The Riders Law Group team serves the community with top-notch, detail-oriented legal services that achieve life-changing, truly transformative results, while remaining focused on providing the utmost client experience.
We are a highly-skilled legal team that advocates for our clients. We’ve obtained notable results and accolades by prioritizing local, personalized case management and impassioned representation for our clients.
Your Riders Law Group Team
Christopher Pracht
Owner/Attorney
College of Charleston, University of South Carolina School of Law
Christopher Pracht is a native South Carolinian born in Anderson, South Carolina. After graduating from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, where he lettered in football and was captain of the track team, Christopher received his BA in Political Science from the College of Charleston. During his undergraduate studies, Christopher worked for the renowned South Carolina trial lawyer and retired Chief Justice of the SC Court of Appeals, Alex Sanders. Christopher’s time with Judge Sanders inspired him to become a lawyer and represent hard-working people.
Christopher is a 2008 Cum Laude Honor Graduate from the Charleston School of Law. There he served as an Associate Articles editor on the Charleston Law Review, Co-Chair of the Student Bar Association Elections Committee, and was an active member of the Student Trial Lawyers Association. Upon graduation, Christopher received the Law School’s pro-bono award given to students who rendered over one hundred and fifty hours of pro-bono legal service to the community while in law school. Christopher spent a summer interning for Federal Judge P. Michael Duffy of Charleston. There he learned the basics of practicing law in Federal Court. Christopher also has experience working with a large litigation firm as he worked as a summer associate at Young, Clement, Rivers LLP.
After graduation, Christopher returned to his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina, where he served as Clerk for the Honorable J. Cordell Maddox. During his clerkship, Christopher assisted and observed numerous criminal and civil trials, guilty pleas, probation revocations, and non-jury hearings.
In 2009, Christopher opened the law practice of Pracht Injury Lawyers in Anderson, South Carolina. Since then, he has successfully litigated wrongful death cases, serious and catastrophic injury cases, Will and Estate challenges, criminal defense matters, and drug cases. He specifically represents people who have suffered the loss of a loved one due to the wrong-doing of a person or corporation, folks terribly killed or injured in trucking or motorcycle crashes, individuals facing state or federal criminal charges, and parties involved in Probate fights over the Estate of a loved one. He handles these cases in Greenville, Greenwood, Abbeville, Clemson, Seneca, Easley, Laurens, Spartanburg, Columbia, Aiken, Newberry, Charleston, and Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Christopher has recently been elected as a board member of the South Carolina Justice PAC. In 2015, he joined the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States of which membership is limited to attorneys who have won million-dollar verdicts and settlements. Christopher has been named a Super Lawyer rising star for the years 2016 and 2017 and was awarded the “10 Best Client Satisfaction Award” by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys.
Ryan Huntley
Managing Attorney
Francis Marion University, University of South Carolina School of Law
After graduating from high school in Florence, South Carolina, Ryan attended Francis Marion University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Biology in May 2006. During law school, Ryan served as a legislative intern for a United States Senator. After earning his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in December 2010, he served as the judicial law clerk for the Honorable William H. Seals, Jr. of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.
Upon completing his judicial clerkship, Ryan joined David Aylor Law Offices as an attorney in April 2013. Ryan started the firm’s personal injury practice in 2015 with immediate and remarkable success, leading the department to win the coveted Post & Courier’s award for “Best Personal Injury Attorney” in 2018. Ryan has represented over 1,000 injury clients, including, but not limited to, cases involving truck accidents, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, mass transit accidents, wrongful death cases, dog bite incidents, slip and fall accidents, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries
RECENT RESULTS
$1,175,000 settlement for client injured in a motorcycle accident
$1,100,000 settlement for a client injured in a ride share accident
$300,000 settlement for client injured in a motorcycle accident
BAR ADMISSIONS
South Carolina
US District Court, District of South Carolina
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
South Carolina Bar
Charleston County Bar Association
South Carolina Association for Justice
PRACTICE AREAS
Personal Injury
Motorcycle Accidents
Auto Accidents
Workers Compensation
Premises Liability
Dog Bite Injuries
Medical Malpractice
Wrongful Death
J. Stephen Schmutz
Special Counsel
University of South Carolina, University of South Carolina School of Law
Steve built a thriving legal practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Schmutz & Schmutz, PA, and is widely recognized as a highly-skilled and well-known trial attorney.
Steve has handled multiple high-profile cases, notably being appointed by three different South Carolina Attorney Generals – Charlie Condon, Henry McMaster and Alan Wilson – to represent the State of South Carolina in the Tobacco, Pharmaceutical and Opioid lawsuits.
Steve represented a Colombian Cartel Defendant in the largest cocaine importation case in the history of the State of South Carolina.
Steve represented a prominent lobbyist in the largest public corruption case in the history of the State of South Carolina.
Steve has represented clients throughout the United States in federal and state courts – in West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Iowa, Oklahoma and St. Thomas.
Steve has successfully represented multiple Felony DUI clients.
David Aylor
In Memoriam
College of Charleston, University of South Carolina School of Law
David Fletcher Aylor was a graduate of the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He clerked for the SC Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Glenn McConnell, for U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert S. Carr, as well as attorney Andrew J. Savage III in Charleston. David then began his legal career serving as an Assistant Solicitor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office for Charleston County. In 2009, David founded his law firm, David Aylor Law Offices, which he grew over the years to a team of 22 staff members and six locations around the state of South Carolina. Through this firm, he and his staff of attorneys served over 10,000 clients in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and beyond. From his love of motorcycles, David also established Riders Law Group to provide representation for injured motorcyclists.
In the courtroom, David was known as a well-respected trial attorney. Two of his trials were featured in Dateline NBC episodes, and his high-profile casework has been covered in countless other media outlets at the local and national level. David was a regular guest on radio and TV news stations, where he provided insight into current legal issues, as well as offered free legal advice to callers live on the air. Outside of running his law practice, David taught Criminal Justice as an adjunct professor at College of Charleston and Trident Technical College and was appointed acting Prosecutor for the City of Hanahan. David also had a passion for helping others and giving back to the community. He volunteered with and supported many organizations including, but not limited to, Going Places, Communities In Schools of South Carolina, Be a Mentor, Charleston Animal Society, Charleston Hispanic Association, Boy Scouts of America, Birthdays For All, Push-Up & Up, Toys for Tots, and so many more.
Levi Miles
Client Services Manager
Spartanburg Methodist College, College of Charleston
My ride of choice: Indian Challenger
Levi is our firm’s Client Services Manager who works closely with our attorneys from beginning to end to ensure that all clients are provided with an excellent and consistent client experience at every stage of their case.
Levi is a United States Veteran and started his career serving our country in the 82nd Airborne division of the United States Army. Upon leaving the Army, Levi began his legal career working as an investigator with David Aylor Law Offices in 2010. Levi assisted David in trial preparation for many high-profile criminal cases that have been referenced in numerous publications and media outlets. Levi’s stellar services were also an asset to the personal injury department of the firm, where he worked alongside the team in investigations of auto and motorcycle accidents.
Levi was instrumental in founding the popular Riders Law Group Bike Nights and Rolling Bike Nights in coastal South Carolina where 100’s of riders of every style gather each month from March – October for community and entertainment, including charity drives and raffle events. As our firm’s Client Services Manager, Levi makes it his personal mission to provide exceptional customer service and support to all persons in need of representation.
Jene “Smiley” Gilchrist
Riders’ Outreach Coordinator
Ride of Choice: Harley Street Glide
Smiley is our firm’s Riders Outreach Coordinator focused on reaching and cultivating relationships with motorcyclists in South Carolina.
Smiley is a United States Veteran having recently served in Iraq as a Field Engineer for the United States Army.
Upon returning from Iraq, he founded the Lowcountry Rider, an online magazine that provides motorcyclists with resources such as events, tech tips and popular motorcycle routes.
Smiley has logged more than 50,000 miles on his motorcycle of choice – his Harley Street Glide – providing marketing and outreach services at some of the largest motorcycle rallies around the country. In addition to his outreach activities, Smiley works alongside our Client Services Manager in marketing and hosting the popular Riders Law Group Bike Nights and Rolling Bike Nights in coastal South Carolina where 100’s of riders of every style gather each month from March – October for community and entertainment, including charity drives and raffle events. Smiley is proud to be a member of the Riders Law Group Team to promote safety awareness and community outreach for our South Carolina motorcyclists.
Katherine Huntley
Office Manager
Francis Marion University
Katie is our Office Manager supervising firm operations, managing support staff and overseeing administrative functions within the firm. Upon graduation from Francis Marion University with a BBA in Finance, she started her career working in the banking industry before moving into the legal sector, where she worked for over 10 years with a large regional law firm before leaving in 2017 to start and manage a successful corporate law firm in Mount Pleasant. Katie is a highly organized and dedicated office manager that takes great care in making sure that our firm runs smoothly, and our talented team is provided with the resources that they need to provide excellent representation for our clients.
Alyssa Caruso
Senior Civil Paralegal
College of Charleston
Alyssa is our Senior Civil Paralegal who focuses on personal injury, motorcycle accidents and workers compensation cases. She started her legal career working at David Aylor Law Offices as an intern in the fall of 2016. Upon graduating from the College of Charleston with a BS in Sociology and minors in Psychology and Crime, Law & Society, she began working full-time with the firm’s civil department.
As our Senior Civil Paralegal, Alyssa handles all elements of a personal injury case from facilitating treatment for injuries, requesting and gathering medical records, litigation support, and settlement of cases. She has assisted the Managing Attorney in settling numerous cases involving significant injuries, including but not limited to, truck accidents, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, mass transit accidents, wrongful death cases, dog bite incidents, slip and fall accidents, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Alyssa is a valued member of our team and is widely recognized for her considerable multitasking skills and superior customer service. She is also qualified as a South Carolina Notary Public.
Sarah Kvestad
Accounting Business Manager
College of Charleston
Sarah is our Accounting Business Manager handling all financial matters for our firm, including ensuring that all settlements are timely disbursed for our clients. Upon graduation from the College of Charleston with a BBA in Business Administration and Hospitality & Tourism Management, she started her career working at David Aylor Law Offices as a receptionist in the fall of 2012 and was promoted to the firm’s office manager in 2017. Sarah is a highly-skilled asset to our firm and works closely with our management team in overseeing trust accounting, accounts payable, payroll accounting, financial reporting and reconciliation, and generally overseeing all financial relationships for our firm.