Karen B. Manning

After starting her career as a litigator in complex commercial and medical device litigation at Nelson Mullins, Karen served as Chief Legal Counsel for the South Carolina Department of Commerce for nearly three decades. She was responsible for overseeing and advising on all legal matters related to economic development or the agency generally, including discretionary... grants and state and local government tax incentives, reviewing collective bargaining agreements of prospective companies, strategic initiatives and services to support existing businesses and industrial growth across South Carolina, government relations, state and federal legislation affecting the agency or its mission, government contracts, ethics, and freedom of Information.

In her former position, Karen played a key role in most, if not all, of the largest economic development deals announced in South Carolina over the last 28 years. With her extensive experience at the legal helm of the lead government entity supporting economic development in South Carolina, Karen provides a valuable perspective on the public accountability needs of state and local government that can benefit a company in negotiations for tax and economic development incentives and facilitate a company’s effort to build relationships where the company wants to locate and grow.

Experience

The following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.

Education

• University of South Carolina School of Law, JD (1993)
  
  • Associate Editor in Chief, ABA Real Property, Probate & Trust Journal
• University of Virginia, BA, English and Literature (1987)

Admissions

• South Carolina

Practice Areas

• Economic Development
• General Counsel Services
• Government Contracts & Grants
• State & Local Government Relations
• Employment & Labor

Industries

• Manufacturing