Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts
Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts



Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys - General Defense


211 King Street, Suite 300, Charleston, South Carolina 29401

Mailing Address: P.O. Drawer H, Charleston, SC 29402

Established: 1938

Practice Areas

  • Accountant Malpractice
  • Accountants and Attorneys Liability
  • Admiralty and Maritime Law
  • Advertising Injury
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Appellate Practice
  • Arbitration
  • Architects and Engineers
  • Asbestos Litigation
  • Bad Faith
  • Business and Real Estate Transactions
  • Business Law
  • Business Litigation
  • Business Transactions
  • Civil Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Complex Litigation
  • Construction Law
  • Copyright and Trademark Law
  • Directors and Officers Liability
  • Dram Shop Liability
  • Employment Law
  • Engineering and Construction
  • Governmental Defense
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Insurance Defense
  • Legal Malpractice
  • Liquor Liability
  • Maritime Law
  • Mediation
  • Medical Devices
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Nursing Home Defense
  • Nursing Home Liability
  • Nursing Home Litigation
  • Patent Infringement Litigation
  • Personal Injury
  • Premises Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • Professional Malpractice
  • Retail Liability
  • Subrogation
  • Toxic Torts
  • Trial and Appellate Practice
  • Trucking
  • Trucking Industry Defense
  • Trucking Law
  • Trucking Liability
  • Trucking Litigation
  • Workers' Compensation


About Us

Established in Charleston in 1938, Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms, LLC, serves and counsels businesses and professionals in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and beyond. Widely respected for their work in complex litigation matters, the firm's members and associates focus on the areas of insurance coverage, insurance defense, business litigation, professional malpractice defense, construction law, business law and products liability defense. In addition to their legal educations, many of the attorneys and staff have degrees in complementary fields, including business management, engineering, accounting, and chemistry.

The firm is frequently called upon to handle very complex litigation, often involving many parties, complex legal issues and high dollar amounts. The firm's attorneys have been admitted to practice in both state and federal courts at trial and appellate levels.


Additional Locations


Client Information

Insurance Clients

Non-Insurance Clients

  • Circle K Stores, Inc., a division of Tosco Corp.
  • The Citadel Military College of South Carolina
  • Elite Resort Group
  • Historic Charleston Foundation
  • Home Depot USA, Inc.
  • Medical University of South Carolina

Personnel Information

Members of the Firm


M. Dawes Cooke, Jr.

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 1979
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court
Memberships:
  • American and Charleston (Past President) Bar Associations
  • South Carolina Bar (President, 2018-2019)
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • American Inns of Court
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
Certifications:
  • Certified Mediator
Education:
  • University of Virginia, B.A. (with high distinction), 1976
  • University of South Carolina, J.D. (cum laude), 1979
Honors:
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Hon. D.L., 1993

Randell C. Stoney, Jr.

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 1980
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Additional Biographical Details:

Assistant Solicitor, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Charleston Office, 1981-1983; Deputy Solicitor, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Berkeley County, South Carolina, 1983-1986

Memberships:
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Charleston County (Past President) and Berkeley County Bar Associations
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Defense Research Institute
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
Certifications:
  • Certified Mediator
Education:
  • College of Charleston, B.A., 1974
  • Campbell University, J.D., 1980

Phillip S. Ferderigos

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 1999
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
Memberships:
  • American and Charleston County Bar Associations
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Defense Research Institute
Certifications:
  • Certified Mediator
Education:
  • College of Charleston, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1996
  • University of South Carolina, J.D., 1999

David S. Cox

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 1993
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Memberships:
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Charleston County Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute (Product Liability Section)
  • Product Liability Advisory Council
  • Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Charleston
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
Education:
  • Tulane University, B.A. (cum laude), 1990
  • Duke Law School, J.D., 1993

Jeremy Bowers

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2006
Memberships:
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Charleston and Beaufort County Bar Associations
Education:
  • The Ohio State University, B.S./M.S., 2003
  • University of South Carolina, J.D., 2006

Barbara J. Wagner

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2007
Additional Biographical Details:

Holder of 20 U.S. and numerous foreign patents

Memberships:
  • American and Charleston County Bar Associations
  • South Carolina Bar
  • American Chemical Society
Education:
  • Indiana University, B.S. (with honors), 1984
  • University of California, Davis, Ph.D., 1989
  • University of Charleston, J.D. (magna cum laude), 2007
Law Review:
Charleston Law Review; Maritime Law Bulletin

Scott Wallinger

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 1993
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court
Memberships:
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
  • Defense Research Institute
Certifications:
  • Certified mediator
Education:
  • Clemson University, B.S., 1989
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1992

D. Summers Clarke II

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2007
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 2008
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2009
Memberships:
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Charleston County Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
  • Professional Liability Underwriting Society
Education:
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.S.B.A., 2004
  • University of South Carolina, J.D., 2007

John William Fletcher

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • Pennsylvania, 1997
  • South Carolina, 2004
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, 1997
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 1998
Memberships:
  • South Carolina Bar
Education:
  • Grove City College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1994
  • University of Pittsburgh, J.D. (magna cum laude), 1997

Marvin Infinger

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 1977
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal, Fourth and Fifth Circuits
  • U.S. Supreme Court
Memberships:
  • American (Litigation Section) and Charleston County Bar Associations
  • South Carolina Bar (Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section)
  • American College of Trial Lawyers
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute
Education:
  • University of South Carolina, B.A. (cum laude), 1974
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1977

Managing Member


Kenneth Michael Barfield

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2001
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 2002
Memberships:
  • American and Charleston County Bar Associations
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Defense Research Institute
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
Education:
  • Furman University, B.A., 1997
  • University of South Carolina, J.D., 2001

Special Counsel


Justin P. Novak

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2010
Memberships:
  • Federal and Charleston County Bar Associations
  • South Carolina Bar
Certifications:
  • South Carolina Certified Mediator
Education:
  • Washington and Lee University, B.A.C., 2003
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 2010

Associate Attorneys


Christopher Kovach

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • Ohio (Inactive), 1995
  • South Carolina, 2010
  • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
  • U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Education:
  • Ohio University, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1992
  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., 1995

Mary K. Linton

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2016
Education:
  • College of Charleston, B.S., 2012
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 2016

Allie M. Burns

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2021
Education:
  • University of South Carolina, B.A., 2018
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 2021

Alexa L. Morris

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • Georgia, 2013
  • South Carolina, 2022
Education:
  • Furman University, B.A., 2010
  • New England Law | Boston, J.D., 2013

G. Hudson Worthy

Charleston, SC

Admitted
  • South Carolina, 2022
Education:
  • Sewanee, The University of the South, B.A., 2016
  • Charleston School of Law, J.D., 2021

Articles

Member Spotlight-BWPH 2019


Barnwell Whaley Opens North Carolina office


Service Areas

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA 69 miles

Columbia, South Carolina, USA 114 miles

Florence, South Carolina, USA 135 miles

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA 114 miles

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA 98 miles

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