Event Information

Adam Whitsett is the General Counsel of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.  In that role, he advises SLED on all legal matters, including criminal investigations and civil litigation.  He is a former Assistant Attorney General with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office where he worked in the civil division and represented the State of South Carolina, various state agencies, judges, and other entities on civil and regulatory litigation matters and appeals throughout the state.  Adam has presented at numerous CLEs around the state on various topics, including expungements, FOIA, interrogations, sex offender registration, special searches, and gaming machine litigation.  Before the Attorney General's Office, Adam was a litigator at The Finney Law Firm, Inc.  Adam graduated from The Citadel and obtained his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  

Amie L. Clifford serves as General Counsel and Director of Education Services for the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination. Her responsibilities include providing legal advice and services to the Commission and, upon request, the Solicitors and their staff; the planning, implementation and management of educational programs for state and local prosecutors; making presentations on various topics; monitoring and analyzing appellate opinions and rule changes; monitoring, analyzing and, as needed, drafting legislation; and special projects, including preparation of amicus briefs.

Prior to joining the Commission in November 2007, she was employed by the National District Attorneys Association as the Director of the National Center for Prosecution Ethics and as an Assistant Director of Programs for the National College of District Attorneys. Immediately prior to joining NDAA/NCDA, she served as a Judicial Fellow (now called Supreme Court Fellow) at the U.S. Sentencing Commission (1999 – 2000), and, before that, as an Assistant Solicitor in the Charleston County Solicitor’s Office (1991 – 1999), Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Section of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office (1984 – 1991), and Staff Attorney with Piedmont Legal Services, Inc. (1983 – 1984). As a volunteer, Ms. Clifford has represented the State in criminal appeals as a Special Assistant Attorney General (2006 – 2010; 2013 – 2018).

She has been involved in organized Bar activities at both the state and national level. Her current service includes Chair of the South Carolina Bar Ethics Advisory Committee, Immediate Past-Chair of the Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section, Member of the South Caroling Bar House of Delegates, Member of the Professional Responsibility Committee, Member of the Practice and Procedure Committee, and Volunteer, Fee Dispute Board. Her past Bar services includes service as President of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association (1999; 2019), President of the South Carolina Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (2001 – 2002), President of the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division (1992 – 1993), Chair of the South Carolina Bar Criminal Law Section (1991 – 1992), Chair of the South Carolina Bar Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section (2003 – 2004; 2021 – 2022), and member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility (2005 – 2008), and Council member of the ABA Criminal Justice Section (1995 – 1998). She is also a Fellow of the National Institute for the Teaching of Ethics and Professionalism (Inaugural Group) (2005). Since 1985, she has participated in CLE trainings conducted by the South Carolina Bar, the ABA, and other organizations. Ms. Clifford has served as a contributing author for publications of the South Carolina Bar (South Carolina Jurisprudence and South Carolina Criminal Trial Techniques Handbook), the ABA (The Fourth Amendment Handbook: A Chronological Survey of Supreme Court Decisions (2nd ed.) (published in October 2002 by the ABA, for which she also served as co-editor), and the National District Attorneys Association (Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Guide to Ethics and Civil Liability (2nd ed. 2007 NDAA) (also served as editor) and Managing Prosecutors (2007 NDAA)).

Ms. Clifford received her Bachelor of Arts degree (French) from Northwestern State University of Louisiana (at the age of 19) and her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in May 1982 (at the age of 22). She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November of that same year.

April Sampson graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1995 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1998. She became a member of the South Carolina Bar in November of 1998. Mrs. Sampson began her legal career with Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities where she handled legal matters for those with physical and mental disabilities.

Barbara Seymour represents lawyers, law firms, judges, and law students in matters related to ethics, professional discipline, and Bar admissions at Clawson & Staubes, LLC. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1990 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia in 1993. Barbara worked as a trial lawyer until 2000 when she joined the staff of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel. She served as the Deputy Disciplinary Counsel from 2007 until 2017. Barbara is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the State Bar of Georgia, the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. She currently serves on the Law Related Education, Professional Responsibility, Unauthorized Practice of Law, and Diversity Committees at the South Carolina Bar. She was a 2006 and 2011 Fellow of the National Institute for the Teaching of Ethics and Professionalism. She is the author of Trust Accounting for South Carolina Lawyers: An Annotated Practice Manual, published by the SC Bar. She has also taught a variety of Paralegal Studies courses for the past twenty-five years.

 Mr. Barnette is the Solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor Office, which consists of Spartanburg and Cherokee County since February 2011. He was the Principal Deputy Solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit from January 2001 to February 2011. He was a Spartanburg County Magistrate Court Judge from July 1996 to January 2001. He was an Assistant Solicitor from January 1991 to July 1996. He was in private practice from June 1990 to January 1991 in Easley, South Carolina. He also taught Chemistry and Physical Science at Travelers Rest High School from August 1988 to June 1990. He graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1988 with a J.D. Degree. He graduated from Marshall University in 1985 and received a B.A. Degree in Education with specializations in Chemistry and General Science. He received the 2006 Ernest F. Hollings Award for Excellence in state prosecution that is his profession's top honor in the State of South Carolina. He received an Outstanding Traffic Safety Prosecutor Award from the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators in 2006. He received the 2007 Prosecutor of the Year Award from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. He received the 2010 Criminal Justice Award from the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network (SCV AN) for his work with crime victims and their families. He received the 2013 Solicitor of the Year Award from the South Carolina Victim Advocate Association (SCLEV A). He has taught numerous classes, seminars, and presentations through South Carolina and the Southeast. He has taught Evidence Law and DUI Law at the South Carolina Magistrate Court Orientation School and training seminars (1997-2011). He done presentations at the Death Penalty sections and training (2004-2016) and Driving section (1991- 2016) at the South Carolina Solicitor's Conferences and Training Sessions. He has made a presentation at Southeast Law Enforcement Training at Lawrenceburg, Tennessee in 2005. He received an award from MADD in 1996 for his traffic prosecution in the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He received the Spartanburg Optimist Club Award for Outstanding Prosecution in 2002. He was a contributing author in Handling Traffic Cases in South Carolina, 4^th Edition (2005) and 5th Edition (2012). He also has produced the Case Law on Driving Cases in South Carolina booklet for several years for judges, attorneys, and law enforcement officers through South Carolina. In his position of Spartanburg County Magistrate Court Judge, he heard over a hundred jury trials including civil and criminal matters. He also heard hundreds of non-jury trials including civil and criminal matters. He was on the Commission of Judicial Conduct for the State of South Carolina involving discipline matters involving judges of all levels from 1997 to 2001. He is also a member of the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination (SCCPC). In his position of Assistant Solicitor, Principal Deputy Solicitor, and Solicitor in the Seventh Judicial Circuit, he has prosecuted hundreds of cases and handled over one hundred trials over all types ranging from DUI to Death Penalty cases.

BAR ADMISSION: South Carolina (2000). PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Lawyer, Harvey, Casterline & Vallini, L.L.P. (2000 - 2007); Program Manager & Legal Counsel, S.C. Budget & Control Board (2007 - 2012); Senior Budget Analyst & General Counsel, S.C. Senate Finance Committee (2012 - 2018); and Executive Director, South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination (2018 -Present). CURRENT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: Member, National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators; and Member, National Conference of State Legislatures.

Mark was born in Statesville, North Carolina, moved to Greer, South Carolina, when he was in elementary school, and has remained in South Carolina ever since.  Mark attended Wofford College for his undergraduate degree and the Charleston School of Law for his law degree.  Following law school, Mark clerked for the Honorable Ralph King Anderson, Jr. at the South Carolina Court of Appeals, and he continued to do so when Judge Anderson returned to the circuit court bench as a retired active judge.  Mark then began working as an Assistant Attorney General in the criminal appeals division of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, where he continues to work today as a Senior Assistant Attorney General.  He has been admitted to practice in all South Carolina state courts, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.  To date, Mark has argued over fifty times in the South Carolina Supreme Court and over ninety times in the South Carolina Court of Appeals.  Additionally, Mark has served as a member of the Chief Justice’s Committee to Review South Carolina Appellate Court Rules and of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office’s Appellate Review Committee, and he was the recipient of 2020 Trial and Appellate Advocacy Award from the South Carolina Bar Trial and Appellate Advocacy Council. 

EDUCATION:
B.A. (Political Science and Psychology), The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (2008).
J.D. Magna Cum Laude, Charleston School of Law, Charleston, South Carolina (2011).

BAR ADMISSIONS:
South Carolina (2011); North Carolina (2012); United States District Court for the District of South Carolina; and Supreme Court of the United States.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Law Clerk to the Honorable Eugene C. Griffith, Jr., South Carolina Judicial Branch (2011 – 2012); South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, Columbia, South Carolina: Assistant Attorney General (Post-Conviction Relief Section, 2012 – 2014), Assistant Attorney General (Criminal Appeals Section, 2014 – 2017), and Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General (Post-Conviction Relief Section, 2017 – 2023); Litigation Associate at Crowe LaFave Garfield & Bagley, Columbia, South Carolina (2023); and Legislative Counsel, South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination, Columbia, South Carolina (2023 – Present).

HONORS:
Recipient of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Star Employee Award (2018); Recipient of the State of South Carolina Decade of Service Award (2021); and Graduate of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Leadership Development Program – Inaugural Class (2022).

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
South Carolina Bar Criminal Practice CLE presenter; South Carolina Solicitors’ Conference presenter.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Member, South Carolina Bar Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section; Member, South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Appellate Review Team (2017-2023); Member, South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Information Technology Steering Committee (2020-2023); and Member, South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Accountability Committee (2021-2023).

Michael H. Lifsey is a 1987 graduate of Clemson University and a 1990 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.  Mike began his legal career with the firm of Strickland, Short, and Keels in Chester, South Carolina.  In 1994 he was appointed Chief Public Defender for Chester County.  Over the course of the next 27 years, he served as either a public defender or a prosecutor for virtually every jurisdiction in York, Chester, and Lancaster counties.  He has been an Assistant Solicitor in both the Sixth and Sixteenth Circuits, an Assistant Public Defender for York County and a prosecutor for the City of Rock Hill.  He was appointed to be the first Circuit Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial Circuit on March 1, 2009 and served in that position until his retirement on June 1, 2021.  After his retirement, Mike began a private practice focused on criminal defense and representing Applicants in Post-Conviction Relief matters.  He is a current member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and currently serves on the South Carolina Board of Law Examiners.  Mike and his wife Melissa reside in Chester, South Carolina.  They were married in 1994 and are the parents of two adult children, Mary Elizabeth and Matthew.

Robert Dudek is the Chief Appellate Defender for the Office of Appellate Defense, a Division of the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Journalism, and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

I graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1984 with a BA in Political Science and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1987 with a Juris Doctor degree. I was licensed to practice law in South Carolina in January of 1988. After years in private practice with an emphasis on criminal defense in State and Federal court, I returned to the 15th Circuit as an Assistant Public Defender in 2009. I was named Chief Public Defender for Georgetown County in April 2012 and maintained that position until I was elected Circuit Public Defender for the 15th Judicial Circuit in July of 2020. I am a board member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Public Defenders. I have been honored over the past 8 years to be a faculty member for the PD 102 and PD 103 trial advocacy training offered by the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense.

William M. Blitch, Jr., JD is currently a Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office and the supervisor of the Office's Criminal Appeals Section.  After graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1998, he began his career in private practice handling real estate and similar matters.  After coming to his senses, he left private practice and joined the South Carolina Court of Appeals as a staff attorney. In May 1999, he began clerking for the Honorable Ralph King Anderson, Jr. of the Court of Appeals.  When his clerkship ended, he became a staff attorney with the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2000.  After two years with the Supreme Court, he returned to the Court of Appeals and became the Deputy Chief Staff Attorney, and later served as the Interim Chief Staff Attorney.  Mr. Blitch joined the South Carolina Attorney General's Office in 2007, where he has handled criminal appeals before both the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court and worked with the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He has participated in over 150 oral arguments at the two appellate courts and written countless briefs. Mr. Blitch has spoken at numerous trainings throughout South Carolina on appellate issues, digital evidence, Fourth Amendment, prosecution of sexual abuse, child abuse, and issues related to ICAC, including at the South Carolina Summary Court Judge's Conference, the South Carolina Solicitor's Conference, and numerous CLE trainings throughout the state.