Well-known Charleston lawyer David Aylor dies at 41

David Aylor, a well-known Charleston attorney, died Monday at his home, the Charleston County Coroner’s Office said.

Aylor was 41.

A cause and manner of death was not immediately available. No further information about Aylor’s death was immediately available.

“David was known for his generous and helpful spirit. He cared deeply for his employees and clients. He treated us all like family. David’s legacy of grit, hard work, and community focus remains and will continue to guide us,” Lindsay Johnson, a managing attorney at David Aylor Law Offices, said in a statement on the firm’s website.

“We are all heartbroken to no longer work alongside David, but he left the firm with a strong succession plan and a talented team who will continue providing top notch representation and service to the firm’s clients,” Johnson added.

State Rep. Deon Tedder, a Charleston Democrat who works at Aylor’s law firm, said in a statement, “We are saddened to hear about the passing of our colleague and dear friend, David Aylor. He was truly a gem to the community, a great father and a great attorney!”

Aylor, a personal injury and criminal defense lawyer, led a 22-person staff at his firm, which has offices in Charleston, North Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

Aylor made headlines last year after a dispute surfaced between South Carolina’s U.S. Attorney office and Aylor over the improper disclosure of confidential investigative material. The matter was resolved last month, with federal authorities dropping their request that Aylor be reprimanded.

Aylor publicly acknowledged responsibility after an employee at his firm left confidential material in a secure room at the Charleston County jail.

A three-page settlement document, filed Dec. 19 in federal court, said the government agreed that Aylor did not intend for the material to be disseminated to anyone other than his client, a jail inmate, and that he did not intend for any dissemination of the material to affect witness testimony or put anyone in danger.

Aylor told The State newspaper last month he took responsibility for the action, noting the government’s original allegations of harm being done to investigations “turned out not to be substantiated.”

Aylor said his reputation was hurt because the government could not back up its claim that the inadvertent disclosure of confidential material had specifically led to investigations being compromised or people being harmed.

Just Sunday, Jan. 1, Aylor traded text messages with a reporter with The State, thanking the reporter for their story about federal authorities walking back their charges against him.

“Drinks on me next time I’m in Cola or you come this way!” Aylor texted the reporter. “Thanks so much.”

An online biography for Aylor on the firm’s website said the attorney also worked as the prosecutor for the city of Hanahan, and prior worked as the assistant solicitor in the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for Charleston County. Aylor also clerked for the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee under former state Sen. Glenn McConnell, and clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Carr and criminal attorney Andy Savage, his biography says.

Senior editor Maayan Schechter contributed to this report.

This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 6:42 PM.