YOUR CASE IS OUR CAUSE.
Each of Derfner & Altman's three partners have been trial lawyers for 15 to 40+ years, specializing in cases of
  • serious injury and wrongful death actions
  • civil litigation
  • labor and employment law
  • civil rights and discrimination suits
  • constitutional law
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular legal needs and questions.

Significant cases include:
  • Led by partner Jonathan Altman, Derfner & Altman won a $2.6 million settlement for a taxi passenger who was seriously injured by a commercial truck.
  • Led by partner Jonathan Altman, Derfner & Altman won a wrongful death settlement for a family who lost their 13 year-old child to drowning.
  • The NAACP asked Derfner & Altman to fight for the equal treatment of African-American motorcyclists who attend biker weekends in Myrtle Beach. For its work, Derfner & Altman was honored with an award from the Washington Lawyers Committee.
  • Derfner & Altman partner Armand Derfner successfully represented the five longshoremen who became internationally known as the "Charleston 5". The case is chronicled in the book "On the Global Waterfront," Monthly Review Press, 2008, www.ontheglobalwaterfront.org. (Now available on Amazon.)
  • Derfner & Altman represented relatives of the deceased buried in the Scanlonville Cemetery, a historic African-American cemetery that was threatened with demolition. After a six-year case and an intense trial, the courts ordered the cemetery preserved in perpetuity. For its work, Derfner & Altman was honored with an award from the East Cooper Civic Club.
  • Derfner & Altman and the Department of Justice joined forces to combat a discriminatory voting practice in Charleston County - at-large voting districts. After an extensive federal trial and appeal, the courts ordered the voting method changed to single-member districts. In just one election cycle, three new African-Americans were elected to County Council, bringing an overlooked constituency back into county decision-making.