Dentons US has added eight new partners and established a new office in Charleston, South Carolina, expanding its capabilities across employment and labor, corporate transactions, and real estate. The eight-partner group, many of whom have practiced together for decades, anchors the firm’s entry into one of the nation’s fastest-growing business markets.
The Charleston team spans three practice areas:
- Walker Coleman, Employment and Labor
- Cecilia Ehresman, Employment and Labor
- Ernie Cochran, Corporate
- Jamie Bruce, Corporate
- Cooper Hawley, Corporate
- Matt Norton, Real Estate
- Amy Ironmonger, Real Estate
- Bo Manuel, Real Estate
Coleman and Ehresman advise employers on internal investigations, workplace compliance, employment litigation, restrictive covenant and trade secret matters, and employment diligence on corporate transactions. Cochran, Bruce, and Hawley cover the full spectrum of transactional work including middle-market and emerging growth M&A, Fortune 500 advisory, private equity, and venture capital. Norton and Ironmonger bring experience in acquisitions, dispositions, financings, joint ventures, resort and hospitality transactions, real estate fund formations, and master-planned community developments domestically and internationally. Manuel focuses on advising lenders and servicers on commercial mortgage-backed securities, spanning financing transactions and the servicing of securitized loans.
The launch marks Dentons US’s continued lateral expansion since 2021, during which the firm has added more than 100 lateral partners, principals, and counsel across practices and markets.
KEY QUOTES:
“South Carolina and Charleston are important for our clients and our firm, supported by its strong talent pipeline, vibrant and expanding global business community, and proximity to key and rapidly growing industries. This group of partners has practiced law together for many years — decades for most — resulting in a long-standing, close-knit team of lawyers with shared client relationships and complementary practices.”
John Holahan, Managing Partner, Dentons US
“Our new partners exemplify the type of colleagues we seek to attract as we continue building a firm that prioritizes clients and values lawyers who enjoy practicing law together. Our focus on profitability and our consistently strong financial performance since 2021 has enabled us to expand thoughtfully — adding more than 100 lateral partners, principals, and counsel across practices, entering strategic markets like Charleston, and continuing to build a firm positioned for long-term growth and collaboration.”
Sonia Martin, Chief Executive Officer, Dentons US
