Bond Lawyer Margaret Pope Honored with Leadership Award

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BRADENTON, Fla. – Margaret Pope, co-founder of the law firm Pope Zeigler LLC, received a 2013 Leadership in Law award recently.

Pope is among 24 attorneys in South Carolina recognized by the annual awards program, which spotlights “those within the legal community who work to better the legal profession through mentoring and involvement within their community, as well as going above and beyond in their work.”

Award recipients were nominated by peers in the legal profession and selected by a panel of judges. The program is sponsored annually by the South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, a print and digital newspaper.

Pope co-founded Pope Zeigler in 2008. The firm specializes in public finance, government, and utilities law. She is a former partner with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA.

“After I graduated from college with majors in history and political science, my father asked me ‘what is your plan?’” Pope said. “I could not have dreamed that could have led so many years later to such a rewarding career in the law.”

The late Huger Sinkler in Charleston mentored Pope in public finance law, where she began to enjoy the profession, she said.

“My career in public finance has given me the unique opportunity to help public entities around the state develop and thrive, and I’ve been able to be a small part of South Carolina history as a result,” said Pope.

She received a degree in political science from Emory University and a law degree from the University of South Carolina.

Pope is a member of the board of directors and past president of the American College of Bond Counsel, past chair of the South Carolina Commission on Women, and a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers.

She also serves on the boards for the Governor’s School for the Arts Foundation and the Historic Columbia Foundation. She is president and founding member of The Crescent Society, a group dedicated to “recognizing and inspiring leadership excellence in South Carolina women.”

Pope Zeigler has served as bond or underwriters’ counsel on transactions with combined par amount of $5.52 billion since the firm’s inception in 2008, according to Thomson Reuters. The law firm has offices in Columbia, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C.

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