Wilburn Brewer was born on May 15, 1939 to Wilburn Brewer, Sr. and Anne Caroline Chaplin Brewer in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his A.B. in 1963 and L.L.B, magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina. In law school, he was a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe and the South Carolina Law Review.
Mr. Brewer began working at Nexsen Pruet as a law clerk in 1965. He joined as an attorney later that year after passing the Bar, and became a partner in just four years. He served on the firm’s board of directors, chaired the litigation group and also led the firm’s ethics committee. He was known for his commitment to professionalism in the legal field and mentoring young lawyers.
In 2003, the University of South Carolina School of Law honored him with its prestigious Compleat Lawyer Platinum Award, given in recognition of the “competence, ethics, and integrity” he displayed throughout his career. In addition, he was listed in The Best Lawyers in America and legal publishers Chambers & Partners cited him as a “leading individual” in litigation. He had also been appointed to the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession to represent the South Carolina Bar.
He was a member of Shandon Baptist Church and an avid sailor and founding member of the Lake Murray Sailing Club. He also served two terms as president of the South Carolina chapter of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and was a trustee on the national board. He was very active in community services, including serving on the boards of Children’s Chance and Palmetto Legal Services where he also served as president.
He is survived by his wife Margaret Brewer; his children Cameron Brewer Barkley and Steven Wilburn Brewer; his stepchildren Gene Ratliffe and Ann Sommer; grandchildren Sarah, Megan and Keira Barkley and Ryan Ratliffe; his mother Anne Caroline Brewer; and his sisters Mary Ann Olwig and Jane Hart.