Name Organization Speaking At
Andrew Potter
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April Sampson
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.
In the summer of 1999, Mrs. Sampson became an Assistant Public Defender with the Richland County Public Defender's Office. She worked there for 6 years and rose to Deputy Chief Public Defender before entering private practice. In private practice, Mrs. Sampson worked for Duff, White, & Turner handling special educations matters and civil litigation for school districts. While working for the Law Office of Richard Beinart, she handled both civil and criminal matters.
In 2003, Mrs. Sampson became an adjunct professor for University of South Carolina in the Department of Criminal Justice, and in 2007, she became an associate professor for South University in the Legal Studies Department.
In 2011, Mrs. Sampson joined the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office, where she worked as an Assistant Solicitor and Team Leader handling the prosecution of defendants charged with major felonies. In January of 2019, she was promoted to Circuit Deputy Solicitor, where, along with handling her own caseload, she assists the Solicitor with managing and overseeing the office and training new assistant solicitors.
During her career, Mrs. Sampson has been a presenter and faculty member for training seminars offered by the National Advocacy Center, the National Criminal Defense College, Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Summary Court Judges' Association, the South Carolina Black Lawyers' Association, the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Solicitor's Association, and the South Carolina Prosecution Commission.
She also participates in the South Carolina Bar's Mentoring Program as a mentor and helps coach mock trial teams at Dutch Fork High School and the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Ashby Jones and Associates LLC
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Ashby Jones
Ashby
Jones is a graduate of Presbyterian College and the University of South
Carolina School of Law. She is the owner
of Ashby Jones and Associates, LLC in Lexington. Ashby’s focus is domestic
litigation, though she has practiced extensively in Circuit Court and is
licensed to practice in the United States District Court and the United States
Supreme Court. Ashby is one of few South
Carolina domestic practitioners admitted as a Fellow in the American Academy of
Matrimonial Lawyers, generally recognized by judges and attorneys as preeminent
family law practitioners with a high level of knowledge, skill and
integrity. Ashby is Board Certified in
the area of Family Law by the National Board of Trial Advocates and in 2022 was
inducted into the charter chapter of the South Carolina Family Law Inn of Court
as a Master. She is the Family Law
Section chair of the South Carolina Association for Justice. Ashby holds an AV Preeminent peer-review
rating from Martindale-Hubbell. She has contributed to the SCAJ journal, The
Bulletin, and the national magazine Family Lawyer. She was appointed by the Chief Justice of the
South Carolina Supreme Court as a Lawyer-Neutral Member of the Commission on
Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2022 and sits on the Advisory Board for the
Lexington District One Center for Law and Global Policy Development. She speaks
regularly at continuing legal education seminars. Ashby has been named one of
the Legal Elite of the Midlands by Columbia Business Monthly and has been a
Super Lawyers Selectee, both on numerous occasions. She has been named as one
of the Best Lawyers in America on three occasions. She is a 2022 recipient of the University of
South Carolina Compleat Lawyer Award, which recognizes alumni for their
outstanding civic and professional accomplishments, significant contributions
to the legal profession, and those who exemplify the highest standards of
professional competence, ethics and integrity.
In April of 2023, Ashby will be named one of the Top 25 Lawyers in South
Carolina by Super Lawyers.
Ashby Jones and Associates LLC
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Barbara Seymour
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.
Clawson & Staubes, LLC
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Brooke Evans
Brooke
Chapman Evans graduated in 2000 from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in Philosophy. She then
obtained her JD from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2003.
Brooke is a founding member of Evans & Turnblad, LLC in Florence, where she
focuses primarily on domestic litigation and serves as a Guardian ad Litem.
After
law school, Brooke served as Circuit Court law clerk to the Honorable John C.
Few, now Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. Upon completing her
clerkship, Brooke entered private practice in Greenville and remained there
until returning home to Florence in 2011. Brooke serves on the Executive
Committee of the Florence County Bar Association, is a member of the South
Carolina Association of Justice, and is a Barrister in the Pee Dee Inn of Court
Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Additionally, Brooke serves on the Board
of Directors for The School Foundation.
Evans & Turnblad, LLC
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Danielle Mitchell
Mitchell Ramseur, LLC
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Harris Williams
Judge H. Bruce Williams was born in Columbia, South Carolina on March 13, 1956. His parents are the late Edna Richardson Harris and the late H. Lanier Williams.
He attended public schools in Columbia and received a bachelor's degree in English and Government in 1978 from Wofford College. While at Wofford, Judge Williams served as President of the Student Body and the student representative to the Board of Trustees. He was selected to the Blue Key Honor Society and the Senior Order of Gnomes. In 1982, he graduated from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law.
After graduation from law school, Judge Williams was in private practice until 1995. During that time, he served as a part-time Associate Town Judge in Irmo, South Carolina for four years (1991-1995). In addition, he served two terms on the Board of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association for the Family Law Section.
Judge Williams was elected to the Fifth Judicial District Family Court in 1995. During his tenure as a family court judge, Judge Williams served as president of the South Carolina Conference of Family Court Judges as well as secretary-treasurer. He has presided over the Richland County Juvenile Drug Court since its inception in January 1997. In 1998 at the Governor's Conference on Youth Crime, he was awarded the Program Achievement Award for Juvenile Drug Court.
Judge Williams also served as President of the Columbia Kiwanis Club. While a member of the Kiwanis Club, he volunteered as the advisor for the Columbia High School Key Club (1983 -1995). In November 2011, the Columbia Urban League presented Judge Williams with the distinguished Ethel M. Bolden Community Service Award.
He received the Richland County Bar Association Matthew J. Perry Civility Award in November 2012. Since 2012, Judge Williams has been an adjunct professor at the USC School of Law. In addition, he has served as faculty for numerous judicial and bar sponsored continuing legal education seminars and programs
Judge Williams was elected to the South Carolina Court of Appeals in May 2004. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar and is admitted to practice in all South Carolina courts as well as the U.S. District Court for South Carolina. He and his wife reside in Columbia and have two daughters. He enjoys golfing, cooking, and experiencing great barbeque from around the country.
S.C. Court of Appeals
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Holly Wall
S.C. Judicial Branch
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James McLaren
Mr. James T. McLaren
maintains a statewide family law practice emphasizing complex marital
litigation in Columbia, South Carolina.
He is a partner in the law firm of McLaren & Lee. He has served the American Academy of
Matrimonial Lawyers in various capacities since becoming a Fellow, including
National President in 2015. He received
the AAML Fellow of the Year from the Academy in 2007 and the AAML
Professionalism Award in 2020. He serves
on various Academy Committees. He has
served on the Board of the AAML Foundation, where he currently serves on the
Advisory Board. For the South Carolina
Chapter of the Academy, he has served as President and National Delegate. He is a Diplomate of the American College of
Family Trial Lawyers and currently serves on the Executive Committee. He is a Fellow of the International Academy
of Family Lawyers. He is currently the South Carolina Chapter President for the
International Network of Boutique Law Firms.
He currently serves on the South Carolina Bar Family Law Council and was
appointed to the President’s Task Force on Alimony. Mr. McLaren has been named in the Best
Lawyers in America, Family Law Designation, since 1993, received an “AV”
designation from Martindale Hubbell since 1996, and has been named in the South
Carolina Super Lawyers publication since 2008. He is a contributing author to
the South Carolina Equitable Apportionment Act (§20-7-741, et. seq., S.C. Code
of Laws) and the South Carolina Alimony Statute (§20-3-130, South Carolina Code
of Laws). Mr. McLaren received his undergraduate degree (1973) from the
University of South Carolina and Juris Doctorate degree (1976) from the
University of South Carolina School of Law.
He was admitted to practice in 1976 and has maintained a private
practice in Columbia, South Carolina since that time. He is also admitted to practice in the U.S.
Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, U.S. District Court, South Carolina District,
and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a
frequent speaker on various family law topics for the South Carolina Bar,
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, American Bar Association, South
Carolina Association for Justice and Mandatory Judicial and Continuing Legal
Education Seminars. He has been a faculty member of the ABA/NITA Family Law
Trial Advocacy Institute, offered annually in Boulder, Colorado.
McLaren & Lee
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Jennifer Creech
Ms. Creech is a graduate of Davidson College, and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Prior to law school, she worked as a Child Support Specialist with the South Carolina Department of Social Services and blames that experience for her decision to pursue her Juris Doctorate.
Ms. Creech was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in December 1998 while on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. During her time on active duty, she served as Environmental Counsel for MCB Camp Pendleton, Water Counsel with the Western Area Counsel Office of the Office of General Counsel for the United States Navy, Trial Counsel for MCAS Cherry Point, and Senior Defense Counsel for MCAS Cherry Point. Ms. Creech resigned her commission as a Captain in September 2006 and returned to her home of Rock Hill, South Carolina where she entered private practice as the Law Office of Jennifer M. Ash, LLC (now the Law Office of Jennifer M. Creech, LLC). Since September 2006, her practice is almost exclusively in the area of family law.
While in private practice, Ms. Creech worked as counsel for the York County Department of Social Services and counsel for the York County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program. She currently serves as Assigned Member to investigate as directed by the Chairman of the Resolution of Fee Disputes Board for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Creech is a member of the York County Bar, the South Carolina Bar Family Law division, the ABA Family Law and Solo, Small Firm and General Practice divisions, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association Old English and Military Law divisions. She is a certified Family Court mediator since 2011, and mediations are the highlight of her days.
Ms. Creech was formerly known as Ms. Ash. She is a distracted wife, exhausted mother of two teens, and obnoxiously dedicated to inclusive co-parenting with her former spouse. Somehow, it all works.
Law Office of Jennifer M. Creech, LLC
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Jonathan Lounsberry
Jonathan W. Lounsberry joined KD Trial Lawyers in 2021 and is a member of the firm’s family law team. As a Fellow in the International Academy of Family Lawyers and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, his has extensive experience in complex family court litigation and international family law issues, with a particular focus on international child abduction and cross-border custody issues pursuant to the 1980 Hague Convention.
Jonathan received a B.A. in Philosophy and Political
Science from the University of South Carolina (2006) and his J.D. from the
Charleston School of Law (2009). He is admitted to practice in South Carolina,
the District of South Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit. He has authored and co-authored articles regarding the practice of
family law and the use of technology in litigation for the South Carolina
Lawyer, the ABA Section of Family Law’s Family Advocate, the ABA Section of
Litigation’s Family Law Litigation Newsletter, and the International Academy of
Family Lawyers’ Online News. Jonathan is
also the Principal Editor of the South Carolina Children’s Law Resource Manual
(2014) and Co-Author of Family Law Essentials: A Primer for Private Practice Before
the Family Court in South Carolina (2018), both publications of the SC Bar CLE
Division.
Killoren, Kissinger, Dantin, Denton & Dunham, P.C.
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Marie-Louise Ramsdale
Marie-Louise
is the principal lawyer of Ramsdale Family Law in Mount Pleasant, South
Carolina, and practices solely in the area of family law. A cum laude graduate
of Harvard Law School, she has served as President of the South Carolina Bar
Foundation, as Chair of the South Carolina Bar Family Law Section Council, and
as a member of numerous committees of the South Carolina Bar. Marie-Louise
holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. She is a frequent speaker at legal
education programs on family law issues. She is also working to address
wellness issues for members of the legal profession through the Charleston
County Bar.
Ramsdale Law Firm
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Mary Quindlen
Mary Fran Quindlen holds two bachelor's degrees in History and English from Rutgers University. She received her law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1998, where she was a member of Women in Law and the Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity. Following her admission to the South Carolina Bar, Mary Fran practiced as a Marine Corps Judge Advocate serving as a Legal Assistance Attorney and Defense Counsel. She continued to serve in the United States Marine Corps Reserve until May of 2006 when she resigned her commission as a Major. After her release from active duty in 2002, Mary Fran became an Associate at Harvey & Battey, P.A. in Beaufort, South Carolina. She worked as their family law practitioner until 2005 when she opened her own practice in Beaufort. Mary Fran's practice is concentrated in the areas of Military and Family Law, to include custody, visitation and divorce. Mary Fran is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the International Academy of Family Lawyers, is a Member of the South Carolina Family Law Council, and serves on the South Carolina Bar's Fee Dispute Resolution Board. Mary Fran has been qualified as an expert in South Carolina Family Courts regarding military matters related to divorce and she teaches military family law CLE's around the country
Quindlen Law Firm, P.A.
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Max Hyde
Hyde Law Firm, P.A.
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Melissa Buckhannon
Judge Melissa J. Buckhannon is a Family
Court Judge of South Carolina for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit having been
elected to the bench by the South Carolina General Assembly in February
2014.
Judge Buckhannon received her Bachelor
of Science degree from Francis Marion University in 1991. She received her
Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in
1994. Upon graduation from the law
school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable James E. Lockemy. Thereafter, she moved to Horry County to
practice law. She practiced in Horry County
from 1995 until her election to the Family Court Bench.
Judge Buckhannon served on the Board of
Trustees for Francis Marion University from 1998 until 2013. She received the Francis Marion University
Alumni Association Professional Industry Achievement Award in 2017 for Public
Service and Law. She received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Francis Marion
University in December 2017.
Judge Buckhannon is a member of the
Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession, and serves on the Family Court
Judges Advisory Committee. She is a founding member and President of the South
Carolina Family Law American Inn of Court.
Judge Buckhannon serves as the Chair for the Family Court New Judge’s
Training Team. Judge Buckhannon also
serves as a mentor to the Coastal Region’s Attorney General’s Sex Trafficking
Task Force.
Judge Buckhannon is a member of the
Horry County Bar Association as well as the South Carolina Bar
Association. She was a member of the
South Carolina Bar Association’s Family Law Council from 2003 until her
election to the bench, serving as Chair of the Council in 2010. She has served as a member of the South
Carolina Attorney Fee Dispute Board as well as the South Carolina Council for
Conflict Resolution. She served as a
member of the Horry County Family Court Executive Committee and well as the
Chair for the annual Horry County Family Court Seminar.
S.C. Family Court
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Michael Gillen
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Michelle Hurley
Entered 7/26/19 by rsg (CLE 19-53)
Hon. Michelle M. Hurley
S.C. Family Court
Judge Michelle M. Hurley was born in Columbia, South Carolina and is a graduate of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Howard University, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, and the University of South Carolina School of Law.
After law school, Michelle served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alison Renee Lee, Circuit Court Judge. Her legal career also includes employment as an attorney for Richland County Department of Social Services, attorney and legal trainer for the Children's Law Center of the University of South Carolina School of Law, assistant director of the DSS Office of Individual & Provider Rights and Administrative Hearings, and associate municipal court judge for the City of Columbia.
Judge Hurley's current and/or past memberships include, the South Carolina Bar Association, the Columbia Lawyers Association, the Black Lawyer's Association, the American Bar Association, and the South Carolina Summary Court Judges Association. She has also served on numerous committees including, the Children's Law Committee, the S.C. Bar's Judicial Qualifications Committee, the Children's Justice Act Task Force, the S.C. Family Court Bench Bar Committee, the School Resource Officer Work Group, the Pro Bono Committee, Advisory Group for Abused and Neglected Delinquent Youth, and the National Judicial Council for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
S.C. Family Court
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Reid Sherard
Reid Sherard leads Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Family Law practice group. He concentrates his time in complex divorce-related litigation, particularly involving significant assets, income, valuation, or other challenging financial issues as well as contested custody matters, interstate and international jurisdiction disputes, and premarital and postnuptial agreements. He enjoys helping individuals find solutions to difficult personal problems, whether through negotiated settlement or in trial. Reid is sensitive to the private nature of the matters he handles and recognizes the importance of each case.
Reid is based in Greenville, his hometown, but practices across
the state. He is frequently requested to speak on family law issues at
statewide seminars.
Reid is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and South Carolina
Super Lawyers (top 25 in the state for 2017, 2018, and 2020, and 2021,
regardless of practice area), and enjoys the AV Preeminent® Rating by
Martindale-Hubbell. Reid’s peers have
recognized him as the top attorney vote getter for Greenville Business Magazine
Legal Elite for six consecutive years.
Reid is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and is
a certified family court mediator. Reid
received both the Distinguished Honors Alumni Award from the USC Honors College
and the USC School of Law’s Compleat Lawyer Award (Silver).
Reid also maintains a litigation and appellate practice. He has tried cases in the family court, federal district and magistrate court, and various state and local courts. He has argued ten appeals, including in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the South Carolina Supreme Court, and the South Carolina Court of Appeals.
Before joining Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, Reid practiced for 15
years at an AmLaw 100 firm. He is a
graduate of the nationally recognized Family Law Trial Institute in Houston,
Texas. Reid commenced his career as a law clerk to the late Hon. G. Ross
Anderson, Jr., U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina.
Reid currently serves as President-Elect of the Greenville County
Bar Association, as the Chair of the 2022 American Heart Association Upstate
Heart Walk, and Member of both the SC Bar Family Law Section Council and House
of Delegates. He previously served as
President of the Board of Directors of A Child’s Haven.
Education:
University of South Carolina School of Law, JD (2004)
University of Aberdeen, Scotland, MLitt, with distinction (2001)
University of South Carolina, Honors College, BA, magna cum laude
(2000)
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA
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Yvonne Murray-Boyles
The Law Office of Yvonne-Murray-Boyles
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Zachary Mueller
Mueller Forensic Accounting, LLC
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