South Carolina Trial Attorney and Counselor At Law
After a decade of litigating high-profile corporate cases in Washington, DC at one of the top firms in the country, Skadden Arps, I moved to South Carolina to leverage my complex litigation experience on behalf of people who need it the most. I get tremendous professional satisfaction in helping good people fight and win against bad actors, large institutions, and insurance companies unwilling to do the right thing. Since landing in Mount Pleasant six years ago, I have been litigating some of the most challenging and complex injury, wrongful death, and civil rights cases in South Carolina. And I have recovered millions of dollars for my clients that otherwise would have gone unpaid.
Colin is a trial-tested litigator who represents individuals and families in a wide range of negligence, civil rights, and fraud cases. He has successfully represented clients in complex litigation involving novel issues of law and has litigated legal issues all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Because the nature of his practice often requires him to tackle difficult legal problems other lawyers shy away from, he brings to each case a level of determination and creativity to help seek out a just result for his clients.
Prior to starting this firm, Colin spent almost a decade litigating complex civil and criminal matters at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington, D.C, where he handled dozens of high-profile cases for individuals and large multi-national companies. While at Skadden, Colin successfully litigated numerous fraud cases brought under the False Claims Act and other federal statutes, including corporate fraud cases. He and his family then relocated to Mount Pleasant where he began representing plaintiffs in complex civil cases at a well-regarded trial firm.
Colin served in the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Specialist, providing terrorism and threat assessments for naval forces transiting hostile regions. Before that, he traded financial derivative instruments on the trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and on various worldwide exchanges.
Colin is active in charitable and community endeavors as well, including serving on the board of directors of the Oda Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops health and education initiatives for impoverished children, and as former President of the Law Council of Washington and Lee University.
He is also a private, instrument-rated pilot based in Mount Pleasant who enjoys flying around South Carolina with his family when not practicing law.
Education
J.D., Washington & Lee School of Law, manga cum laude, 2008
Editorial Board, Washington & Lee Law Review
B.A., American University, 1996
Bar Admissions
South Carolina, 2017
Virginia, 2008
Washington DC, 2009
Bar Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
Practice Areas
Colin Ram specializes in helping people who have been injured physically or financially from the negligence or misconduct of others. Colin handles a wide range of cases, including wrongful death, car crash injuries, workplace accidents, injuries on someone else’s property, civil rights violations, civil fraud, and more.
Wrongful Death
Colin has represented many families who have suffered the worst loss imaginable: the death of a parent, sibling, or child. Colin’s approach in these cases is to investigate the root cause that goes well beyond what is found in a police report—locating reluctant witnesses, analyzing video evidence, finding hidden data, and calling in experts from around the country to examine the evidence and scene. By investigating the root cause, Colin can find out the truth behind what happened, gets answers that no one else will give you, and hold the responsible party accountable for what they took from your family.
Drunk Driving Injuries
Drunk driving is far more rampant in South Carolina than people want to admit. And Charleston has seen some awful drink driving crashes that have severely injured or killed innocent families. Colin understands the complexities of drunk driving cases, from finding and navigating hidden sources of insurance to pursuing legal action against the drunk drivers and the people that knowingly sent them out on the road.
Car/Airplane/Train Injuries
Colin specializes in representing people who have been hurt or killed in car, airplane, and train accidents. As an aircraft pilot, Colin understands the mechanics of these types of cases, and more importantly, he understands how these injuries impact people’s day-to-day lives and relationships. With this knowledge, Colin can help you navigate the complexities of insurance, lost income, loss of enjoyment of life, and the enormous medical bills that comes with these injuries.
Workplace Injuries
Suffering an injury at work, even a minor one, can be a traumatic experience, impacting not only your physical well-being but also your finances and livelihood. Often, there are third-parties responsible for what happened that are not easily identified or covered by the Worker’s Comp system. Colin evaluates all workplace injury claims with an eye to finding all responsible parties (not just your employer) and holding them accountable so you can get back to living your full life.
ERISA Disability Appeals
Whether you are a doctor, aerospace engineer, or line worker at one of the many manufacturing plants here in Charleston, and your application for employer-provided ERISA disability benefits has been denied, reach out to me as soon as possible. I can review your denial letter and help you navigate the very tight deadline you have to appeal your ERISA disability claim.
Animal Bite Injuries
Dog and other dangerous animal bites can be surprisingly devastating, and small children and older adults are often the victims. In many cases, the dog owner knew they had a dangerous breed but didn’t bother to protect others from it. We see this a lot in Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, and Isle of Palms, where dangerous dogs run free in parks and on the beaches and attack families and their pets. Colin represents families in these cases and has recovered money for victims well in excess of available insurance to cover their medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Civil Rights
South Carolina is a beautiful place, but it has a long history steeped in civil rights battles that continue to be fought. Whether it’s a wrongful arrest, excessive force, or a government taking of private property, my clients bring me in to hold accountable those who abuse their authority and power.
