William S. Brown is a litigation partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP who practices in Greenville, primarily in the areas of business litigation, product liability, general liability, and ERISA. He is team leader for the Greenville litigation team.

Mr. Brown is a member of the South Carolina Bar and its Practice and Procedure Committee, serving on the Committee since 1998 and as Committee Chairman from 2006-2008. In addition to the courts of the State of South Carolina, Mr. Brown is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States of America, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Prior to joining Nelson Mullins, he served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr. of South Carolina

Litigation Practice

Mr. Brown has handled claims of product liability, ERISA, business torts, transportation law, lender liability, trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair trade practices, antitrust, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, premises liability, general negligence, professional negligence, and intellectual property litigation.

Mr. Brown has extensive experience in state and federal courts, as well as in matters administered through the American Arbitration Association. He has handled litigation for clients on regional and national bases. He has experience handling and managing cases in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. He has also handled national class action litigation in business and ERISA matters.

Trial Experience

Mr. Brown is no stranger to the courtroom. When a trial is needed, Mr. Brown has the skills and experience needed. He has tried to verdict more than 50 cases. A few examples of the trial victories won by Mr. Brown are:

• trade secret and business tort case seeking more than $30 million
• unfair trade practices claim seeking $3 million
• litigation to protect a group of patents necessary for the client’s continued existence
• product liability claim regarding the amputation of an arm by a power tool
• identity theft and bank fraud cases
• dispute regarding rights to the design for an upgrade to US military aircraft in which is excess of $100 million cases at issue
• product liability wrongful death case regarding a motorcycle accident
• product liability wrongful death of a 16-year-old girl regarding a trailer hitch

Mr. Brown has also achieved significant client victories through motions to dismiss and summary judgment. Knowing when to pursue a motion to dispose of a case is a vital component of proper case management used by Mr. Brown.

Through his case management and trial experience, Mr. Brown has developed knowledge regarding many industries including trucking, power tools, banking and finance, automotive, aircraft and airlines, construction equipment, industrial equipment, insurance, employee benefits, home appliances, healthcare, food manufacture and service, textiles, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

Civic and Bar Leadership

Mr. Brown has been elected a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).  He is also a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Mr. Brown is a member the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute (Product Liability Committee), the Product Liability and Transportation practice groups of the American Law Firm Association, and the Greenville Bar Association. 

Mr. Brown is a member of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, including being on its Executive Board since 2006. He has served as faculty for the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association’s Trial Academy to teach trial skills to younger lawyers numerous occasions and as chair in charge of this Trial Academy twice.

Mr. Brown is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, S.C.

Education and Firm Leadership

Mr. Brown is team leader for the Greenville litigation team, overseeing a team of more than 25 people. He is a member of the Firm’s Associates Committee charged with training and supervision of all Firm associates, having served on the committee for more than 12 years.  Mr. Brown has also served on the Firm’s Operations Committee.

Mr. Brown earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991 and a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Wofford College in 1988.