Cooper General Counsel McKinney Heads To SC Private Practice

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s legal adviser within state government for several years has returned to a private law practice. A law firm in Greenville, South Carolina, announced on Monday that William McKinney is back with the business he worked at in the 2010s. McKinney was general counsel in the governor’s office since Cooper took his gubernatorial oath in January 2017. McKinney led attorneys who offered legal strategies as Cooper issued executive orders during the COVID-19 pandemic and when he challenged in court legislative actions that lessened his gubernatorial powers. Cooper’s office has not yet named McKinney’s successor.