Event Information

A 2006 graduate of the UNC School of Law, Andrea finds herself getting excited whenever she hears that someone went to Carolina only to ultimately be surprised when she learns that they are in fact referring to the University of South Carolina. But after almost four years in Greenville, she is slowly getting used to it. 

Andrea worked in private practice in North Carolina, Ohio and Texas and represented the City of Austin as an Assistant City Attorney before beginning her current in-house role with JTEKT North America, a manufacturing company specializing in bearings, automotive systems, and high-performance machine tools.  

While she has not yet gotten as involved with the South Carolina Bar as she would like to, she served on the board of the Austin Young Lawyers Association while living in Texas and also participated in a leadership training program with the Cincinnati Bar Association. She recently received her In-House Counsel Certification from the Association of Corporate Counsel's Credentialing Institute.
 

Christy Rogers is a Member at Nexsen Pruet in Columbia, South Carolina where she focuses her practice on employment litigation matters and employment and labor counsel and advice.  

Prior to joining Nexsen Pruet, Christy served as Senior Corporate Counsel for Michelin North America, Inc. where she provided counsel and advice on employment, benefits, and data privacy-related matters for all Michelin operations in the United States.  

Christy received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University, cum laude, and received her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, cum laude. During law school, Christy was a member of the Mock Trial Bar and was selected as a member of the national competition team.  As a result of her advocacy skills, she was awarded the Sherod H. Eadon Scholarship and also served as Chief Justice of the Mock Trial Bar. At graduation, Christy was the recipient of the prestigious Compleat Lawyer Award. 

Upon graduation from law school, Christy served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., Senior U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina. 

Before attending law school, Christy was a litigation paralegal for eight years.  In that capacity she worked on a variety of cases in both state and federal court, assisting with many depositions, hearings, mediations, and trials.  

Christy is the former co-chair of the SC Bar YLD iCivis Committee and serves on the In-House Counsel Committee for the SC Bar. She is a member of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, an invitation-only organization that fosters excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills. In 2019 Christy was the recipient of Clemson University Psychology Department’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Early Career Award.  She was has been recognized as a Legal Elite of South Carolina in Employment Law was listed as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for Employment and Labor in 2021 and 2022.

DR. GREGORY B. ADAMS is Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he taught for 40 years, teaching legal ethics, judicial ethics, law practice technology, contract law, corporate law, antitrust law, and business organizations. He and Dean Gary Moore developed and taught the law school course on Technology and the Practice of Law, which Dean Moore continues to teach.

Dr. Adams holds LL.M. and J.S.D. degrees from Columbia University School of Law and a J.D. and B.S. from LSU. He served for nearly two decades as a member of the South Carolina Bar Professional Responsibility Committee and presented its Report to the House of Delegates on the Adoption of the American Bar Association's Ethics 2000 revisions to the Rules of Professional Conduct. He has served on the A.B.A. Committee on Ethics and Professionalism, Law Practice Division.

Dr. Adams has provided ethical guidance and expertise to hundreds of lawyers and law firms throughout this and other states, including many of the major law firms in South Carolina. He has been recognized by the South Carolina Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and Federal Courts as an expert on lawyers' ethics and duties, legal technology, and business law. Three South Carolina Attorneys General, the South Carolina Secretary of State, the United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have relied upon his expertise to guide and assist them in significant criminal investigations and prosecutions. He has spoken on lawyers' ethics and technology at hundreds of Continuing Legal Education programs including the Legal Ethics and Practice Program of the South Carolina Bar Law Office Management School. 

Jack E. Cohoon is a partner at Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, P.A. He focuses his legal practice on employment law. Prior to joining the firm in January 2020, Jack worked as a legal aid attorney at South Carolina Legal Services for nearly 14 years, where he focused primarily on employment-related legal issues affecting low-income South Carolinians. He is the recipient of Martindale-Hubbells AV Preeminent Rating, the Richland County Bars Civic Star Award for community involvement, and the South Carolina Access to Justice Commissions Ellen Hines Smith Legal Services Attorney of the Year Award.

Jack is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law. He holds a Bachelors degree in History and Political Science from the University of Georgia. When not practicing law, Jack hikes, bikes, and camps with his family and volunteers as a scout leader with his son's scout troop

Admissions

• U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 2007
• South Carolina, 2006

Education

• University of South Carolina School of Law, Juris Doctor
• President, USC Chapter of Just Democracy, an organization of law students dedicated to protecting voting rights
• Research Editor, South Eastern Environmental Law Journal
• University of Georgia, Bachelor of Arts with Honors, History and Political Science

Associations

• South Carolina Bar
• Employment and Labor Law Section
• Continuing Legal Education Planner
• Richland County Bar Association
• Lexington County Bar Association
• Legal Eagles of the Indian Waters Council, Boy Scouts of America

Honors & Awards

• AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, 2021 to present
• Martindale-Hubbell Platinum Client Champion Award, 2022 to present
• Best Lawyers in America, honored in Litigation – Labor and Employment Law, 2022-present; honored in Employment Law – Individuals, 2024-present
• South Carolina Super Lawyers, 2025 to present
• “Legal Elite of the Midlands”, 2020 to present by Columbia Business Monthly in Labor and Employment Law
• Alumnus of the Year, Indian Waters Council of Scouting America, 2024
• Civic Star Award, Richland County Bar Association, 2021
• Cubmaster of the Year, Chinquapin District of the Indian Waters Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2018
• Ellen Hines Smith Legal Services Attorney of the Year, awarded by the South Carolina Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and the South Carolina Bar Foundation, 2012
• South Carolina Legal Services Young Attorney of the Year, 2009

Representative Cases

• Obtained a declaratory judgment finding that the Commission of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs had violated the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act by holding unlawful secret meetings and that the Commission’s vote to terminate the State Director was therefore void.
• Recovered a federal retiree’s disability retirement benefits in an appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
• Led effort to obtain the first-ever vacatur and expungement of a prostitution conviction pursuant to the state’s new Human Trafficking law.
• Reaching a significant settlement in a Title VII case for a client from Venezuela who was discriminated against due to national origin.
• Brought a federal civil rights challenge to a law that required people with certain criminal convictions to pay $50 for reissuance of an ID that was free to everyone else. The state Legislature subsequently removed the fee.
• Obtained a record correction and significant financial settlement in a Fair Credit Reporting Act suit for a client who had been denied a job opportunity due to an erroneous background report.
• Brought a successful administrative challenge to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s practice of listing civil contempt for non-payment of child support on criminal records.
• Obtained reversal and remand in the Court of Appeals of an Administrative Law Court decision in an unemployment benefits case that contained improper findings of fact regarding the timeliness of a worker’s pro se appeal.
• Successfully defended a favorable Administrative Law Court decision before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, preserving a client’s eligibility for unemployment benefits.
• Challenged a discriminatory South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles policy that denied commercial driver’s licenses to legal immigrants, obtaining a license for a client.
• Obtained Court of Appeals affirmance of the family court’s incorporation of a partial settlement agreement, apportionment of a worker’s compensation award, and the valuation of marital property. 

Jenni Dunlap is a Charleston employment attorney who brings more than 20 years of experience and knowledge to her practice. She is a versatile litigator and advisor who handles employment and business disputes in federal and state courts for clients in the manufacturing, technology, health care, banking, and hospitality industries. Jenni also serves as a no-nonsense counselor for businesses who want straightforward, practical advice consistent with their big-picture goals.

Jenni regularly assists businesses regarding all issues related to employment, including drafting employment agreements, handbooks, and policies. She advises on best practices for hiring, background checks, employee classification, performance management, leave issues, internal investigations, wage and hour compliance, workforce reductions, and, most recently, workplace issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenni has served as lead counsel in lawsuits involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation tied to race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, whistleblowing, and veteran status. She has also represented clients in lawsuits involving allegations of wrongful termination, breaches of contract, wage and hour violations, and violations of noncompete, nonsolicitation, and nondisclosure agreements.

Jenni's clients benefit from the variety of cases she has handled. She has developed both a significant grasp of a range of industries and a deep understanding that every case and every client is unique. She tailors her approach in each case to fit each client's business strategy and definition of success. After graduating from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 2000 where she was a managing editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review, Jenni practiced law for two large international firms in Atlanta, Georgia. While in Atlanta, Jenni focused on a wide array of employment and tort matters as well as working on high-profile class action lawsuits. Since moving to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2006, Jenni has continued to handle employment matters in addition to representing clients in general business, unfair trade practice, class action, and tort lawsuits.

EDUCATION
Vanderbilt University - JD, 2000
Southern Methodist University - BA, magna cum laude, 1997


HONORS
· Leadership South Carolina, Class of 2022
· South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2012-2015
· Charleston Regional Business Journal's 40 Under 40, 2013
· Phi Beta Kappa

MEMBERSHIPS
· South Carolina Bar, Employment and Labor Law Section, Chair-Elect,
2021-present, Council, 2017-present
· YWCA of Greater Charleston, Board of Directors, 2017-present, Vice
Chair, 2021-present, Secretary 2019-2021
· Children's Museum of the Lowcountry, Parent Advisory Council, 2016-
2018

Melissa Spence is a partner at Butler Snow, LLP in Charleston, South Carolina, where she is a member of the firm’s labor and employment practice group.  Melissa regularly counsels clients on compliance issues and represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, and in both state and federal court against lawsuits arising under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and FLSA.

Melissa has been recognized for her exemplary work and commitment to the Charleston community with inclusion in the Charleston Regional Business Journal “Forty under 40” list in 2020. She was also named to Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” list for Labor and Employment Law-Management from 2021-2022, a South Carolina Rising Stars honoree from 2016 to 2019, and is a graduate of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Charleston Class of 2019.

Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Wofford College and a Juris Doctorate with honors from Charleston School of Law. In her spare time, she serves as general counsel on the Palmetto Society for Human Resource Management board, board member for the Charleston Forum, and is the CLE coordinator for the employment and labor law section for the South Carolina Bar Association. She is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, Young Lawyer Division of South Carolina Bar Association, Charleston County Bar Association and South Carolina Federal Bar Association chapter.

Samantha Albrecht is an attorney in the Lovely Law Firm’s Goose Creek, South Carolina office. Her passion for justice and commitment to her clients drive her career, making her an invaluable asset to our team. 

With a focus on employment law, Samantha tackles a wide range of issues, including workplace discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, defamation, and more. She also extends her advocacy to civil rights law, frequently taking on Title VII discrimination cases against both public and private employers. Samantha’s work in education law has included representing individuals in cases against colleges and public schools, emphasizing her commitment to ensuring fair and equitable educational environments.

Samantha is a fierce litigator with an unrelenting determination to hold individuals, businesses, and public agencies accountable for their actions. Her dedication to her clients and the pursuit of justice is a testament to her passion for upholding the principles of equality and fairness in the legal arena. 

Before joining The Lovely Law Firm, Samantha spent seven years practicing employment and education law in Columbia, South Carolina. She graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law. 

Samantha is admitted to the bar in South Carolina, North Carolina, and New York, enabling her to extend her legal advocacy across multiple jurisdictions and provide comprehensive support to clients in need. Her diverse background, dedication to her practice, and fervent belief in the power of the law to effect positive change make her a dynamic and valuable advocate.

Beyond her legal pursuits, Samantha’s altruistic spirit shines through her volunteer efforts, whether building schools or combating chemical waste contamination in Nicaragua— Samantha’s volunteer and professional work are an embodiment of her profound commitment to serving others. 

Professional Associations

• South Carolina Bar
  -Young Lawyers Division
• American Bar Association
• Richland County Bar Association
• South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
• South Carolina Association for Justice
• American Association for Justice 

Awards & Honors

• “Legal Elite of the Midlands,” by Columbia Business Monthly in Education and Labor and Employment, 2020 to present
• “Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch,” Labor and Employment Law – Employee, 2024
• South Carolina Young Lawyers Division Star of the Quarter 2018

A long-time resident of Columbia, Sarah Cox focuses her practice on employment law, personal injury, civil rights law and litigation. She also can represent clients in grandparents’ rights cases.

Sarah came to Burnette Shutt & McDaniel as a senior law clerk, working for the firm as she completed her Juris Doctor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. While in law school, Sarah developed an interest in foodborne illness litigation and grandparents’ visitation rights.

As Burnette Shutt & McDaniel’s senior law clerk, she honed her legal skills by conducting research pertaining to employment law, civil rights law, commercial litigation and family law. She also drafted legal pleadings, motions and mediation statements. She helped attorneys prepare for trials, hearings, mediations and other legal proceedings.

She worked at two other Columbia law firms while in law school, serving as a legal assistant and law clerk. Her duties included drafting and editing discovery, motions and other legal documents. She also researched memoranda pertaining to a wide range of issues, including civil litigation, medical malpractice, property law, Social Security disability and personal injury.

Sarah attended the University of South Carolina School of Law for one year, where she also served as a library research assistant.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She studied abroad for a semester in Estonia.

Sarah lives in Columbia with her husband, Matt, and their two children. In her free time, Sarah enjoys exploring South Carolina state parks with her family. 

Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
• South Carolina

Education

• Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2019
• Cum laude graduate
• Dean’s List, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019
• University of South Carolina School of Law, candidate for Juris Doctor, August 2010 to May 2011
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, Spring 2011
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Bachelor of Arts, Liberal Studies, 2010
• Dean’s List, fall 1999, Fall 2008, Spring 2009
• University of Tartu, Tartu Estonia, study abroad, Fall 2001

Associations

• South Carolina Bar
• Employment and Labor Law Section
• South Carolina Association for Justice
• South Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society

Honors & Awards

• American Bar Association, Pro Bono Leader Award, 2020 to present
• Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch,” for Appellate Practice, 2023 to present; Labor and Employment Law – Employee, 2023 to present; Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2023 to present; Civil Rights Law, 2025 to present
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employment and Labor Law, 2022 to present
• “Legal Elite of the Midlands”, 2021 to present, by Columbia Business Monthly

Published Works

“Grandparent and Third Party Visitation Rights: A 50 State Survey,” “Children’s Legal Rights Journal,” Volume 40, Issue 2, December 2020

Tracie Johnson Maurer is a Principal in the Atlanta, Georgia office of Jackson Lewis P.C.  Tracie has more than two decades of successfully litigating and defending employers against various claims of workplace harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination. 

Beyond litigating and defending claims, Tracie brings a wealth of practical knowledge and expertise to her advice and counsel practice from traditional workplace issues to the matters impacting employers in a post-George Floyd era.  Tracie has been a member of Jackson Lewis’ specialty Corporate Diversity Counseling and Workplace Training Practice Groups for several years. Tracie’s experience in these areas allows her to assist employers with the full complement of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion related issues, including conducting trainings on unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, and respectful workplace; creating inclusive cultures and behaviors; enhancing employee engagement and development; as well as best practices for leveraging and implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives in recruiting and elevations. 

Prior to joining the “Bulldawg” nation at the University of Georgia School of Law, Ms. Maurer taught sixth grade in both the Atlanta and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, public school systems.  Outside of her very active law practice, Ms. Maurer is married to a fellow lawyer. She and her husband are the proud parents of a newly teen-aged daughter.

HONORS AND RECOGNITION

Who’s Who in Black Atlanta

Recognized by Best Lawyers (third consecutive year)

EDUCATION

University of Georgia School of Law, J.D., 1996

Order of the Barristers Lumpkin Inn of Court

University of Michigan, A.B., 1986

College of Literature, Science & the Arts (Psychology)