Event Information

Breon C.M. Walker earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a double major in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina Honors College in 2000. She earned her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 2003, where she was the recipient of the Custer Tuggle Award for Excellence in Family Law.

Following her graduation from Emory, Breon clerked for Circuit Court Judge Reginald I. Lloyd in Columbia, S.C. She then practiced in both the civil and criminal divisions of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General. Prior to joining The Stanley Law Group, Breon practiced with a large firm defending insurance carriers and their insureds in personal injury cases.

An experienced speaker, Breon has prepared and presented seminars to clients and colleagues on statutory compliance, case law developments and effective witness preparation.

Breon has been recognized by several organizations for her legal acumen including being recognized as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2012-2019 and a Super Lawyer from 2020-present.  In 2013, Breon was selected by the National Bar Association as one of the “Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40.”  Breon was also selected to the “Under 40 Hotlist” by Benchmark Litigation in 2016.  In 2020, Breon was named an Honoree of the South Carolina Leadership in Law Award by South Carolina Lawyers Weekly. 

Breon is an accomplished courtroom advocate with 15 years of experience as a trial lawyer.

Her areas of practice include:

Professional Memberships

• The South Carolina Bar
• President of the South Carolina Black Lawyers’ Association
• Richland County Bar Association (Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers’ Division from 2009-2014)
• South Carolina Association of Justice
• American Association for Justice
• Columbia (SC) Chapter of The Links, Inc
• Board of Directors of the 701 Center for Contemporary Art – Secretary
• Richland-Lexington Airport Commission
• Leadership Columbia (Class of 2011)

Entered 02-05-2026 by hes

THE HONORABLE DEANDREA GIST BENJAMIN serves as a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  Confirmed to the court on February 9, 2023, to a seat vacated by the Honorable Henry F. Floyd, Judge Benjamin is the second African-American woman and the first person of color from South Carolina to serve on the Fourth Circuit.  A lifelong Columbia native, Judge Benjamin was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1972, where she attended public schools in Richland County, graduating from Columbia High School in 1990.  She graduated from Winthrop University in 1994 with a B.A. in Psychology and received her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1997.

Following law school, Judge Benjamin served as a law clerk for the Honorable L. Casey Manning, resident judge for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, in Columbia, South Carolina.  Following her clerkship, she served as an assistant solicitor in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and as an assistant attorney general and lead VAWA prosecutor for the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General.

In 2001, she joined the Gist Law Firm.  While in private practice, Judge Benjamin was a member of the South Carolina Board of Juvenile Parole, from 2001 to 2004, serving as vice-chair from 2002 to 2003, and served as a municipal court judge for the City of Columbia, from 2004 to 2011.  In 2011, Judge Benjamin was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly as a resident judge for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, covering Richland and Kershaw counties. 

Judge Benjamin has been active in local and national bar associations and other professional organizations, including serving as the District Representative for South Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands for the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and chairing multiple committees in the South Carolina Bar, including the Young Lawyers Division and the Children’s Law Committee.  Judge Benjamin was a member of the South Carolina Bar Board of Governors and the House of Delegates.  Judge Benjamin is a member of the American Bar Association, South Carolina Bar, Richland County Bar Association, South Carolina Black Lawyers Association, and South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.  Judge Benjamin is also a member of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, Federal Judges Association, and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.

Throughout her tenure on the bench, Judge Benjamin has received several awards, including The State newspaper/Columbia Business Journal “20 under 40,” Phenomenal Women’s Award from the Capital City Club, the National Judicial College Making the World a More Just Place Award, the Capital City Classic Award, Richland County School District 2 Black History Month Honoree Award, American Board of Trial Advocates of South Carolina Jurist of the Year Award, South Carolina Black Lawyers Association Matthew J. Perry Distinguished Service Award, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association Jean Galloway Bissell Award, and the Girl Scouts–Mountains to Midlands Women of Distinction Award.

While on the bench and throughout her career, Judge Benjamin has been engaged in community service, including serving as president of the Columbia Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, parliamentarian for the Columbia Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc., board member for Congaree Girl Scouts, and board member of Pathways to Healing.

Lindsay Joyner is a partner in Gallivan White Boyd’s Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, offices.  She received a BBA cum laude, with honors in Economics from the University of Georgia, a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and an I.M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business. Following law school and before joining GWB, she enjoyed her time as a staff attorney for the Supreme Court of South Carolina. She recently celebrated thirteen years at GWB. Currently, her practice places an emphasis on probate and trust litigation and complex business and commercial litigation, including financial institution litigation and professional negligence. She regularly handles matters concerning contractual disputes, business torts, shareholder disputes, and other complex litigation arising out of business transactions. Lindsay also dedicates a portion of her practice to legal malpractice defense. Lindsay has presented matters in these practice areas before both state and federal courts. 

Lindsay appreciates that client service is equally as important as legal skills and knowledge. As a result, Lindsay makes client expectations and satisfaction a central point of her practice. She takes great effort to be accommodating and communicative with her clients at all times. 

Outside of her practice, Lindsay is very active with the South Carolina Bar and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.  She is currently the SC Bar Treasurer, and in May 2026, she will be sworn in as the President-Elect. She is a past chair of the Bar’s Trial and Appellate Advocacy Council. She is a past president of the South Carolina Bar’s Young Lawyers Division and past chair of the South Carolina Bar’s Wellness Committee. Lindsay also served as a Co-Vice Coordinator for ABA Young Lawyers Division’s Fit2Practice initiative during the 2018-2019 year. Lindsay has also held numerous positions with community organizations. For her work for the profession and for the community, Lindsay was honored to receive the ABA’s On The Rise, Top 40 Young Lawyers; the Columbia Metropolitan Magazine’s Capital Young Professional of the Year, and she was part of the Lawyers’ Weekly’s 2018 Leadership in the Law class. Lindsay has also been consistently recognized by Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers.

Lindsay is passionate about health and fitness, having taught a variety of group fitness classes for almost a decade prior to going into private practice. She remains a big proponent of group fitness, running, yoga, and Pilates as a means for mindfulness, stress management, and mental health as well as overall physical wellbeing.