Name Organization Speaking At
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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Brittany Holmes
Brittany Holmes Law
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Ernest Jarrett
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.
S.C. Judicial Branch
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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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Jessica Christophillis
Jessica Christophillis is a partner at Christophillis & Gallivan in Greenville, South Carolina. Jessica focuses her practice predominately on divorce cases involving high net worth estates, alimony issues, business valuation issues, and other complex equitable division cases. Jessica is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where she earned her J.D. and B.S. in accounting. Jessica also attended Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois where she earned her L.L.M. in taxation. Prior to starting her firm, Jessica worked at PWC where she focused on tax compliance and planning for individuals, LLCs, partnerships, and corporations. Jessica is a Certified Family Court Mediator. She is also a graduate of the Houston Family Law Trial Institute and has been named as Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite of the Upstate in Family Law for the past 5 years. Jessica is the author of the article "What to Expect When Expecting Marital Litigation: Protecting Assets with Beneficiary Interest in a Divorce or Separate Support and Maintenance Action" published in the SC Lawyer in July 2017. Jessica currently serves on the Upstate Mediation Board and Artisphere board both in Greenville, SC. Jessica and her husband Cory live in Greenville with their six-year-old twin boys.
Christophillis & Gallivan, P.A.
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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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Katherine Tiffany
Judge Tiffany was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina and was raised in Gaffney, South Carolina. After graduating from Spartanburg Day School, Judge Tiffany attended the University of South Carolina Honors College, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She graduated in 1992 Magna Cum Laude with a Major in English and a minor in South Carolina Studies, and then attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating in 1995 and becoming the fourth generation in her family to enter the practice of law.
From 1995 to 1996, she clerked for the Honorable Henry Floyd, then Circuit Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. In 1996 she joined Carter, Smith, Merriam, Rogers & Traxler, P.A. as an Associate, and then became partner in 2006. During her twenty years of private practice, she focused almost exclusively on family court with an emphasis on custody, support and complex issues both in her practice and as presenter at numerous continuing legal education seminars. From 2009 to 2016 she served as a member of the South Carolina Bar Family Law Council, serving as Co Course Planner for the Family Law Intensive CLE in 2011 and 2013, and as Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair Elect.
Judge Tiffany is married Peter Clifford Tiffany, a native of Aiken, South Carolina.
On May 25, 2016 Judge Tiffany was elected to succeed the late Honorable Harry L. Phillips as Judge of the Family Court, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.
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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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Michael Abro
Michael Abro is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the South Carolina Bar's Lawyers Helping Lawyers. She is also an adjunct professor of law. Michael began her legal career practicing law in a small firm. Before attending law school, she worked as a mental health counselor in community mental health settings in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and California. Michael earned a law degree from the Charleston School of Law, an Educational Specialist Master's Degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina.
Michael develops curriculum for and provides continuing education seminars related to Substance Abuse and Mental Health topics. She teaches classes on the topic of developing professional identity and the connection between identity and wellness. Michael also has experience with developing critical practice skill curriculum modules for the legal profession. In addition, she is trained in family and civil court mediation, as an attorney guardian ad litem, and in collaborative law.
Michael is licensed to practice law in the State Court of South Carolina, the Federal District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has passed the examinations for licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). (Completion of supervision hours needed prior to full LMFT and LPC licensure.) She is a member of the American Bar Association, South Carolina Bar, and the Charleston County Bar Association.
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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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