Bess DuRant

Practice Areas

Bess' practice focuses on complex business disputes, corporate governance, probate and estate litigation, general commercial litigation, appeals, mediation, and arbitration.

Career

Bess is a litigator engaged in complex business disputes on both the trial and appellate level. Her practice includes corporate governance issues, bet-the-company litigation, shareholder disputes, derivative actions, along with other business torts and contractual disputes. Bess' practice also includes trust and estate litigation. Additionally, Bess focuses on Constitutional issues, Freedom of Information Act matters, and election disputes. Bess’ practice includes appellate work across many areas of the law. In addition to appeals involving the firm’s clients, Bess also handles appeals that have been tried by other counsel. She also advises trial counsel in preparation for appeals. Bess is a Supreme Court of South Carolina Certified Mediator and Arbitrator.

Professional Memberships

Member, Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section Council for SC Bar; Member, Dispute Resolution Section for SC Bar; Member, Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution (appointed by SC Supreme Court); South Carolina Supreme Court Certified Mediator and Arbitrator;

American Bar Association; Federal Bar Association; South Carolina Federal Bar Association; Richland County and Sumter County Bar Associations

Publications

“Scheduling Possible Claims – Lessons from Martineau v. Wier” Presentation before South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Bar, dated August 20, 2020; “Election Statutes Make Headlines” South Carolina Young Lawyer (Vol. 5, Issue 5, September 2012); The Political Question Doctrine: A Doctrine for Long-Term Change in Our Public Schools, 59 S.C. L. REV. 531 (2008); Guest Lecturer at University of South Carolina Law School (Small & Family Business and Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Work Highlights

Best Lawyers in America: Commercial Litigation (2020-2024), Litigation- Trust and Estates (2024); South Carolina “Super Lawyer”: 2022-2024 South Carolina Super Lawyers, Rising Stars (2019, 2020); University of South Carolina School of Law Adjunct Professor, Spring 2021-2024;

America’s Top 100 Bet the Company Litigators® (2020-2024); America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® (2021-2024); Premier Appellate Lawyers (2021-2024); The Appellate Lawyers (2022-2023); Columbia Business Monthly Legal Elite of the Midlands - Business Litigation (2020-2023); Washington & Lee University, Palmetto Chapter Alumni Association- Executive Committee, Past President; Wilson Hall Distinguished Alumna, 2012

Experience

Education: University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., cum laude, - South Carolina Law Review, editorial board; Washington and Lee University, B.A. in politics with special attainment in commerce, cum laude

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Admissions: South Carolina; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit;

U.S. Court of Federal Claims; U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina