Spotlight On: Robert Sumner, Commercial Litigation Lawyer, Butler Snow LLP
Key points:
- • Butler Snow is expanding its 15-attorney Charleston office as a firm growth priority.
- • Charleston’s economy is diversifying into finance and advanced manufacturing.
- • Early legal counsel and AI-assisted review help businesses manage litigation risk.
October 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Robert Sumner, commercial litigation lawyer at Butler Snow LLP, discussed Butler Snow’s growth, South Carolina’s legal environment, litigation strategy, technology, and future priorities. “It certainly is a business-friendly environment,” Sumner said.
Join us at caa’s upcoming leadership summits! These premier events bring together hundreds of public and private sector leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses and investors. Find the next summit in a city near you!
What developments have shaped Butler Snow’s South Carolina and Charleston practices over the past year?
My practice focuses on commercial litigation. I represent businesses of all sizes. I work primarily in South Carolina, but also regionally across the Southeast, with businesses day in and day out that are involved in litigation, and also pre-litigation, where disputes may be developing but have not yet become lawsuits. Our Charleston office includes 15 attorneys with capabilities spanning litigation, employment, real estate, corporate matters, and mergers and acquisitions.
Although we are growing our capabilities locally, our attorneys in South Carolina can also draw on the resources and experience of our colleagues across Butler Snow’s approximately 400-attorney platform. That combination of local market knowledge and firm-wide capabilities allows us to provide coordinated counsel as our clients’ needs become more complex or extend beyond the state. The firm has identified the Charleston office as an area of growth and an area of focus. South Carolina’s growing business community creates meaningful opportunities for us to expand our capabilities and continue serving clients throughout the region.
How is South Carolina’s growth changing the legal services businesses require?
It’s been incredible to watch. I moved to Charleston in 2008, and I’ve watched this community grow rapidly. I recently read that our population has increased 10% to 11% over the last five years. I think there was a huge influx of new residents in the wake of COVID. We saw a lot of people moving to Charleston around 2020 and 2021.
That growth has attracted many sophisticated businesses and astute businesspeople. We’ve seen companies that have relocated, and we’ve watched Boeing continue to increase its investment in the local community. The market has become increasingly sophisticated and diverse, building on traditional strengths in real estate and tourism while expanding into areas such as finance and advanced manufacturing.
How does Butler Snow’s geographic and practice breadth benefit clients handling complex matters?
Butler Snow’s more than 400 attorneys offer experience across a broad range of practices and industries. When a matter requires additional capabilities, we can readily collaborate with colleagues across the firm to provide coordinated legal services tailored to the client’s needs. It allows us to bring extra specialty to bear on issues arising in the local market. One of my favorite things about the firm is that we’re collaborative across our large geographic footprint.
What distinguishes South Carolina as a jurisdiction for businesses?
South Carolina offers a business-friendly environment supported by state leadership, economic development initiatives and incentives designed to attract investment. The presence of companies such as Boeing, BMW, and Volvo reflects the state’s sustained economic development efforts. I’m also proud of our business court, which is a specialized court that handles our state’s complex business disputes.
When should litigation counsel become involved in a major investment or expansion?
When I meet with a new client, my key message is that earlier is always better, and particularly when you’re dealing with growth and an emerging business market, as we have in Charleston. It is also critical when you are dealing with a startup company that may just be getting off the ground and in the fundraising stage. It’s never too early for these companies to start thinking about risk. It is important to engage counsel whether that means working with a transactional lawyer to assist with formation issues or someone like me who has litigation expertise.
You are never going to completely eliminate risk. But I think it’s important for companies to start early thinking about managing their risk. Using a startup as an example, I recognize that entrepreneurs are always looking for capital. The last thing they want to do is spend a bunch of money on lawyers. But it is critical for start-ups to talk to legal counsel to prioritize their real goals and priorities. Companies should begin creating and reviewing contracts such as formation documents, operating or shareholder agreements, or contracts with vendors. I think it’s important for entrepreneurs and business owners to start protecting their assets at an early stage, because risk isn’t going away – it is only going to grow.
How is AI changing legal operations and litigation?
I think AI is a valuable innovation that touches all aspects of the business and legal community. Butler Snow has embraced appropriate uses of AI and views the technology as a tool that can enhance, rather than replace, the judgment and experience attorneys provide. I recently spoke with a client that is in the middle of a document production for a lawsuit. The documents to be produced number in the hundreds of thousands and, possibly, millions of pages.
You cannot possibly put eyes on every page, and whether through computer-assisted review or AI technology, it is becoming much more efficient for us to review and manage large sets of documents like these. That is a large part of what we do in commercial litigation and a prime example of how we’re using AI to create efficiencies for clients. We also know our clients are using AI and many expect us to use it to create more efficient processes like the one I just mentioned.
What are your priorities and the greatest opportunities for Butler Snow in South Carolina?
I’m proud of what we’ve built so far with Butler Snow in South Carolina. I was one of the lawyers who helped open the South Carolina office for Butler Snow in 2019. I’d like to see us continue to grow and to continue to expand our legal capabilities here in the state. Our priorities are to continue growing, when opportunities present themselves and it makes sense from a client service standpoint, broaden our capabilities here, and serve more companies across South Carolina. As a litigator, I specialize in problems. But I enjoy the relationships that I make with these companies.
Oftentimes, what starts as a representation in a lawsuit turns into a long relationship where I become more of a counselor and advisor to the business. I’ve been practicing for 24 years now, which is hard to believe, and my favorite part of the job is developing those relationships and opportunities to develop a deep understanding of the businesses of the clients that we represent. Looking ahead, I hope we can continue to build those enduring relationships and to contribute to the continued success of the South Carolina business community.
Want more? Read the Invest: South Carolina report.
