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COLUMBIA, SC – Bill Metzger, a member at Robinson Gray law firm, has received the Crusty Crab Award from Meritas, a global affiliation of the world’s leading independent law firms.

And that’s a good thing. Really.

“Despite the initial perception/humor of its name, it is an honor and I am humbled,” said Metzger. “I know quite personally the prior four recipients and I assure you I don’t come close to their accomplishments and involvement in Meritas.”

The award recognizes a Meritas member lawyer who has made a significant and influential contribution as a member of the Financial Services/Creditors Rights and Bankruptcy Section (CRABS).

Meritas is the premier global network of business law firms with more than 7,000 lawyers in 180+ firms in almost 100 countries and 250 global markets. Robinson Gray is the only Meritas member in South Carolina, and Metzger has been involved in various leadership roles within Meritas for more than 20 years.

The award is presented to a member lawyer who has been actively involved in the Financial Services/CRABS group and contributed to the group’s success by sacrificing time, energy and talent to lay the groundwork for the practice group to become one of the strongest in Meritas. True to the founding name of the group and the fact that the section enjoys a good laugh, the award is known as the “Crusty Crab Award.”

Bill practices primarily in the areas of corporate and commercial workouts, bankruptcy and real estate transactions. He is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law by the S.C. Supreme Court and primarily represents creditors and other parties in real estate development, asset-based financing and other commercial workout and bankruptcy matters. He is also a Certified Mediator in state and federal courts.

In presenting the award to his close friend, Ken Kallish of Minden Gross in Toronto, Canada – a former Chair of Meritas and previous Crusty Crab Award recipient – suggested that Metzger was “too young and cared too much about others to be a ‘Crusty Crab’ but was instead more of a ‘Soft-Shell Crab’.”

But he presented, and Metzger received and accepted, the award anyway.