequate educational opportunity to every child, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or geography. Mr. Morrison’s passionate advocacy for human rights and his leadership in insisting on equal educational opportunities for every child in South Carolina has been recognized by the United Black Fund of the Midlands, which awarded him the Judge Waites Waring Humanitarian Award and inducted him into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame, and by the National Urban League, which presented him an award for outstanding leadership in championing equal opportunity.

His community service, advocacy for the arts and humanities, and leadership in bringing people together has been recognized by his election to the chairmanship of the Columbia Urban League, the presidency of the Columbia Museum of Art, and the presidency of the Historic Columbia Foundation. The Columbia Urban League has honored Mr. Morrison and the Firm with the Virgil S. Sumner Corporate Responsibility Award. The Columbia Museum of Art has honored his advocacy for the visual arts with its prestigious Jack Craft Leadership Award. The Boy Scouts has honored his community-building leadership with its Distinguished Citizen Award. The Greater Columbia Community Relations Council named Mr. Morrison its Distinguished Citizen of the Year for his leadership in advocacy for human rights. The Historic Columbia Foundation honored Mr. Morrison with its “Innovative Leadership” award as an advocate for preservation and a champion of history. Mr. Morrison’s nonprofit work includes service on the boards of Benedict College, Central Carolina Community Foundation, Foundation for Columbia’s Future, Allen University, Homeworks, the South Carolina Humanities Council, the Richland-Lexington Cultural Council, and the Palmetto Health Foundation. Mr. Morrison currently chairs the United Way Campaign for his community.

Mr. Morrison received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan in 1971, a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 1975, and he completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1997. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, and Eleventh Circuits, and the U.S. District Court for the Districts of South Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Southern Ohio, Southern West Virginia, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Southern Alabama.