Dedicated Employment and Business Litigation Representation in South Carolina For 35 Years

Blaney Coskrey has been a lawyer for more than thirty-five years, practicing primarily in S.C. state and federal courts. He represents business and individual clients in civil litigation throughout the state of South Carolina. His practice includes counseling and advising clients about their legal rights and the options available to them, determining whether matters may be resolved through mediation and/or settlement, as well as fiercely advocating for clients in court at both the trial and appellate levels.

His practice has included a broad range of complex business litigation, the majority of those cases being employment disputes (with a particular focus on cases involving sexual harassment or disability discrimination). For discrimination clients, the representation usually begins at the administrative stage with the charges of discrimination before the state and federal agencies (the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). He also advises individuals and businesses on employment-related issues such as handbooks, noncompetition agreements, and severance agreements.

He takes pride in offering clients the benefits of a small firm, including easy, prompt, and direct communication between clients and attorney without the need for bureaucracy and intermediaries. With a focus on efficiency and taking advantage of the benefits of technology, he is dedicated to prompt and attentive client service. The goals are always first to help clients identify what end results are in their best interests and then to work towards achieving those results. Mr. Coskrey's focus is on zealously protecting the interests of those who come to him for advice and assistance.

In addition to representing clients, Mr. Coskrey also acts as a certified South Carolina Circuit Court and United States District Court (D.S.C) mediator. He provides services as a mediator, acting as a neutral facilitator in helping others to resolve their conflicts, including matters pending in State and Federal Courts.

Practice Areas

  • Employment Litigation

  • Wrongful Termination

  • Discrimination (Age, Race, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Disability)

  • Sexual Harassment

  • Retaliation

  • Severance Agreements

  • Restrictive Covenants (Noncompetes, among others)

  • Civil Rights (Section 1983)

  • Mediation

About

Professional

Education

Mr. Coskrey graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Furman University in 1986. He attended law school at the University of South Carolina, where he was an editor of the law review. He also was a member of the academic honor societies of the Order of the Coif and Order of the Wig and Robe. He received his Juris Doctor cum laude in May 1989 and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November 1989.

Federal Clerkship

Following law school, he began a two-year federal clerkship with the Honorable Clyde H. Hamilton. That clerkship included experience both at the trial and appellate levels. For most of those two years, Judge Hamilton served as a United States District Judge. Toward the end of Mr. Coskrey's clerkship, Judge Hamilton became a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Thirty-Five Years of Private Practice

Mr. Coskrey was admitted to practice before the United States District Court in 1991 and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 1992. He began practicing with the firm of Glenn Irvin Murphy Gray & Stepp upon completion of his federal clerkship in 1991, and started Coskrey Law Office in February 1997, where he has remained for almost thirty years. Depending on the case, he handles most matters on his own, but also collaborates with other attorneys from around the country.

Memberships

He is currently a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the Solo/Small Firm Section of the Bar, and the Richland County Bar Association. He is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association ("NELA"). He's been selected multiple times for inclusion in groups such as Super Lawyers.

District Court Local Rules Advisory Committee

He has had the honor of serving for several decades as a member of the United States District Court Local Rules Advisory Committee, which advises the Court on the content of and proposed amendments to the federal local rules for the District of South Carolina.

Presentations

Over the years, Mr. Coskrey has written articles and given presentations on various topics ranging from federal court practice to helping businesses improve their collection practices.

Courtroom Experience

He has tried cases in state and federal courts, and argued appeals before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the S.C. Court of Appeals, and the S.C. Supreme Court.

A Sampling of Published Cases

Some of the published appellate decisions in which Mr. Coskrey has been an attorney include: Byrd v. Livingston, No. 4973 (S.C. Ct. App. 2012); QZO, Inc. v. Moyer, 594 S.E.2d 541 (S.C. Ct. App. 2004); Colonial Pacific Leasing Corp. v. Taylor, 484 S.E.2d 595 (S.C. Ct. App. 1997); Medical Park OB/GYN, P.A. v. Ragin, 467 S.E. 2d 261 (S.C. Ct. App. 1996); Phoenix Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Adams, 30 F. 3d 554 (4th Cir. 1994), affirming 828 F. Supp. 379 (D.S.C. 1993).

Personal

Mr. Coskrey was born and grew up in Sumter, South Carolina. After college at Furman in the Greenville area, he moved to Columbia to attend law school in 1986. He has remained in the Columbia area for the next forty years.

He spent the summers of his youth fishing and skiing and exploring the waters and shores of Lake Marion. Those experiences may account for his lifelong focus on the natural world.

His leisure interests, which include hiking, kayaking, and photography, reflect his love of the outdoors. While he enjoys hiking South Carolina’s trails and paddling its waters, his outdoor interests have taken him around the world. Those adventures include kayaking across Prince William Sound, Alaska, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, rafting the Grand Canyon, fly fishing the rivers of the Western U.S., studying and photographing the animals of the Galapagos Islands, and hiking the rain forests of Costa Rica. But South Carolina will always be home, so conversations are welcome about the best sections of the Palmetto Trail to hike or how to paddle the waters of Sparkleberry Swamp without getting lost.

Mr. Coskrey is a certified Master Naturalist, having completed the course work sponsored by Clemson University and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. He has volunteered with various nonprofits that align with his values, including serving on the board of directors of Friends of Congaree Swamp, a group supporting Congaree National Park, South Carolina's only national park.

Contact

No attorney-client relationship is established by this web site or by your initial contact. Please do not send documents or a lengthy description of your circumstances before speaking to Mr. Coskrey.

You may use this form or email to provide your name and contact information (name, phone number, personal - not work - email address), the name of the company and individuals who may be “adverse” to you (i.e., on the other side of your issues), and a brief description of the reason you are seeking an attorney.

This information will be used to determine whether further, in-depth conversation is both ethically permissible (i.e., that there is no conflict of interest) and whether Mr. Coskrey is otherwise the right attorney for further conversation about the subject matter and your issues.

The fee for further consultation will also be discussed at that time.