I then spent almost seven years as a partner at a prominent Columbia employment and civil rights firm, where I litigated cases and helped manage a firm of a dozen lawyers. I opened Cohoon Employment Law in 2026 so I could build a practice around the kind of work I care about most, with the time and attention each client deserves.
What We Handle
Employment law covers a lot of ground. These are the matters that make up most of the firm’s practice:
- Wrongful termination. South Carolina is an at-will state, but that does not give an employer the right to fire you for a discriminatory or retaliatory reason, for refusing to break the law, or in violation of a contract.
- Discrimination and harassment. Claims based on race, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, national origin, and other protected characteristics under Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, Section 1981, and the South Carolina Human Affairs Law.
- Retaliation and whistleblower claims. Protection for employees who report discrimination, safety problems, fraud, or other wrongdoing, including public employees who report misuse of government resources.
- Unpaid wages and overtime. Claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the South Carolina Payment of Wages Act, which can allow recovery of up to three times the unpaid amount plus attorney’s fees. This includes workers misclassified as independent contractors.
- FMLA and disability accommodations. Interference with medical leave, and employers who refuse reasonable accommodations or punish employees for asking.
- Severance agreements. Review and negotiation before you sign away your rights. Severance offers are often negotiable, and the release language matters.
- Noncompetes and employment contracts. Review of agreements before you sign, and defense when a former employer tries to enforce a restrictive covenant against you.
- Executive and physician employment. Contract review, compensation disputes, and separation negotiations for executives, physicians, and other professionals.
- State employee grievances. Representation of South Carolina state employees in grievances and appeals under the State Employee Grievance Procedure Act.
- Federal employees. EEO complaints and appeals before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
- Free speech and civil rights. First Amendment and constitutional claims for public employees and others who are punished by government agencies for speaking out.
If your situation isn’t on this list, call anyway. Workplace problems don’t always fit neatly into a single category, and part of my job is figuring out which laws apply.
How I Approach a Case
Every case starts with a candid assessment. I will tell you what I think your claim is worth, where it is strong, and where it is weak. Sometimes the honest answer is that the law doesn’t give you a remedy, and I would rather tell you that at the outset than take your money or your time.
When a case is worth pursuing, I build it to be tried. Most employment cases resolve before trial, but they resolve on better terms when the other side knows the case has been prepared properly and that I am ready to see it through. I have handled matters from the first demand letter through trial and appeal, and I plan every case with that full path in mind.
Experience That Matters
Over two decades I have represented employees against private companies, national corporations, state agencies, school districts, and the federal government. Some representative matters:
- Obtained a declaratory judgment that a South Carolina state commission violated the Freedom of Information Act by holding secret meetings, voiding its vote to fire the agency’s director. The client recovered six months of wages and benefits and attorney’s fees, followed by a separate $250,000 settlement on defamation and civil conspiracy claims.
- Negotiated a $200,000 settlement and restored eligibility for federal employment for a disabled veteran whose employer, the IRS, denied him accommodations and retaliated against him.
- Secured a significant confidential pre-suit settlement for multiple employees asserting race discrimination under Section 1981 against a national corporation and its private equity owner.
- Represented a teacher’s aide in a federal First Amendment lawsuit challenging her firing by a school district over a private social media post.
- Won favorable decisions from the South Carolina Court of Appeals protecting workers’ procedural and substantive rights.
I currently chair the Employment and Labor Law Section of the South Carolina Bar and speak regularly to other lawyers on topics including free speech in the workplace, the Payment of Wages Act, and the Freedom of Information Act. I co-authored a chapter of Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyers, published by the S.C. Bar. I have been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Labor and Employment Law, and have been named to Super Lawyers, the Lawdragon 500, and Legal Elite of the Midlands. I also hold an AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. My cases have been covered by The State, The Post and Courier, USA Today, The Guardian, and Education Week.
Deadlines Are Short
Employment claims come with strict deadlines. A discrimination charge in South Carolina generally must be filed with the EEOC within 300 days, and sometimes much sooner. Federal employees have only 45 days to contact an EEO counselor. State employee grievances move faster still. Severance offers often expire in a few weeks. Waiting can cost you your claim entirely, so the best time to talk to a lawyer is as soon as you think something is wrong.
Talk to an Employment Lawyer in the Columbia area
If you’ve been fired, mistreated, or underpaid, or you’ve been asked to sign something you don’t fully understand, contact Cohoon Employment Law to schedule a consultation. The office is at 2999 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 104, in West Columbia, and I meet with clients throughout South Carolina.
Call 803-233-1228 or reach out through the contact link on this page.
Results in prior matters depend on a variety of factors unique to each case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case. Jack E. Cohoon is the attorney responsible for the content of this website.
