Event Information

Addison D. Fender was born and raised in Beaufort, SC.  Graduate of Clemson University and the Charleston School of Law.  Opened The Fender Law Firm in 2010.  Practice is focused on family law, mediation and Guardian ad Litem work for the Family Court, primarily in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. 

Attended the volunteer guardian training during law school and began serving as a volunteer guardian.  This consisted of working with children involved in Charleston County neglect and abuse cases.  Realized the impact that a guardian can have in a child's life and developed a passion for guardian work during this time.  Began working on private cases after admission to the Bar and completing the guardian training.  Guardian work has remained a regular part of my practice.

Member of the South Carolina Bar Association, Beaufort County Bar Association, Hilton Head Bar Association.  Presented at Family Law Essentials the past two years.  Serve on the Board of Directors for Coastal Empire Mental Health Center and National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).
 

Justin M. McGee is an experienced trial attorney, and his practice focuses primarily on Family Law.

Justin graduated from Clemson University in December 2006 and received his Juris Doctor from the Charleston School of Law in December 2009. 

Justin was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in June 2010 and is licensed to practice in both State and Federal Court. He is a member of the McGee Law Finn, LLC in Charleston, South Carolina.

Justin is, and has been, an active member of the South Carolina Bar, American Bar Association and Charleston County Bar Association. 

Justin was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2019. No more than 2.5% of lawyers are named to the Rising Stars lists. Justin was then designed as a 2019 and 2020 Rising Star by Super Lawyers in South Carolina as a practitioner of Family Law.

When Justin is not zealously advocating for his clients, he loves spending time outdoors.

Kenneth Shabel is a 1995 graduate of Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Communications Stuides and English.  He graduated cum laude from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law in 1998.  After 2.5 years with what is now South Carolina Legal Services, he was the lead attorney for Spartanburg County DSS.  He has been in private practice (and served as a Guardian ad Litem) since 2006.  He is the father of two and step-father of two.  Kenneth is also a licensed mediator and former attorney for the Volunteer Guardian ad Litem program. 

Ms. West has practiced solely in the South Carolina Family Court since 2003. Prior to dedicating her practice to family law, she was a general practitioner handling injury and workers’ compensation matters.

Ms. West holds a law degree from the University of Mississippi (2000) and an undergraduate degree from Lander University (1997).   

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.  She serves as a Certified Family Court mediator.  Ms. West is a member of the Lexington County Bar Association (President, 2014), American Bar Association, Family Law Section, South Carolina Association for Justice and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.

Published Opinions:

McComb v. Conard, 394 S.C. 416, 715 S.E.2d 662 (Ct. App. 2011) (Trial Counsel)

Sanderson v. Sanderson, 391 S.C. 249, 705 S.E. 2d 65 (Ct. App. 2010) (Appellate Counsel)

Maria’s practice is focused on the areas of family law, education law, and probate. She is a family court mediator and also serves as a guardian ad litem in both family court and probate court. Maria received her law degree from the Charleston School of Law. During her time there she was honored with the CALI Award of Excellence in the areas of Family Law and Legal Research and Writing and received the Pro Bono Award at graduation for providing more than 100 hours of pro bono legal work. She also served as the Student Chair of the Academic Committee for the law school.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Maria was a practicing Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the Lowcountry. She founded a local company that provides therapy, testing, and psychiatric services for children with severe behavioral and psychological disorders. She received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Chapman University in Orange, California and her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, with a specialization in Marriage & Family Therapy, from Pepperdine University. She went on to complete post-graduate coursework through the University of Texas at Denton in Applied Behavior Analysis, receiving her Board Certification in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2008. In addition to having her own private practice, Maria also worked for Palmetto Behavioral Health for a number of years, serving as one of the supervisors of their MET team (Mobile Evaluation Team), which provided emergency psychological evaluations in several lowcountry Emergency Departments. Maria also taught for the graduate program at the University of West Florida for 2 years as an adjunct professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis and served as a clinical supervisor for individuals pursuing their board certification.

Maria served on the Board of the Walk for Autism-Charleston for many years, serving as the Interim President and as the Secretary.

Maria is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), the Charleston County Bar Association (CBA), Dorchester County Bar Association, Berkeley County Bar Association, South Carolina Bar, the Children’s Law Committee of the South Carolina Bar, the Education Law Committee of the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, the South Carolina Bar’s Ethics Advisory Committee, and the Mediation and Meeting Center of Charleston. She served as Vice President of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Division’s Families with Special Needs and of the American Bar Association and the Vice President of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Division’s Health and Wellness Division from 2019-2020. She is a member of the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates. Maria has been selected as Rising Star by Super Lawyers for 2021.

Dr. Steven Lopez is the chief medical officer for Palmetto Behavioral Health. He completed his residency program in adult psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2000 and completed his fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry in 2001.

He is board certified with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Lopez specializes in treating childhood disorders including autism, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD and medication management.