Nexsen Pruet's Susi McWilliams is the recipient of the 2008 Matthew Perry Civility Award. The Richland County Bar Association presented the award to McWilliams at its annual meeting December 11 at the Columbia Museum of Art.

Susi McWilliams McWilliams has been practicing law for more than 25 years. As an experienced trial lawyer she has defended individuals and corporations in business torts, employment, products liability, professional liability, contract, and many other commercial disputes.

She is a past president of the Richland County Bar Association, a Fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, a certified specialist in Labor and Employment Law by the SC Supreme Court, and was appointed to the SC Ethics Commission by Governor Mark Sanford and now serves as its chair.

The Matthew Perry Civility Award is named for Judge Matthew J. Perry. After World War II, Perry became a key civil rights attorney in South Carolina. In 1979, he became the state's first African American U.S. District Court judge.

Each year, the Richland County Bar Association recognizes a member of the judiciary and a member of the bar for courteous and polite conduct while working in the legal profession. With more than 1,600 attorneys, the Richland County Bar is the largest voluntary Bar in South Carolina.