Drew Hamilton Butler is a shareholder at Richardson Plowden. He joined the firm in 2002 at the Columbia office before helping to open the Charleston office in 2012. As a trial lawyer, he focuses his practice on general litigation, including but not limited to construction litigation, products liability defense, government defense, and personal injury litigation. 

Mr. Butler’s experience includes:

  • Successfully tried cases in the United States District Court and Circuit Courts of South Carolina 
  • Successfully defended general contractors and subcontractors in large exposure construction-defect claims 
  • Provides insurance coverage opinions for insurance carriers responding to a claim in South Carolina 
  • Defends various government entities in claims brought under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act or 42 U.S.C. §1983

Prior to joining Richardson Plowden, Mr. Butler served as a speech writer for the Pennsylvania legislature and worked as a Judicial Law Clerk for Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission Administrative Law Court.

Scholarly Lectures and Speaking Engagements

  • Strafford Continuing Legal Education Presenter: Dram Shop / Liquor Liability Defense – Protecting our Bars and Restaurants (September, 2024)
  • South Carolina Inns of Court, Speaker – The Importance of Civility and Professionalism for the South Carolina Bar (February, 2024)
  • NBI, Inc, CLE Lecture – Handling Residential and Commercial Construction Claims from Start to Finish (January, 2024)
  • Risk Management Services: Law Enforcement Liability – How to Defend Civil Claims in the Modern Era (May, 2022)
  • South Carolina Bar – Leadership Academy Presenter (February, 2022)
  • CLE Presenter: Defending Dram Shop Claims in South Carolina (November, 2021)
  • Strafford National Publications: Dram Shop Liability – Bar, Restaurant and Individual Exposure for Over-serving Customers and Guests (August, 2019)
  • CLM National Construction Conference Speaker: Navigating the Modern Settlement Agreement (San Diego, CA / Fall, 2017)
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, Annual Meeting Speaker: Defending Restaurants and Bartenders from Dram Shop Liability (Summer, 2017)
  • SC Bar CLE: Defending Restaurants and Bartenders from Dram Shop Liability (Winter, 2016)
  • South Carolina Law Enforcement Defense Conference: Defending Prisoner Litigation Claims (Fall, 2016)
  • The Hartford Insurance Company: Construction Litigation Defense in South Carolina (Fall, 2014)
  • South Carolina Department of Mental Health: Risk Management and Loss Prevention Tactics (Summer, 2013) 
  • Lorman Education Services, Lecture: Understanding the Current CGL Policy; The Role of Performance Bonds & Additional Insured Issues (Summer, 2012) 
  • Lorman Education Services, Lecture: AIA Contracts – A General Overview/Dispute Resolution & Aribtration (Fall, 2011) 
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, Annual Meeting Speaker: Punitive Damages and Post-Trial Motions (Winter, 2010) 
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, Trial Academy Presentation: Jury Charges, Verdict Forms & Special Interrogatories (Spring, 2010) 
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, Joint Meeting Presentation: Expert Witness Cross-Examination Do’s and Don’ts (Summer, 2007)

Publications/Writings

  • South Carolina Dram Shop Litigation: A Practical Guide: South Carolina Bar – CLE Division, Nov, 2016
  • Understanding the Application of Performance Bonds in Construction Defect Litigation, The Defense Line, Volume 43 (Spring 2015)
  • Attorney General’s Office Provides Trial Experience While Supporting A Valuable Community Program, The Defense Line, Volume 34 (Fall 2006)

Awards, Honors, and Accolades

  • 2024 Petigru American Inn of Court – Charleston Chapter Member
  • 2019 & 2017, Lowcountry Legal Elite for Business Litigation by the Charleston Business Journal
  • 2018, Selected as a Charter Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America
  • 2017-2012 South Carolina Super Lawyers for General Litigation, Rising Star
  • 2012, AWR Litigator of the Year Award
  • Rated Distinguished® for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability, Martindale-Hubbell American
  • 2002, Certificate in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy, Pennsylvania State University
  • 1995-1997, NCAA Baseball and Football Letterman

Practice Areas

Education

Rhodes College (B.A., 1999) 

Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law (J.D., 2002)

Bar Admission

2002, South Carolina 

U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina 

U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit