Event Information

Allison Dunham has been handling family court cases for over 20 years. A former chairman of the Governor's Youth Council, Allison has developed a keen understanding of what it takes to not only be effective in family court, but to make her clients' lives tolerable as they go through the legal process.
After receiving her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1995, she practiced briefly in a small law firm before joining the Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office, where she was a prosecutor. As a prosecutor, one of her goals was to rehabilitate youthful wrongdoers. She was a member of the Governor's Youth Council in an effort to bring together a variety of community resources to build a coalition that sought to break the cycle of crime.
After four years, she joined the Department of Social Services as a lawyer focusing on protection of children from parents and guardians. She became the managing attorney of the agency's legal department and in 2006 she went into private practice with Killoren, Kissinger, Dantin, Denton and Dunham, P.C.
Dunham describes her practice as one that encompasses almost the full range of family law: divorce, custody and custody modification, child support and child support modification, and division of assets. In addition, she handles DSS actions in Family Court.
 

Ariel W. Townsend, Esq. is in private practice with The Townsend Law Firm, LLC in Orangeburg.  She received a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Media Communications from Hampton University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.  She practices primarily in the areas of Family Law, Personal Injury, and Wills and Estates. She was the first African American President of the Orangeburg County Bar Association. 

She serves as Chairman of the Fee Disputes Board for the First (1st) Judicial Circuit and currently serves on the Supreme Court Board of Arbitrator and Mediator Certification and the Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution. She is a Certified Family Court and Civil Court Mediator, and previous Bar service includes the Judicial Qualification Committee. 

She resides in Orangeburg and is a well-known DIY'er with several (dozens) finished (unfinished) projects to display.  She is Mom to four (4) children: one with 4 legs, two 88-year-olds, and one 24 year old masquerading as a 16 year old.

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.

C. Vance Stricklin, Jr., was elected to fill the unexpired term of the Honorable Dorothy Mobley Jones in February 2020 and sworn in on March 24, 2020. He is a former partner in the Moore Taylor Law Firm, P.A. and served two years as the managing partner. His practice focused primarily on family law, including domestic litigation. Prior to private practice, he was an Assistant Public Defender, primarily representing juveniles in Family Court. He has been practicing in the Family Courts for over 25 years.

• My practice is 100% devoted to domestic litigation and mediation. 
• Licenced South Carolina Family Court Mediator since 2017
• Owner of boutique Family Court law practice since 2014
• Available statewide for mediation

Cindy has been practicing as a Certified Public Accountant for more than 20 years. She leads the DHG Forensics, Valuation and Litigation Services group in Memphis, TN. Prior to Memphis, she was in our Charleston, SC office for more than a decade. She practices in the area of forensic accounting with significant experience in family law consulting and business valuations. Cindy's attention to client service has afforded her opportunities to work with high net worth clients.

She is hired by both plaintiffs and defendants, and is frequently appointed as a joint expert. Cindy is trained in collaborative law and serves as Treasurer for the Memphis Bar Association Family Law Section.

Cindy is qualified as an expert in financial matters by the Chancery Court, Circuit Court and Juvenile Court of Shelby County Tennessee, Chancery Court of Tipton County Tennessee, Charleston County, Beaufort County and Berkeley County Family Courts of South Carolina, Court of Common Pleas of Horry County of South Carolina and Lancaster County Family Court of Pennsylvania.

Judge Ernest J. Jarrett was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. His parents are William “Billy” Jarrett and Mattie “Beezie” Jarrett.” He is married to Josette Jarrett and they have three children, Kyle, Katie and Winston, and one granddaughter, Evie.

Judge Jarrett graduated from Williamsburg Academy in 1985. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wofford College in 1989. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1992.

After graduating from law school, Judge Jarrett moved back to his hometown of Kingstree, South Carolina. He is the former managing partner of Jenkinson, Jarrett and Kellahan, P.A. He spent his 28 years practicing primarily family law. He was selected by his peers as one of the Super Lawyers by Super Lawyer magazine in 2020.

Judge Jarrett has served on the Williamsburg County Bar Association, the Georgetown County Bar Association, the South Carolina Association for Justice, the Family Law Section Council of the South Carolina Bar, the Supreme Court Commission on Docketing – Family Court Committee, the South Carolina Bench-Bar Committee, and the South Carolina Bar Resolution of Fee Disputes Board. In 2018 – 2019, Judge Jarrett was the Chairperson of the Family Law Section Council of the South Carolina Bar.

Judge Jarrett is actively involved in his community. He has been President of Kingstree Rotary, served on the Williamsburg County First Steps Board, and served on the Tri-County Regional Development Board. He is an active member of Kingstree United Methodist Church.

Judge Ernest J. Jarrett was elected to fill the term of the Honorable Gordon B. Jenkinson who retired.

Margie A. Pizarro, Esq., is a native of Walterboro, South Carolina.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clemson University in 1991 and a Master of Education in Divergent Learning from Columbia College in 2002.  Margie spent 12 years as an educator in the Greenville County School District before enrolling at the Charleston of Law where she received her Juris Doctorate as a member of the first graduating class in 2007.

In September 2008, Margie took a giant leap of faith and formed the Pizarro Law Firm, LLC, located in historic downtown Summerville.  Margie believes that by starting her own practice, she could be more effective in helping clients deal with a wide variety of legal issues as the Pizarro Law Firm is a general litigation firm focusing on matters including Family Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Estate Law, and Medical Malpractice.  Since opening its doors, Margie has represented clients in all state and federal courts, and she has helped them successfully navigate their legal issues.   Margie's practice has also taken her to California where she has supported the litigation in celebrity and high-asset family court cases.   Margie is truly realizing her passion for helping clients at all levels of litigation and also in ensuring and protecting their rights.

In October 2024, Margie was appointed as a Dorchester County Magistrate Court Judge.

Margie is a member of the American Bar Association, the Charleston County Bar Association, and the Dorchester County Bar Association.  She is licensed to practice in all South Carolina State and Federal Courts, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and before the Suprem e Court of the United States.  She has numerous board memberships and accolades including:  

Former Member, Board of Trustees, Columbia College (SC)

Former Member, Executive Committee, Charleston County Bar Association

Current Member, James L. Petigru Inn of Court

Former Member, Board of Directors, Dorchester County Habitat for Humanity

Former Member, Board of Directors, South Carolina Women Lawye rs Association (SCWLA)

Former Member, Board of Visitors, Columbia College (SC)

Former Planning Commissioner, Town of Summerville

Former Member, Board of Directors, Summerville Family YMCA

Former Member, Board of Directors, YESCarolina, youth entrepreneurship program

Former Member, Board of Director Children's Museum of the Lowcountry

Former Host, Lowcountry Spotlight, original local television show on WCLN-HD

Charleston Regional Business Journal, 40 Under 40 Winner 2007

Summerville Journal Scene, Women to Watch, Winner 2013

Recipient, Councilman Aaron Brown Award 2019

Margie is married to Laurentiis M. Gaines, S r.  Their blended family of two daughters, five sons, and one granddaughter keeps them quite busy.   

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.

Mindy W. Zimmerman graduated from Chesnee High School in 1998 and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a major in English, from Wofford College in 2001.  While at Wofford, she was a member of Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and the Pre-Law Fraternity.  She received, in 2005, her Master of Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University and in 2006, her Juris Doctor from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, located at Campbell University.     

Judge Zimmerman began her legal career with the Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office, where she handled a wide array of criminal prosecution in both General Sessions and Family Court.  In 2009, she opened the Law Firm of Zimmerman and Shealy, LLC, in the office previously occupied by The Honorable Eugene C. Griffith, prior to his election to the Circuit Bench.  During her time in private practice, she focused on Family Court.  At various points in her career, Judge Zimmerman represented the Department of Social Services, the Guardian ad Litem Program and defendants in DSS actions.  She represented parties to private litigation and juveniles charged with criminal offenses.  She was a certified Guardian ad Litem and a certified Family Court Mediator.     

While in Spartanburg, Judge Zimmerman served as a Board Member for the Spartanburg Downtown Association, from which she received the Jill Plemmons Downtown Pride Award.  After moving to Newberry, South Carolina, Judge Zimmerman joined the Newberry Jaycees, and was recognized by receipt of the Outstanding First Timer Award and Outstanding Young Business Leader Award.  She served as a member of the Board of the Newberry Business Alliance and as the Fund Raising Coordinator for the Newberry County 100th Anniversary Girl Scout Celebration Committee.  She has also been a member of the Chambers of Commerce in both Spartanburg and Newberry Counties.  

R. Jason Hall is a Brookland Cayce Highschool graduate, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, in 1995, and he earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Florida Coastal School of Law, in 2005. Mr. Hall has been an attorney with McDougall, Self, Currence & McLeod, LLP since November 4, 2019. Prior to that Mr. Hall was an attorney and partner with The Hall Law Firm, LLC (f/k/a Hall & Hall Attorneys at Law) from August 2005 to November 2019.  Since being admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2005, Mr. Hall focused his practice primarily in family court and domestic litigation. Mr. Hall is also experienced in representing clients in Criminal Defense matters and representing creditors in the Court of Common Pleas and United States Bankruptcy Courts. Mr. Hall is a member of the Lexington County and Richland County Bar Associations, he served as President of the Lexington County Bar Association in 2010 and he is currently a member of the Lexington County Bar Association Advisory Council. Mr. Hall is licensed in the United States District Court and the United States Bankruptcy Court; and he practices in family courts throughout South Carolina. Mr. Hall is also a member of the Florida Bar.