The Carolina Law Group

Attorney J. Matthew Whitehead

Matt is an experienced civil litigator representing individuals, small businesses and some of the nation’s biggest corporations. A native of Hartsville, SC, Matt is a graduate of the South Carolina’s Honors College and the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina where he obtained an undergraduate degree in Business Administration.

Matt was also a member of the professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. Matt later obtained a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2005, where was a member of the South Carolina Law Review and the legal fraternity Phi Alpha Delta.

He has completed Opportunity Greenville and the Trial Academy. Since moving to the Upstate, Matt has gained valuable experience including working on one of the largest cases in South Carolina history. Matt’s education and experience provides valuable insight into how insurance companies approach the litigation process. This allows Matt to work closely with his clients in protecting their legal rights from the initial claim stage through trial. More than anything, Matt says he enjoys helping people cope in a one-sided system. These are often people who are in a bad situation through no fault of their own, whether it’s a car accident, an injury or worse.

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• South Carolina Bar Association, 2005 – Present
• Greenville County Bar Association, 2005 – Present
• Press Release: Attorney John Matthew Whitehead Named to Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Attorney Nihar M. Patel

Nihar went to work for the Greenville County Public Defender’s Office following law school, gaining invaluable experience handling cases ranging from low-level misdemeanors to high-profile murders.

He is a member of the Greenville and South Carolina Bars; is past president of the Greenville Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (GACDL); a member of the South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ); was named among Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2013; the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 in South Carolina; and is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Attorney Monty D. Desai

Monty held a number of jobs following his service, however his father had been a physician in India and education had always been important to the family. He continued to earn his way throughout his undergraduate career at the University of South Carolina. From there, Monty went on to attend Thomas M. Cooley Law School on full scholarship, where he earned his Juris Doctorate. It was there that he first met Nihar Patel, and the two realized they each shared a client-centered philosophy of practicing law.

Following graduation from law school, Monty served as prosecutor with Greenville County Solicitor’s Office. He also worked as a former adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Division at Greenville Technical College.

Monty is a member of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Distinguished Council, the American Association of Justice, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association; and is licensed in the Federal District Court of South Carolina. Among numerous accolades, Monty has been selected for inclusion to the South Carolina Rising Stars for 2012 and 2013; he is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum—awarded for achieving a trial verdict, award or settlement in the amount of $1 million or more; and he was named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 in South Carolina. In 2015 Monty was recognized by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys as ranked among the Top 10 Under 40 for excellence in the field of personal injury.

Attorney Hugh McAngus

Hugh received his BA magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina – Columbia in 2001 and his JD magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina in 2006. He is a Past President of the South Carolina Association for Justice and former Revitalization Board Member of the American Association for Justice. He comes to The Carolina Law Group after fifteen years with a​prominent Midlands firm​, and is licensed in both South Carolina and North Carolina.

The move is a good fit for him and for The Carolina Law Group, says Hugh. “Their footprint in the state combined with my experience in complex civil litigation positions us to be a legal powerhouse in South Carolina​ and beyond ​.”

Attorney Mitchell K. Byrd, Jr.

A Rock Hill native, Mitchell Byrd received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wofford College in 2000. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2004, where he served on the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate, and Trust Journal. He was also an active member of the University of South Carolina Moot Court Bar. His father is an attorney as was his grandfather, so practicing law is in his blood.

Since being sworn into the South Carolina Bar in 2004, Mitchell has focused on litigation, within the criminal justice system as an economics crime prosecutor for the Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and also within the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation system. He is a member of the Greenville County Bar Association and the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce. In 2014, he was selected as a member of the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Leadership Academy.