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Rachel Atkin Hedley
Partner
Meridian
1320 Main Street
17th Floor
Columbia, SC 29201
1320 Main Street
17th Floor
Columbia, SC 29201
rachel.hedley@nelsonmullins.com
Rachel leads the firm’s national briefing practice and is regularly engaged to develop and execute on legal defense strategies in a wide variety of matters, including products liability, toxic and mass torts, environmental litigation, employment litigation, multi-district and class action litigation, and complex commercial litigation. She has been the primary author of more than five...
Rachel leads the firm’s national briefing practice and is regularly engaged to develop and execute on legal defense strategies in a wide variety of matters, including products liability, toxic and mass torts, environmental litigation, employment litigation, multi-district and class action litigation, and complex commercial litigation. She has been the primary author of more than five hundred legal briefs and regularly appears before state and federal courts in varied jurisdictions to argue dispositive motions and complex legal issues.
hundred legal briefs and regularly appears before state and federal courts in varied jurisdictions to argue dispositive motions and complex legal issues.
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.
Experience
- Lead trial and appellate counsel responsible for developing and executing on successful personal jurisdiction defense strategy in nationwide products liability litigation for foreign manufacturer
- Lead appellate counsel for national restaurant group in case involving claims of misappropriation of trade secrets by departing high level employees
- Co-counsel on national briefing team responsible for successful summary judgment strategy in multi-district products liability litigation on behalf of pharmaceutical company
- Lead brief writer responsible for expert and pre-and post-trial briefing in large scale contract dispute over custom computer software implementation
- Lead brief writer responsible for successful appellate strategy and briefing in historic school funding litigation
- Lead brief writer responsible for developing and executing on successful summary judgment strategy in nationwide products liability litigation for manufacturer of chemical component of household consumer product
- Has appeared pro hac vice in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington
- Has been lead counsel on appeals before state and federal appellate courts in California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Washington
Previous Professional Experience
- Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing at the University of South Carolina School of Law
- Associate practicing in the areas of commercial and intellectual property litigation in the New York office of Baker & Botts, L.L.P. (1997-1999)
Education
- New York University School of Law (1996)
- Princeton University, AB, Philosophy (1993)
Admissions
- South Carolina
- New York
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Clerkships
- Law Clerk, the Honorable Roslyn O. Silver, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona (1996 - 1997)
Practice Areas
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.
Experience
- Lead trial and appellate counsel responsible for developing and executing on successful personal jurisdiction defense strategy in nationwide products liability litigation for foreign manufacturer
- Lead appellate counsel for national restaurant group in case involving claims of misappropriation of trade secrets by departing high level employees
- Co-counsel on national briefing team responsible for successful summary judgment strategy in multi-district products liability litigation on behalf of pharmaceutical company
- Lead brief writer responsible for expert and pre-and post-trial briefing in large scale contract dispute over custom computer software implementation
- Lead brief writer responsible for successful appellate strategy and briefing in historic school funding litigation
- Lead brief writer responsible for developing and executing on successful summary judgment strategy in nationwide products liability litigation for manufacturer of chemical component of household consumer product
- Has appeared pro hac vice in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington
- Has been lead counsel on appeals before state and federal appellate courts in California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Washington
Previous Professional Experience
- Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing at the University of South Carolina School of Law
- Associate practicing in the areas of commercial and intellectual property litigation in the New York office of Baker & Botts, L.L.P. (1997-1999)
Media
Recognitions
The bar rules of some states require that the standards for an attorney's inclusion in certain public accolades or recognitions be provided. When such accolades or recognitions are listed, a hyperlink is provided that leads to a description of the respective selection methodology.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2025-2026)
- Recipient, Claude M. Scarborough, Jr. Pro Bono Award (2017)
- The Legal 500 — United States: Dispute resolution: Product liability, mass tort, and class action — defense: Consumer Products (Including Tobacco) (2022)
Professional Activities
- Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing, University of South Carolina School of Law
- American Bar Association
- DRI- Voice of the Defense Bar
- SC Women Lawyers Association
- Military Subcommittee
Community
- Board Member, S.C. Council on the Holocaust (2020-present)
- Attorney Coach, mock trial team, Dent Middle School
- Mentoring Program, SC Bar Association (2016)
Rachel leads the firm’s national briefing practice and is regularly engaged to develop and execute on legal defense strategies in a wide variety of matters, including products liability, toxic and mass torts, environmental litigation, employment litigation, multi-district and class action litigation, and complex commercial litigation. She has been the primary author of more than five... hundred legal briefs and regularly appears before state and federal courts in varied jurisdictions to argue dispositive motions and complex legal issues.
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.Experience
- Lead trial and appellate counsel responsible for developing and executing on successful personal jurisdiction defense strategy in nationwide products liability litigation for foreign manufacturer
- Lead appellate counsel for national restaurant group in case involving claims of misappropriation of trade secrets by departing high level employees
- Co-counsel on national briefing team responsible for successful summary judgment strategy in multi-district products liability litigation on behalf of pharmaceutical company
- Lead brief writer responsible for expert and pre-and post-trial briefing in large scale contract dispute over custom computer software implementation
- Lead brief writer responsible for successful appellate strategy and briefing in historic school funding litigation
- Lead brief writer responsible for developing and executing on successful summary judgment strategy in nationwide products liability litigation for manufacturer of chemical component of household consumer product
- Has appeared pro hac vice in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington
- Has been lead counsel on appeals before state and federal appellate courts in California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Washington
Previous Professional Experience
- Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing at the University of South Carolina School of Law
- Associate practicing in the areas of commercial and intellectual property litigation in the New York office of Baker & Botts, L.L.P. (1997-1999)
Education
- New York University School of Law (1996)
- Princeton University, AB, Philosophy (1993)
Admissions
- South Carolina
- New York
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Clerkships
- Law Clerk, The Honorable Roslyn O. Silver, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona (1996 - 1997)
Practice Areas
- Products Liability - Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
- Commercial Litigation & Business Torts
- Products Liability - Consumer & Mechanical
- Class Action & Multi-Claim Litigation
- E-Discovery & Information Governance
Industries
The bar rules of some states require that the standards for an attorney's inclusion in certain public accolades or recognitions be provided. When such accolades or recognitions are listed, a hyperlink is provided that leads to a description of the respective selection methodology.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2025-2026)
- Recipient, Claude M. Scarborough, Jr. Pro Bono Award (2017)
- The Legal 500 — United States: Dispute resolution: Product liability, mass tort, and class action — defense: Consumer Products (Including Tobacco) (2022)
- Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing, University of South Carolina School of Law
- American Bar Association
- DRI- Voice of the Defense Bar
- SC Women Lawyers Association
- Military Subcommittee
- Board Member, S.C. Council on the Holocaust (2020-present)
- Attorney Coach, mock trial team, Dent Middle School
- Mentoring Program, SC Bar Association (2016)
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