ZOE C. SANDERS
Columbia Office
Columbia Office
EDUCATION
The University of South Carolina School of Law
Juris Doctor Degree, 1992
Speaker at Commencement Exercises
Dean's Student Advisement Committee
Student member of John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court
The University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Bachelor of Arts, English, 1989
Fourth Year Class Trustee
Speaker at Commencement Exercises
Judiciary Committee
Founder of Student Advocate Program
Dean's List
Oxford University, Trinity College
Oxford, England, Summer School 1988
WORK EXPERIENCE
The Sanders Law Firm of South Carolina LLC
April 2016- present
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P.
September 1993 – April 2016
Federal Judicial Law Clerk, The Honorable Matthew J. Perry
United States District Court, District of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina, Spring 1995
Richland County Solicitor's Office
Assistant State Court Prosecutor
Columbia, South Carolina
September 1992 - September 1993
South Carolina Senate Research and Senate page
Spring and Summer 1985
Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Inc.
Bride of Mishue in the 107th edition of the Ringling Brothers Circuit, March 1977 (age 10)
CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
Member and Co-founder of South Carolinians for Alternatives to the
Execution of Children (organization dissolved because mission accomplished when U.S. Supreme Court abolished the death penalty for those under 18).
Lawyers' Committee for Children's Rights (2014-present).
Board Member of the Friends of the Congaree Swamp (term expired 2006).
Board member Healing Species (2009-2010).
Board Member Columbia City Ballet (2005-2007).
United Way of the Midlands (Palmetto Society Committee)(2006);
PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS:
President of the National Association of Women Lawyers (2003-2004);
Board member the National Association of Women Lawyers (2001-2009);
Secretary of the South Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society (2004-2005);
Permanent Member of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judicial Conference;
John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court (present);
American Bar Association, vice chair of Access to Legal Services Committee
Young Lawyer's Division (1999);
Board Member and Co-founder of the South Carolina Administrative and Regulatory Law Association (present);
Member of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association (present);
Palmetto Health Society of Boards Emeritus
Lawyers' Committee for Children's Rights Board Member (2014-2015)
PUBLICATIONS
"The Government is at your Table," Insider, South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (May 2015)
“There is a Reason the Employment Retirement Securities Income Act Has the Word “Employment” in the name,” DRI, The Voice of the Defense Bar (May 2015)
“Statute’s Fraud or Concealment Language is an Exception to Statute of Repose for Fiduciary Claims,” DRI, The Voice of the Defense Bar (May 2015)
"In the Middle of Tobacco Road: Contraband and Illegal Cigarettes," Insider, South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (February 2015)
"Be a Winner: Be Smart About the New Laws Regulating Games of Chance in SC," Insider, South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (January 2015)
“Is There Such a Thing As "a Bar" in South Carolina?,” Hospitality News, South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (September 2014)
"New Equitable Remedies Are Possible for ERISA Plaintiffs Post-Amara," ERISA Report published by DRI Life, Health and Disability Committee (September 23, 2013)
NEWS ARTICLES: (quoted or subject of)
The State
August 8, 2003,“S.C. Activist to Lead Women Lawyers Group”
The New York Times
August 22, 2000, “Whether to Kill Those Who Killed as Youths”
The Washington Post
July 22, 1999,“Sing-along Strikes a Sour Note”
The Atlanta Constitution
July 1999,“’Dixie’ Hits Sour Note at Chief Justice’s Sing-Along”
The Sun News
July 22, 1999, “A Heroine for Our Times”
HONORS & AWARDS:
Tribute to Women in Industry Award by the YWCA (2004);
The State Newspaper’s top 20 under 40 Achievement Award (2004);
Certificate of Appreciation by the Friends of the Congaree Swamp (2003);
National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Member Award (1999) for service as chairwoman of the Rainmaking Committee and the creation of the first National Directory of Women Lawyers;
Claude Scarborough Pro-Bono Award (2002).
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE:
Represented Stephen Colbert in his candidacy for president in the South Carolina primary (2007)
Represented Attorney General John Ashcroft in Lebron, et al. v. Rumsfeld, et al.; 2:07-cv-00410-RMG
Representing supermarkets, resorts, restaurants and bars in alcohol related matters including licensing, dram shop liability, liability insurance, employee training
Representation of clients in hundreds of ERISA cases in the courts of the Fourth Circuit
Evaluation of potential ERISA claims for healthcare providers
REPRESENTATIVE CASES:
The following is a selected sampling of recent cases and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future litigation matter:
Collins Entertainment Corp. v. Coats and Coats Rental Amusement, 368 S.C. 410, 629 S.E.2d 635 (2006). At issue in this case was the “lost seller doctrine” and calculation of damages
South Carolina Dept. of Revenue v. Rosemary Coin Machines, Inc., 339 S.C. 25, 528 S.E.2d 416 (2000). At issue was the retroactive application of a statute
Johnson v. Collins Entertainment Co., Inc., 349 S.C. 613, 564 S.E.2d 653 (2002). This case involved claims against the video gaming industry for alleged violations of RICO and state law. See also companion case Johnson v. Collins Entertainment Co., Inc., 333 S.C. 96, 508 S.E.2d 575 (1998)
Justice v. The Pantry, 335 S.C. 572, 518 S.E.2d 40, (1999). This case involved a lawsuit to recover debt incurred from gambling. See also companion case Justice v. The Pantry et. al. 330 S.C. 37, 496 S.E.2d 871 (Ct. App.1998)
MOST VALUABLE LIFE EXPERIENCE: Having twin boys, December 18, 2003.
The boys, William and Alex