A member of the Medical Malpractice Group, Shelton W. Haile also contributes his legal know-how as a member of the Palmetto Health Institutional Review Board.

Richardson Plowden shareholders Steven W. Hamm and Jo Anne Wessinger Hill were awarded the 2007 Robert D. Spencer Award for outstanding volunteer advocacy by the Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc.

Shareholder Steven W. Hamm served as the state consumer advocate and administrator of the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs for more than twelve years, representing the public before the South Carolina General Assembly and state and federal agencies.

Download vCard

Office
1900 Barnwell Street
Columbia, SC 29201

P.O. Drawer 7788
Columbia, SC 29202

Contact Details
Direct: 803.576.3733
Fax: 803.779.0016
Email: gmatthews@RichardsonPlowden.com

Practice Areas
Employment Practice
Administrative and Regulatory Law
Civil Rights Litigation
Appellate Practice

Education
Furman University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1986)
Yale University (M.A., 1989)
University of Virginia (J.D., 1995)

Legislative Aide, U.S. Rep. John M. Spratt, Jr. (SC-5th) (1986-87)
Central Intelligence Agency (1988-93)
U.S. Naval Reserve (1989-Present)
Associate, Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP (1995-99)
Deputy Director for Labor, S.C. Dept. of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (1999-2000)
General Counsel and Deputy Director, S.C. Dept. of Public Safety (2000-2004)
Certified by S.C. Supreme Court as Mediator, Arbitrator and Specialist in Employment and Labor Law

Bar Admissions
1995, South Carolina
1995, North Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina

Other Professional
House of Delegates (2006-Present), South Carolina Bar
Chairman (2005-2007), Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Publications Committee, South Carolina Bar
Chairman (2004), Employment and Labor Law Section Council, South Carolina Bar
Named South Carolina Super Lawyer in 2009, 2010, 2011

Eugene H. Matthews joined Richardson Plowden in March 2004 as special counsel in the Columbia office and was elected shareholder in December 2005. He heads the firm's employment law practice group.

In addition to employment law, Mr. Matthews also concentrates his practice in the areas of administrative and regulatory law, civil rights litigation, and appellate litigation. Certified by the S.C. Supreme Court as a specialist in employment and labor law, he has extensive experience advising clients and litigating claims concerning a variety of employment and other business, administrative, and appellate issues. He also has significant experience as a state government executive and in-house General Counsel. Mr. Matthews is a member of the North Carolina Bar and South Carolina Bar, represents clients in both states, and received the highest rating, "AV," in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system.

Mr. Matthews' experience includes:

• Litigating Title VII and other federal and state employment claims (discrimination, harassment, retaliation); "restrictive covenant" issues such as trade secret, non-competition and non-solicitation claims; wage and hour claims; FMLA and benefits claims; employee handbook claims; teacher and state employee grievances and employment contract claims; civil rights issues, such as fair housing, First Amendment retaliation and 42 USC § 1983 claims.
• Serving as General Counsel and Deputy Director for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) from 2000 to 2004.
• Serving as Deputy Director for Labor for the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (LLR) from 1999 to 2000, where he was primarily responsible for enforcing the state's wage payment laws, administering the state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) programs, and managing the state's labor mediation and migrant labor programs.
• Routinely representing clients before LLR's professional licensing boards and other state administrative agencies.
• Routinely representing clients in state, federal and administrative appeals.
• Frequently lecturing and writing on employment and labor issues, and hosting the firm's annual seminar on employment and labor law.