Event Information

Almand James Barron received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1998. Ms. Barron is also a member of the Richland County Bar Association, Lexington County Bar Association and the South Carolina Women's Law Association. She is a Fellow in the South Carolina Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is Board Certified in Family Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. She has served on the Children's Committee, Professional Responsibility, Ethics Advisory, Judicial Qualifications and the Conventions Committee for the South Carolina Bar.

Judge Taylor graduated from Sumter High School as an honor graduate in 1976. After graduating from high school, Judge Taylor attended the University of South Carolina where she majored in Government and International Studies. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Judge Taylor attended the University of South Carolina School of Law where she received her Juris Doctorate in 1983.

Judge Taylor was first employed as a Reginald Heber Smith Community Law Fellow at Three Rivers Legal Services in Lake City, Florida. She remained in Lake City for one year. She was then employed at the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program in Conway, South Carolina from 1984 until 1985. In 1985, Judge Taylor was employed as the first full time Family Court Assistant Solicitor for the Third Judicial Circuit.  In that capacity, she prosecuted juvenile cases in Sumter, Lee and Clarendon Counties. She was also responsible for the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases for the Department of Social Services in those counties as well. Judge Taylor continued to serve as a full time Assistant Solicitor responsible for the juvenile prosecutions until 1987 when she changed her status to a part time juvenile prosecutor. She has continued to serve as a juvenile prosecutor from 1987 until present. Judge Taylor also served as the attorney for the Department of Social Services; first as a full time Assistant Solicitor and then as a contract attorney for the Department of Social Services until 2005. She worked as an associate in the Law Office of Larry C. Weston from 1987 until 1997. In 1997, she opened her own practice where she is a solo practitioner. In her practice, she handled primarily family law cases. Judge Taylor has been the recipient of several awards to include the Tribute to Women in Industry in 1987; the Compleat Lawyer Award in 1997; The American Society on the Abuse of Children, Legal Award in 2001 and The James T. McCain Humanitarian Award in 2001.

Judge Taylor has served on several committees in her community to include the Sumter County Alliance of Law Enforcement, Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, Young Lawyer's Domestic Violence Committee, Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Board of Directors of the United Way, the South Carolina Bar Foundation and the Mid-Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Judge Taylor is a member of Mt. Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church. She sings on the Gospel Choir, serves as a Steward.

In her free time, Judge Taylor enjoys reading, movies and gardening. She aspires to become a Master Gardener upon her retirement.

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.

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.

Jessica has been licensed in South Carolina since 2011. In 2008, she received her bachelor’s degree in science and business administration from the University of South Carolina, Aiken. She graduated from the Charlotte School of Law in 2011, where she was on the editorial board of the Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Crown. After becoming licensed to practice Law in South Carolina that same year, Jessica worked as a fellow for South Carolina Legal Services. In 2012, she opened Brilhante Law Office, LLC in Bluffton, South Carolina. Before relocating to Aiken in 2015, Jessica served as the leader of the Sea Island Region of South Carolina Women in Law Association. Jessica is married to Justin McKinney of Aiken; South Carolina and they have three daughters together.

Areas of law: family law, guardianships & conservatorships, DSS matters, estate administration and mediation.

M. J. Goodwin has practiced law in Anderson County, South Carolina since 1991. M. J. Goodwin is a 1987 graduate of Clemson University.  She graduated from the School of Law at the University of South Carolina in 1991.  She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar that same year.  She began her career in Anderson as a prosecutor with the Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.  After establishing herself as familiar figure in the Family and Criminal Courtrooms in Anderson, she opened her own firm in 1994.   M. J. Goodwin believes that everyone should have competent, zealous representation when facing any situation involving a Court.  Family Court is the most emotional, stressful Court that any litigant can face.  Probate Court presents similar challenges.  It is crucial to have an experienced attorney who can give solid legal advice and temper it with common sense.   Ms. Goodwin has served as Guardian ad Litem in over 1500 Family Court matters.

Megan was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, and 2025. After growing up in Berkeley County, Megan graduated from the College of Charleston and the Charleston School of Law. Megan has spent her entire career focused on Family Court cases, and she has maintained a blog about South Carolina Family Court, which can be accessed here.

While pursuing her education, Megan completed courses in public relations, marketing, family and relationship communications and functioning, social systems, cultural norms, history and development of child welfare policy, and child development and education. Megan’s education is the foundation for how she develops strategies in complex divorce cases and child custody disputes.

Between 2012 and 2016, Megan served on the Charleston School of Law Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.  For the South Carolina Bar Association, Megan has served in the House of Delegates, as well as on the Publications Committee, Resolution of Fee Disputes Board, and the Family Law Section.

Since 2013, Megan has regularly presented seminars for the South Carolina Bar Association and the Charleston County Bar Association.

In addition to trial-level experience, Megan has handled numerous appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court, including petitions for rehearing and petitions for certiorari, as well as seeking awards of costs upon receipt of successful results. For those appeals, Megan has briefed complex legal issues including civil procedure, admission of evidence, custody of children, and equitable division of property.

When Megan is not practicing law, she is spending time with her family, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and singing loudly and off-key.

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.

Dr. Sadia Upright received a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology-Victimology from Walden University in July 2022. She received her Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling from Liberty University in December 2013 and a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University in May, 2017. She is a Certified Sex Offender Therapist and a Board-Certified Clinical Sexologist. She is an instructor at the International Institute of Clinical Sexology where she co-facilitates a class in Sex Offender Treatment, and she serves as a Dissertation Chair for PhD candidates. She is a PREPARE-ENRICH certified facilitator. She is EMDR trained. She has previous work experience in corrections, residential, group home, and outpatient therapy. She is the owner and Clinical Director of Morning Light Wellness, PLLC. Morning Light Wellness, PLLC provides forensic services such as evaluations for court and sex offender treatment in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.

Dr. Upright is currently licensed in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. She has tremendous experience working in the forensic environment, conducting evaluations and testifying in court. She has testified on numerous occasions as an expert witness in court as a trauma and forensic expert. She has expertise in parental capacity evaluations, psychosexual evaluations, competency evaluations and other areas of forensic evaluations. She has been featured on podcasts, radio stations, and the news as a mental health and forensic expert.

Dr. Upright is affiliated with the following professional organizations:
North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors
South Carolina Board of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA)
Therapist Certification Association (TCA)
 

Wendy M. Bowen is admitted to practice in both state and federal courts in South Carolina and is also admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She earned her B.A. in History from the College of Charleston and her J.D. from the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center at Touro College in New York. Wendy is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Law and Policy at Liberty University Online.

During law school, Wendy remained deeply involved in student leadership, holding executive board positions with the Minority Student Bar Association, the Black Law Students Association, and the Women’s Bar Association. She also served as a Notes and Comments Editor for the Journal of the Suffolk Academy of Law. Wendy gained early legal experience through an internship with the New York State Attorney General’s Office in Suffolk County.

Following  graduation,  Wendy  began  her  career  at  a  nonprofit  organization,  providing professional training and community education on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. She also represented victims of domestic violence in South Carolina family courts. After five years of dedicated work in family law, Wendy served as a prosecutor for the City of Florence, South Carolina. She later transitioned briefly into real estate law before returning to her passion for family law with the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

Wendy is the founder and managing attorney of Lighthouse Family Law, LLC, located in Columbia, South Carolina. She focuses exclusively on family law, serving clients as an attorney, certified mediator, and guardian ad litem. Her professional affiliations include the South Carolina Bar Family Law Council, the South Carolina Black Lawyers Association, the National Association of Counsel for Children (Bronze Member), the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and the American Bar Association. She is a South Carolina Certified Family Court Mediator.

A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Wendy is passionate about community service and actively participates   in councils and committees dedicated to preventing family and dating violence. In addition to building her law practice, she is working to launch Family Options, a supervised visitation and mediation center serving Richland and Chesterfield Counties. She also leads the   Learn2Love Being-Her community, which offers online courses, in-person events and podcasts designed to help women grow in emotional intelligence and transform their lives.

Wendy has been married to her husband, Cornelius, for twenty-five years. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Shaquila and Cortney.