Jay Bender, Attorney

Since joining the firm in 1975, Jay Bender has built one of the Southeast's most respected Media Law practices. He is consistently identified by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America. As counsel for the South Carolina Press Association and many South Carolina media outlets, Bender is a frequent defender of the First Amendment and a champion of open government. He was instrumental in the development of South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act, which has evolved into one of the nation's strongest. He also participated in the negotiation of the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Settlement Act of 1993, and continues to represent the tribe.

Away from his law practice, Bender has raced vintage motorcycles, completed several marathons, climbed Mt. Rainier and most of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and ridden his motorcycle across country and back—three times. He made his most recent cross-country trip from Key West, Florida to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in June 2005. (Read Bender's weblog chronicling the trip)

Bender also is active in the community; he has been a frequent platelet donor and was honored in 2004 by the South Carolina Radio Network for the Blind for his 25 years as a volunteer "radio reader."

He is a regular guest lecturer at the University of South Carolina's School of Law and College of Journalism & Mass Communications, where he also teaches courses in Media Law.