Sonaly K. Hendricks

Sonaly K. Hendricks serves as the senior partner and head of the Construction Litigation Department at Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early LLC in Charleston, South Carolina. Over the past 15 years, she has built a distinguished practice representing builders, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, design professionals and building‐component manufacturers in some of the region’s most challenging disputes.

From multimillion-dollar waterfront condominium complexes and high-rise commercial developments to custom luxury residences, historic renovations, single-family homes, and large multiresidential communities, Ms. Hendricks has guided her clients through every variety of construction defect claim.

South Carolina’s extreme climate, together with its expansive construction statutes and complex insurance-coverage issues, has made it one of the nation’s most active jurisdictions for construction defect litigation – and Ms. Hendricks has become one of its most seasoned advocates. Working alongside leading technical and design experts, she focuses on identifying and defending against alleged design and construction defects across all vertical and horizontal trades and building components.

Ms. Hendricks’ portfolio also includes professional design‐liability matters, the development and manufacture of building materials, homeowner and developer association disputes, construction administration and management claims, delay and scheduling conflicts, and intricate insurance coverage issues.

Having personally litigated more than 150 cases – often against the same plaintiff attorneys on multiple occasions – Ms. Hendricks possesses an intimate grasp of the technical, regulatory and legal nuances that these disputes entail. Under her leadership, the firm’s team of associates and paralegals, supported by an experienced administrative staff, delivers efficient, cost-effective representation that aligns with carrier-billing protocols and best‐practice guidelines.

An academic scholar, Ms. Hendricks earned her J.D. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998. She began her career in Denver, practicing commercial litigation, products liability and appellate work after admission to the Colorado Bar Association (CBA). In 2003, she joined the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and continued her commercial litigation practice in Seattle.

In 2006, Ms. Hendricks relocated to Charleston and became a partner at Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early LLC, where she now leads the construction litigation group. She holds membership in the CBA, the WSBA and the South Carolina Bar Association.