Name Organization Speaking At
Allison Dunham
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.
Killoren, Kissinger, Dantin, Denton & Dunham, P.C.
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Allison Hanna
Halligan Mahoney & Williams
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Amanda Whittle
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Ashby Jones
In 2023, Ashby was named by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 25 Lawyers in South Carolina. She is a graduate of Presbyterian College and the University of South Carolina School of Law. 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 and a member of the Board of Trustees for the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.
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 a Super Lawyers Selectee on numerous occasions as well 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.
Ashby Jones and Associates LLC
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Barbara Seymour
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C. Ruffner
S.C. Judicial Branch
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Chris Paton
Chris began his legal career serving as law clerk to Circuit Judge Joseph M. McLaughlin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and District Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He also worked as an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP, and Rosen Law Firm, LLC, before starting Paton Law Firm. Chris is "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is a former Chair of the Family Law Section Council of the South Carolina Bar. Chris devotes his practice primarily to family law with a focus on appeals. He lives in Charleston with his wife Laura Paton, also an attorney, and their two daughters.
Chris Paton LLC
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Christopher Leventis
Chris received his BA from Furman University and his Master of Accountancy from the University of South Carolina. His practice involves forensic accounting and business valuation. Within forensic accounting, Chris primarily works on family law matters but has also been involved in damage calculations and other civil matters. He performs business valuations for several purposes including, but not limited to; litigation, estate & gift tax, and transactions on both the buy and sell side. Chris is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
LEVEL Financial Group
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Jane Downey
Jane H. Downey is an experienced bankruptcy attorney at Baker Donelson. Certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in bankruptcy and debtor/creditor law, Ms. Downey brings more than 30 years of experience in representing individual and business debtors and creditors in commercial and consumer bankruptcy matters. Ms. Downey is also certified as a specialist in business bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification.
Ms. Downey has represented clients both in and outside formal proceedings. She has extensive experience in corporate restructurings, representing debtors, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, and other parties in connection with bankruptcies, receiverships, out-of-court workouts, and other related bankruptcy litigation. She has led corporate clients, landlords, doctors, car dealerships, farmers, realtors, and developers, among others, through financial restructurings and reorganizations under Chapters 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
Ms. Downey is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a mediator and arbitrator and is currently on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolinas list of mediators. She is a frequent speaker and author on bankruptcy topics and very active in her community.
Education
Emory University School of Law, J.D., 1990
Furman University, B.A., 1987, cum laude
Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
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Jason Elliott
Jason Elliott, Attorney at Law, LLC
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Jerry Vinson
Judge Jerry D. (Jay) Vinson, Jr. was born in Camden, South Carolina on October 12, 1960, the son of Jerry D. Vinson and Patricia Ann Mahan Vinson. Judge Vinson was raised in Florence, South Carolina where he attended public schools. He graduated from Francis Marion College, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. He received his Juris Doctorate Degree in 1985 from the University of South Carolina School of Law and was admitted to practice law the same year.
Following law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable John H. Waller, Jr., Circuit Court Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. After completing his clerkship, he joined the firm of Turner, Padget, Graham and Laney, P.A. and later practiced law with his wife, Flo Lester Vinson, in The Vinson Law Firm, P.A. Judge Vinson merged his practice with the law firm of McDougall & Self, L.L.P, where he practiced until his election to the bench in 2004. He is admitted to practice before the United States District Court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Judge Vinson has been active with Francis Marion University, where he has been named both Outstanding Alumnus and Outstanding Biology Alumnus. He has served as FMU Alumni President and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Francis Marion University Foundation. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Florence Symphony Orchestra, the Master Works Choir and the Florence Kiwanis Club. Judge Vinson was also active in the South Carolina Bar serving as a member of the House of Delegates and as a member, and former chair, of the Family Law Section Council. He is a member, and past chair, of the South Carolina Bar Law Related Education Committee. He has been a frequent speaker at Family Law CLE programs.
Judge Vinson served as a member, and former Chair, of the Family Court Bench Bar Committee and served as chair of the Best Legal Practices sub-committee. Judge Vinson served on the Governor's Task Force for Children in Foster Care and Adoption Services. Judge Vinson is also a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and served on the Council's Board of Trustees. He is past president of the South Carolina Conference of Family Court Judges and a former member of the Family Court Judges Advisory Committee.
Judge Vinson is married to Flo Lester Vinson, who serves as a Federal Administrative Law Judge.
EDUCATION
J.D., University of South Carolina, 1992
B.A., University of South Carolina, magna cum laude, 1988
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
South Carolina, 1992
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1993
U.S. Supreme Court, 1996
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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Leigh Sellers
A native of Spartanburg, SC, Leigh B. Sellers graduated Vanderbilt University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Leigh began her career as a staff attorney with the South Carolina Supreme Court following Law School and began a practice as a family law attorney in Columbia, SC in 1993. She moved to Charlotte in 1995 and after passing the North Carolina Bar, began a family law practice in North Carolina as well. She currently serves on the Family Law Council of both the North Carolina State Bar and the South Carolina State Bar. She is a member of the South and North Carolina Bar Associations, the Mecklenburg County and York County Bar Associations, the American Bar Association, and the International Association of Collaborative Law Professionals as well as the Charlotte Collaborative Divorce Professionals. Leigh is also a trained family financial mediator. She lives in Charlotte with her long-suffering husband. Two newly engaged children and grand dogs round out the family. Leigh founded Touchstone Family Law in 2018 with a practice in South Carolina and North Carolina. Our offices are within walking distance of the necessities of practicing family law attorneys…. local breweries, wine bars and coffee shops. Feel free to contact her for dinner or entertainment suggestions or the occasional legal question.
Touchstone Family Law
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Margie Pizarro
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.
Dorchester County
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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 Fran 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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Melissa Buckhannon
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.
S.C. Family Court
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Rebecca West
Ms. West has practiced
solely in the South Carolina Family Court since 2003. Prior to dedicating her
practice to family law, she was a general practitioner handling injury and
workers’ compensation matters.
Ms. West holds a law degree
from the University of Mississippi (2000) and an undergraduate degree from
Lander University (1997).
She is a fellow of the
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
She serves as a Certified Family Court mediator. Ms. West is a member of the Lexington County
Bar Association (President, 2014), American Bar Association, Family Law
Section, South Carolina Association for Justice and the South Carolina Women
Lawyers Association.
Published Opinions:
McComb v. Conard, 394 S.C.
416, 715 S.E.2d 662 (Ct. App. 2011) (Trial Counsel)
Sanderson v. Sanderson, 391
S.C. 249, 705 S.E. 2d 65 (Ct. App. 2010) (Appellate Counsel)
Harling & West, LLC
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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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Richard Jones
Entered 5.4.10 by CCN
RICHARD C. “DICKIE” JONES, ESQUIRE
Partner: Jones Seth Shuler & Killen, LLP
BA in History from The Citadel; Juris Doctor from Campbell University; Member of the South Carolina Bar; Member of South Carolina Association for Justice; Sumter County Bar Association; Past Chairman of the Fee Disputes Resolution Committee of the 3 rd Judicial Circuit
Jones Seth & Jones, LLP
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Sandye Hicks
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Stephanie Brinkley
Developing a Successful Assisted Reproduction Technology Law Practice , written with colleague Richard B. Vaughn, which is published by the American Bar Association. As part of her practice, Stephanie represents clients seeking to build their families through surrogacy and/or gamete donation. She is also called upon to represent gestational carriers who have offered their services. With greater frequency, Stephanie is consulted to advise families transitioning divorce after creating children through third party reproduction. Parental disputes arising from genetic relationships (or lack thereof), misapplication of medical consent forms, and ownership rights of unused embryos are rising among divorce litigants. Brinkley Law Firm, LLC
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