Gary W. Poliakoff 
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Gary W. Poliakoff, a graduate of Washington and Lee University and the University of South Carolina School of Law, has been practicing law since 1977 and has received many awards and honors during his career.

He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA).  He won the Public Citizen Award from the south Carolina Trial Lawyers Association in 1996 and the Victims Voice Award from the South Carolina Jury Trial Foundation in 1995.  He was the South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 1988.  

Currently, Gary serves as a Commissioner for the South Carolina Forestry Commission as appointed by the governor.  

He has served on the Board of Governors for the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program and the Board of Directors for the Spartanburg County Public Defender Program.

His civic and community commitments have included the Boards of Directors for the South Carolina Environmental Law Project and the Citizens Local Environmental Action Network, the chairman of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party; and the boards of the Sertoma Club, Piedmont Conservancy Inc. and Safe Homes/Rape Crisis Coalition.

Gary is authorized to practice before all South Carolina Courts and all levels of Federal Courts, including the U.S. District Court, 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.  He actively handles litigation of serious personal injury cases for injured Plaintiffs.

Areas of Practice:

Personal Injury -- Plaintiff

Environmental Law

Workers' Compensation Law

Products Liability Law

Toxic Torts

Condemnation

Property Contamination

Nursing Home Litigation

Pharmaceutical Litigation

Insurance Bad Faith

Litigation Percentage:

75% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Certification/Specialties:

Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy, National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA)

Bar Admissions:

South Carolina, 1977

U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1980

U.S. District Court District of South Carolina, 1978

U.S. Supreme Court, 1980

Education:

University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina, 1977
Doctor of Jurisprudence

Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 1973
B.A., Bachelor of Arts

Published Works:

Environmental Law in South Carolina, Selected Topics, (Co-Author), Published with Federal HUD Grant, May, 1977

Bad Boy Environmental Legislation - A Necessary Tool for South Carolina, S.C. Environmental Law Journal, 1992

Environmental Law in S.C.: Protection v. Pollution, The Bulletin Magazine, S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, Spring, 1991

Practicing Environmental Law in S.C., Spotlight, S.C. Association of Legal Secretaries Magazine, 1995

Practicing Environmental Law, The Bulletine Magazine, S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, June, 2000

Practicing Environmental Law (Reprinted), Texas Trial Lawyers Magazine, February, 2001

Representative Cases:

Camp Croft Community v. Van Waters & Rogers

Whitney Community v. Borden, Inc.

Larken/Brookside Communities v. Palmetto Landfill (Waste Management, Inc.)

Victims of Corporate Fraud v. Amerisprout, Inc.

Duncan Area Community v. Aqua-Tech, Inc.

Pineridge Community v. Six Oil Companies and Two Pipeline Companies

Roebuck Area Community v. Laidlaw Environmental Service, Inc.

Classes/Seminars Taught:

"Discovery in Toxic Tort Contamination Cases", S.C. Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, 1999

"Toxic Exposure - Proff and Causation", S.C. Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, 2001

"Environmental Enforcement", S.C. Environmental Symposium, 1996

"Citizen Suits and Related Issues", S.C. Environmental Law & Technology Conference, 1996

"Criminal Enforcement of Environmental Statutes - Citizens Perspective", S.C. Environmental Law & Technology Conference, 1997

"Environmental Law in S.C., an Overview", Law for Non-Lawyers Program, S.C. Bar Association, 1991

"S.C. Nuclear, Hazardous, Infectious and Now Solid Waste Dumping Ground - Litigation", S.C. Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, 1994

"Trash in Transition - New Solutions for Old Landfills", American Bar Association, Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Annual Convention, 1998

"Workers' Compensation in South Carolina - Issues and Answers, National Business Institute Seminar, 1992

Honors and Awards:

American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Constitutional Law, 1977

South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, 1988

Public Citizen Award, S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, 1996

Victims Voice Award, S.C. Jury Trial Foundation, 1995

Professional Associations and Memberships:

South Carolina Forestry Commission, 2001 - 2006

Commissioner (Appointed by Governor)

South Carolina Bar, 1988 - Present

Sustaining Fellow

Spartanburg County Bar, 1977 - 1979

Secretary, Treasurer

Spartanburg County Public Defender Program, 1978 - 1982

Board of Directors

South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, 1987 - 1989

Board of Governors

South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, 1989 - 1992

Board of Directors

South Carolina Environmental Law Project, 1989 - Present

Board of Directors

Spartanburg County Democratic Party, 1982 - 1984

Chairman

S.C. Administrative Law Judge Division, 1994 - Present

Rules Committee

Spartanburg County Bar Association, 1977 - 1979

Secretary-Treasurer

S.C. Bar, 1995 - 1999

Lawyer/Physician Relations Committee

S.C. Bar, 1993 - 1994

Lawyer Referral

S.C. Bar

Trial and Appellate Practice Committee

S.C. Bar

Public Affairs Committee (Chairman, 4th District)

S.C. Bar

Judicial Modernization Committee

Spartanburg County Bar Medical-Legal Committee, 1990 - 2000

Chairman

Law Explorer Post

Advisor

S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, 1993 - Present

Chairman, Environmental Law Committee

Citizens Local Enviornmental Action Network (CLEAN), 1993 - Present

Board of Directors

Spartanburg County Democratic Party, 1986 - 1994

Treasurer

Spartanburg County Democratic Party, 1994 - 1998

Vice Chair

Sertoma Club

Board of Directors

Piedmont Conservancy, Inc.

Board of Directors

Safe Home/Rape Crisis (Council on Sexual Assault)

Board of Directors

Spartanburg Conservation Endowment (SPACE)

Legal Advisor

Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee

Membor or Officer (Past or Present) of numerous civic and charitable organizations

Fraternities/Sororities:

Pi Kappa Alpha