Robert E. Kneece III

Robert E. Kneece III

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  • 843-576-2829

Robert Kneece practices out of Turner Padget’s Charleston office with a focus on insurance litigation.

His practice includes defending personal injury, trucking accidents, wrongful death, commercial litigation, and other general liability claims. While representing insurance carriers, businesses, and individuals, Robert has obtained successful results in jury trials, including defense verdicts and verdicts well below the last settlement offer. Robert has also procured dismissals with prejudice for clients via summary judgment and motions for dismissal.

Robert has also served as coverage counsel for major domestic and international insurers on numerous matters regarding insurance coverage and bad faith claims. His coverage practice has included prosecuting and defending declaratory judgment actions regarding insurance coverage in both federal and state court.  He has obtained positive results for his clients in both forums, including favorable declarations regarding his clients’ insurance coverage obligations.

Robert has represented a wide variety of commercial clients for premises liability, negligence, and other claims, including representing multiple professional sports teams, amusement parks, gymnasiums, fitness centers, sporting associations, and small businesses. This work has further involved a litany of alleged injuries and environments, including injuries purportedly suffered at festivals, sporting events, and theme parks. In handling such a diverse assortment of cases, Robert has become uniquely equipped to defend and advocate on behalf of his clients, particularly those in the sports and entertainment industries.

Additionally, Robert is well-practiced in defending claims for defamation, breach of contract, unfair trade practices, and claims related to HOA litigation. He has also successfully prosecuted mechanic’s lien and breach of contract claims.  

Robert graduated magna cum laude from the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina. He later obtained his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, where he was named his section’s Outstanding Trial Advocate in the Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques, which is the largest trial advocacy program in the country. While in law school, Robert served as a summer law clerk for United States Magistrate Judge Joseph R. McCrorey and also worked as a summer associate for Turner Padget.

Prior to joining Turner Padget as an attorney, Robert served as a law clerk to the Honorable Paula H. Thomas of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, and later clerked for the Honorable Eugene C. Griffith, Jr., of South Carolina's Eighth Judicial Circuit. In clerking at both the trial and appellate levels, Robert extensively researched and drafted orders and opinions for a variety of civil and criminal cases in South Carolina.

 

  • Reached favorable jury verdicts in several cases representing individuals from the South Carolina Lowcountry and elsewhere
  • Gained successful results in multiple jury trials representing “empty chair” defendants
  • Obtained defense verdicts in a variety of jury trials, involving car accidents, premises liability claims, and personal injury disputes
  • Defended a major insurance carrier during a jury trial and successfully obtained a verdict resulting in no coverage, in a dispute regarding whether an underlying defendant qualified as an insured under the carrier’s policy
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of his insurance client in a coverage/bad faith declaratory judgment action in federal court stemming from an alleged wrongful death
  • Prevailed before the South Carolina Supreme Court on a certified question regarding the witness requirements for recovery against an unknown driver
  • Awarded a dismissal of defamation, negligence, and breach of contract accompanied by a fraudulent act claims on behalf of a small business client
  • Prevailed on dismissing claims against a homeowners association alleging breach of contract and discrimination
  • Emory University School of Law, J.D., 2013
  • University of South Carolina Honors College, Bachelor of Arts in History, 2009
  • South Carolina Bar, 2013
  • United States District Court, District of South Carolina, 2016
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, 2016

Professional or Industry Involvement

  • Charleston County Bar Association, member, 2017 - present
  • American Bar Association, member, 2017 - present
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, member, 2017 – present

Community or Pro Bono Involvement

  • Charleston Young Professionals, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, member, 2017 - present
  • Best Lawyers in America: "Ones to Watch", Personal Injury Litigation: Defendants, 2021-2024