Although not South Carolina’s largest city, Greenville and its environs certainly reflect the changing South. The historic textile capital’s population has grown by more than 30 percent since the turn of the century as manufacturing, banking, venture capital and a vibrant startup community expanded. "The Upstate" region is now home to some 250 international firms, including BMW Manufacturing Corp., Michelin North America Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Kyocera Corp.
"Banking, securities, mergers/acquisitions, tax, immigration, intellectual property, employment and general corporate work are all on the rise," said Timothy Madden, managing partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s Greenville office. Meanwhile, the recession "turned out many law school graduates who became solo practitioners, thereby increasing competition among general-practice attorneys." Phyllis Burkhard, director of career services at the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, confirmed that South Carolina is home to many solo practitioners and small firms. "Half the lawyers in the state work in firms of less than 10 lawyers," she said.
