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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Matt Hill, a member of Robinson Gray law firm, has been named the 2026 Lawyer of the Year for Columbia in the area of Banking and Finance Law by The Best Lawyers in America®.

Matt was one of 34 at Robinson Gray recognized on the main Best Lawyers list for 2026, and one of three to receive the Lawyer of the Year designation, which is reserved for individuals with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is named “Lawyer of the Year” in each practice area and location. The location in this case is Columbia.

The other two Robinson Gray attorneys named Lawyers of the Year for 2026 are Cal Watson in Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants, and Paul Hoefer in Litigation – Banking and Finance.

In the main Best Lawyers list, Matt was also honored in the area of Corporate Law.

Matt focuses his practice on the areas of commercial real estate, banking, and finance.

He regularly provides guidance and assistance to clients in all phases of commercial real estate development including site identification and acquisition, construction, financing, leasing, and disposition. In addition to property owners and developers, his clients include national and regional banks that provide credit facilities for the various stages of development. Matt also works with national and local landlords and tenants on multi-tenant and single-tenant leases for industrial facilities, warehouses, retail and office space, shopping centers, and restaurants.

He was honored by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year for 2023 in the same area and has been recognized consistently by Columbia Business Monthly in the ‘Legal Elite of the Midlands.’

Matt serves on the board of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and is a long-time member and past Distinguished President of the Columbia Kiwanis Club.

Best Lawyers in America, used by thousands of lawyers and corporations annually, is presented as a definitive guide to the legal profession nationally.

The recognition is based on peer review. The process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. For more information, go to https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology.

About Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC

Located in the BullStreet District, Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, is a South Carolina law firm that offers a tailored, hands-on approach. It provides business transactional and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts in South Carolina. The firm’s 41 attorneys serve clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals.