+ A. Lance Crick

A former Acting United States Attorney and First Assistant United States Attorney, Lance currently serves as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney as well as Deputy Chief over Violent Crimes for the office statewide and as the Supervisory AUSA for the Greenville Office. Since joining the United States Attorney’s Office in August 2001, Lance has advanced the prosecution of Project CeaseFire cases, the South Carolina component of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). As the statewide coordinator for PSN/Ceasefire, Lance’s responsibilities include working with local, state, and federal authorities in order to target violent felons who continue to possess and use firearms as well as coordinating efforts with communities and schools on gun safety.

Over the years, Lance has also handled OCDETF (Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force) drug prosecutions, cases which focus on the activities of drug trafficking operations which span multiple jurisdictions. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Lance worked for three years as a state prosecutor in the 13th Judicial Circuit, handling a variety of violent crime and narcotics cases in Pickens County, South Carolina. Lance received his undergraduate degree from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1995 and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1998.

Lance and his wife, Cindy who has served as a state prosecutor and as the Chief of Staff for Congressman Trey Gowdy and is currently a sole practitioner, live in Greenville with their eleven-year-old son, Smith.

+ J. Benjamin Stevens

Aggressive, creative, and compassionate are words Ben Stevens' colleagues freely use to describe him as a divorce and family law attorney. Ben is a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and is a Board Certified Family Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is one of only six attorneys in South Carolina with those simultaneous distinctions. He is currently the AAML's Technology Director and Newsletter Co-Editor, and he serves on its national Executive Committee.

While Ben is an experienced trial attorney who holds an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, was recently rated as a SuperLawyer in the area of Family Law for South Carolina, and has been given a perfect 10.0 rating from Avvo, it takes much more than technical proficiency to be an effective family law, child custody lawyer, and divorce attorney. A quality family law and divorce attorney must also be able to understand his clients' problems as well as understand the emotional and human nature of the issues faced by people going through a family crisis. At the same time, however, the best attorneys understand the importance of navigating the most direct path to a fair resolution of his client's case. Ben possesses a tremendous ability to be simultaneously understanding and effective.

Ben developed the South Carolina Bar's Family Law Essentials CLE program, which teaches new attorneys the basics of practicing family law in our state. He is the Chair of the Family Law Council of the South Carolina Bar, and he previously served two terms as the Section Chair for the Family Law Section of the South Carolina Association for Justice and was a member of its Board of Governors for many years. Ben is an active member of the South Carolina Bar, Greenville County Bar, Spartanburg County Bar, American Bar Association, and American Association for Justice.

+ The Honorable Gary Hill

Judge D. Garrison "Gary" Hill was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1964. Judge Hill received a B.A. degree magna cum laude from Wofford College in 1986, and his juris doctor from USC Law School in 1989, where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review.

After graduation from law school, he served as law clerk to Judge Billy Wilkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. From 1990 to 2000, he was a member of Hill, Wyatt & Bannister, a general civil and criminal practice law firm in Greenville. In 2000, he and his father started Hill & Hill, LLC, which was listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers. The firm primarily handled business litigation, government law, and public utility law including the representation of numerous special purpose districts throughout the state.

From 2004 to 2017, he served as a resident Circuit Judge for the Thirteenth Circuit. On February 1, 2017, he was elected to the Court of Appeals.

Judge Hill served in the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar and as president of the Government Law Section. He is also the former editor-in-chief of the South Carolina Lawyer and the author of several legal articles. He and his father published Doing the Public's Business, a legal guide designed to assist lay members who serve on the boards of public bodies.

While in private practice, he served on the boards of the Greenville Literacy Association, Greenville Mental Health Association, YMCA Camp Greenville, and as chairman of the City of Greenville Board of Zoning Appeals.

+ The Honorable John W. Kittredge

The Honorable John W. Kittredge graduated from the University of South Carolina, summa cum laude, in 1979. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1982. Academic honors include Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif, and Wig and Robe. Justice Kittredge began his legal career as a law clerk to The Honorable William W. Wilkins, Jr. He practiced law in the firm of Wilkins, Nelson and Kittredge. Justice Kittredge was actively involved in community and state service: Governor's Committee on Crime and Delinquency; Governor's Juvenile Justice Task Force; Greenville Technical College Foundation (Vice-President); City of Greenville Civil Service Commission (Chairman); Greenville County Crime Stoppers (President); Board of Directors of Child Evangelism Fellowship. In addition to his admission to the South Carolina Bar, Justice Kittredge is also admitted to practice before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, United States Court of Military Appeals, United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Justice Kittredge was elected to the South Carolina family court bench in 1991. He was elected to the circuit court bench in 1996, and the Court of Appeals in 2003. Justice Kittredge was elected to the Supreme Court in 2008.

+ Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin, PhD, MBA

Dr. Perez-Litwin is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in private practice. Over the years, she has worked closely with many individuals dealing with depression, generalized anxiety, poor self-esteem and self-doubt, disempowered relationships, and feelings of loneliness. Many of her clients seek therapy when they are experiencing painful life transitions such as a separation or divorce, as well as anxiety-producing career changes.

She is passionate about empowering the lives of women and advancing their careers. In her clinical practice, she helps women achieve emotional wellbeing and resilience balancing multiple responsibilities around life, family and work. Over the years, she has pioneered partnerships with today's leading technology companies and universities, including Google, Twitter, Columbia and Harvard University, collaborating on initiatives designed to help women accelerate their careers and achieve success.

One of her specialty areas is working with overachievers, workaholics, and Type-A individuals who present with emotional distress and struggle with work/life balance. Additionally, she has clinical expertise in helping culturally- and racially-diverse individuals cope with and navigate challenging experiences related to their culture, race and ethnicity.

+ The Honorable Donald C. Coggins, Jr.

Judge Coggins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor in 1984 from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He began his legal career as an associate at the law firm of Cummings and Smith, where he was employed from 1984 to 1986. He became a named partner at the successor firms of Cummings, Smith and Coggins from 1986 to 1993 and Smith and Coggins from 1993 to 2000. From 2000 to 2017, he was a shareholder at the law firm of Harrison, White, Smith & Coggins, P.C. where his practice focused on civil litigation. From 2010 to 2013, he was the firm's managing shareholder. Coggins also served as a member of the South Carolina Commission on Lawyer Conduct, a position he held from 2003 to 2017.

On February 25, 2016, President Obama nominated Coggins to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, to the seat vacated by Judge Joseph Fletcher Anderson Jr., who took senior status on November 16, 2014

+ The Honorable Kevin F. McDonald

Judge McDonald serves in Greenville as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of South Carolina. Prior to his appointment to the benchin 2010 , he worked at the United States Attorney’s Office for ten years, including two terms in 2008 and 2010 as the Acting United States Attorney for South Carolina. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was in private practice for seven years, handling a variety of cases in banking, insurance, and real estate litigation, workers compensation, and federal criminal defense.

He holds a journalism degree from the University of South Carolina,and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

+ The Honorable Jacquelyn D. Austin

+ The Honroable Marvin A. Quattlebaum

Judge Quattlebaum received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Rhodes College and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he served as a member of the South Carolina Law Review. He started his legal career as an associate at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, where he was a partner before becoming a judge. His nationwide trial practice focused on complex civil litigation in federal courts. On the basis of this expertise, he was invited to serve as a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. From 2011 to 2012, he served as the president of the South Carolina Bar.

On August 3, 2017, President Trump nominated Quattlebaum Jr. to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, to the seat vacated by Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, who assumed senior status on October 3, 2013. On April 26, 2018, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Quattlebaum to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. On May 7, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He was nominated to the seat being vacated by Judge William Byrd Traxler Jr., who previously announced his intention to take senior status on August 31, 2018. He received his judicial commission on September 4, 2018.

+ Moderator: A. Lance Crick

A former Acting United States Attorney and First Assistant United States Attorney, Lance currently serves as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney as well as Deputy Chief over Violent Crimes for the office statewide and as the Supervisory AUSA for the Greenville Office. Since joining the United States Attorney’s Office in August 2001, Lance has advanced the prosecution of Project CeaseFire cases, the South Carolina component of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). As the statewide coordinator for PSN/Ceasefire, Lance’s responsibilities include working with local, state, and federal authorities in order to target violent felons who continue to possess and use firearms as well as coordinating efforts with communities and schools on gun safety.

Over the years, Lance has also handled OCDETF (Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force) drug prosecutions, cases which focus on the activities of drug trafficking operations which span multiple jurisdictions. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Lance worked for three years as a state prosecutor in the 13th Judicial Circuit, handling a variety of violent crime and narcotics cases in Pickens County, South Carolina. Lance received his undergraduate degree from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1995 and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1998.

Lance and his wife, Cindy who has served as a state prosecutor and as the Chief of Staff for Congressman Trey Gowdy and is currently a sole practitioner, live in Greenville with their eleven-year-old son, Smith.

+ Hannah Honeycutt

Hannah Honeycutt has served as the SC Access to Justice Commission’s executive director since June of 2019. She is a 2007 graduate of Wagner College in Staten Island, New York with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English and Spanish, and a 2013graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law. She has an impressive resume of service-related employment and community involvement. After law school, Hannah clerked for South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Thomas A. Russo. For the five years prior to joining the Commission, she served as an assistant public defender in the Richland County (SC) Public Defender’s Office, where she defended indigent clients charged with drug offenses and other crimes and served as the defense liaison for the Richland County Drug Court Program.

+ Tripp Atkins

Tripp Atkins is an attorney and Certified Family Court Mediator in Greenville, South Carolina practicing primarily in the area of divorce and family law. He is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and worked for one of the world’s largest design and construction engineering firms. Mr. Atkins is also a graduate of Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and is licensed to practice in all courts in the State of South Carolina and the United States Tax Court. Tripp practices law as a member of the Atkins Law Firm, P. A. which is located conveniently in downtown, Greenville, South Carolina. Tripp strives to serve his clients differently than the stereotypical lawyer. He understands that while he deals with many of these issues every day in his work, this is possibly the first time you have ever had to deal with them. Tripp works with his clients in a way to keep them up-to-date and informed about the progress of their case and lets them know what is ahead. Tripp also follows a strict communications policy so he makes sure all telephone calls and e-mails are returned on a timely manner.

+ Michael B. Bridges

Michael Bridges, a partner with the Dobson Law Group, has been in Greenville since 1996 and practices in the areas of special needs trusts, estate planning, elder law, veteran’s benefits, Medicare and Medicaid planning, taxation, general business, asset protection planning, probate administration, conservatorships and guardianships. Mr. Bridges regularly assists his clients with a variety of issues such as special needs trusts, estate and gift tax planning, the preparation of wills and trusts, Medicaid planning and asset protection planning. Mr. Bridges, a Certified Estate Planning and Probate Law Specialist since 2005, earned his Juris Doctor from the Cumberland School of Law (magna cum laude). He earned Master of Laws in Taxation from University of Florida and Master of Laws in Estate Planning from the University of Miami and earned his Masters and Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Alabama.

+ Vernon Dunbar

Vernon Dunbar’s practice focuses on insurance and workers’ compensation defense. He began his career as a law clerk to the Honorable Ernest A. Finney, Jr. of the South Carolina Supreme Court. Vernon served as a commissioner and chairman of the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission. He has been in private practice focusing on insurance defense since 1995. Vernon practices in State and Federal Courts, Trial and Appellate Courts and before state administrative agencies and boards. He is also a certified mediator.

+ Philip Land

Philip Land is a business attorney with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. who works with domestic and international companies on corporate formation and entity structure evaluation, mergers and acquisitions, lending and security agreements and other commercial transactions. He also assists companies with economic incentives related to launching or growing their South Carolina presence such as fee in lieu of tax and special source revenue credit arrangements, job tax and job development credits and opportunity zones. Philip graduated from Hampden-Sydney College and received his law degree from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association and has been recognized as Greenville Business Magazine’s “Legal Elite of the Upstate” for Banking & Finance Law (2019) and Corporate M&A Law (2017-2018).

+ Marcelo Torricos

Marcelo Torricos grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and spent his undergraduate years at Clemson University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in 2009. In 2013, Mr. Torricos obtained his Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia. During law school, he clerked for the United States District Attorney’s Office in Greenville, SC and then for the Honorable J. Michelle Childs of the Federal District Court in Greenville, SC. Mr. Torricos was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November of 2013 and upon graduation from law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Robin B. Stilwell, Circuit Court Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. During his clerkship, Mr. Torricos gained invaluable experience in the areas of criminal and civil law. This clerkship was a great influence in Mr. Torricos’ decision to focus a significant portion of his practice on criminal defense. Mr. Torricos’ practice is also heavily focused on family/domestic law. Mr. Torricos has been recognized as one of Greenville Business Magazine’s Legal Elite of the Upstate and The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40. He is also a member of the National College of DUI Defense.

+ The Honorable Kimaka Nichols-Graham

Judge Nichols-Graham is a native of Mullins, South Carolina. She graduated from Mullins High School with honors; from Winthrop University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science; and, from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University with a Master of Science in Public Policy. Judge Nichols-Graham returned to South Carolina and earned a Juris Doctor from The University of South Carolina School of Law. Judge Nichols-Graham demonstrated an interest in children’s law by interning, clerking or volunteering at the domestic violence shelter in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at the Education Law Center of New Jersey, at the Richland County CASA Office, at the SC Department of Education and the SC Association of School Administrators before seeking a position at a legal services program that would allow her to represent students and families in matters related to public school.

The Legal Services Agency of Western Carolina, Inc., gave Judge Nichols-Graham the opportunity to develop a children’s law program that included education law. Judge Nichols-Graham worked as a staff attorney, a children’s law attorney, the education unit head, a supervising attorney for the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, and as a managing attorney of a large office at South Carolina Legal Services. She worked with SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center to create an education task force that later became a unit at legal services. Judge Nichols-Graham primarily practiced family and education law but she also practiced housing, consumer, social security, and in a few other areas of law to assist with stabilizing families.

As a young lawyer, Judge Nichols-Graham developed a children’s law program that included monitoring the firm’s termination of parental rights and adoption cases and assisting attorneys in ways to efficiently and effectively resolve those cases across several counties in the upstate. She coordinated a program focused on explaining legal rights and responsibilities to parents while their children participated in a Saturday Success Program at the Center for Educational Equity. Judge Nichols-Graham volunteered with the School Carolina Bar’s children law committee and the SC Black Lawyers Association. By 2001 she had worked successfully to add education law to the areas of practice for all legal services programs in South Carolina. She served on the board of SC Protection and Advocacy, on the SC Supreme Court Commission of Continuing Legal Education and Specialization and on the SC Children Justice Act Task Force. She provided numerous legal education sessions to the Bar and the public.

The South Carolina Bar awarded Judge Nichols-Graham with the Young Lawyer of the Year Award for 2001-2002. The SC Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and the SC Bar Foundation awarded Judge Nichols-Graham the 2014 Ellen Hines Smith Legal Services Attorney of the Year. In 2019 the Greenville Business Magazine included Judge Nichols-Graham as one of the Legal Elite of the Upstate.

Judge Nichols-Graham is the daughter of Deacon John L. Nichols and Reverend Bettie Nichols of Mullins, South Carolina. She is married to Hakim Graham and they have a daughter. She has one sibling, Sheila Arrington, RPh. Judge Nichols-Graham is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. She enjoys art, genealogy, exploring the history of South Carolina and spending time with her family.

+ The Honorable W. Marsh Robertson

William Marsh Robertson was born in Greer, South Carolina and grew up in Greenville. After graduating from Greenville High School in 1981, Robertson attended Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where in 1985 he graduated cum laude. He earned his juris doctorate degree from the University of the South Carolina School of Law in the spring of 1988.

Following law school, Robertson worked for two years as an associate with the Columbia, South Carolina law firm of Lewis, Lide, Bruce and Potts, PA. In 1990, he relocated to Greenville, where he joined his father in forming Robertson & Robertson, PA, a law firm dedicated to the practice of matrimonial and family law. For the next 20 years, Robertson practiced exclusively in the area of family law, most recently with Robertson & Hodges, LLC. On February 3, 2010, he was elected by the South Carolina Legislature to Seat 2, Family Court, 13th Judicial Circuit.

Robertson has been a member of the South Carolina Bar since 1988. He served on the Family Law Council from 1998 to 2001, and was a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers from 1999 to 2010. Robertson also served as an editorial board member for Stuckey, Marital Litigation in South Carolina: Substantive Law, 3rd Edition, 2000, and Stuckey, Marriage and Divorce in South Carolina: A Layperson’s Guide, 2001. In private practice, Robertson was rated “AV” by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, and was selected for inclusion in the 2008, 2009, and 2010 editions of South Carolina Super Lawyers. Robertson has presented at multiple Continuing Legal Education seminars, both as a lawyer and as a judge. He has served as an officer of the South Carolina Conference of Family Court Judges, a member of the Family Court Judge’s Advisory Committee, and an instructor at Orientation School for Newly Elected Family Court Judges.

Robertson is married and has three adult children and two adult stepchildren. He is an enthusiast of music and sports, and enjoys playing golf and spending time with family.

+ The Honorable Karen Roper

Judge Karen Sanchez Roper was born in Valdosta, Georgi. She is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Newnan B. Sanchez of Chiefland, Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of Georgia in 1991, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and served as a Georgia Girl for the UGA Athletic Department. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law in 1994. During law school, she was named as a finalist in the J. Woodrow Lewis Moot Court Competition and was one of four students to argue a contested case before the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Judge Roper is married to attorney Ken Roper, with whom she practiced law for over 15 years at Roper Law Firm, primarily handling domestic, probate, and local government matters. She was previously employed as an attorney with the firm of Laddaga, Crout, and Drachman, P.A., in Charleston. She has represented clients in both the upstate and lowcountry Family Courts through her various roles as private attorney, DSS prosecutor, defense counsel through the Office of Indigent Defense, Guardian ad Litem, and Certified Family Court Mediator. She also is admitted to practice before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court.

In addition to her professional activities, Judge Roper has a strong commitment to service in the Pickens community, particularly in areas concerning the well-being of children and families. She has served on boards for Pickens County First Steps, Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County, Cannon Memorial Hospital Foundation, and the Anderson-Oconee-Pickens Mental Health Center. She is a graduate of Leadership Pickens County, a former member of the Liberty and Pickens Chambers of Commerce, and was previously nominated as Pickens County Businesswoman of the Year. Judge Roper is a member and past president of the Pickens Women’s Association. She and her family are members of Pickens Presbyterian Church, where she has served as Clerk of the Session, Elder, and Trustee.

Judge Roper and her husband are the proud parents of two sons who are both students at the University of South Carolina. She enjoys reading, watching SEC football, and spending time on Lake Keowee with her family and her dogs.

+ Moderator: 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 also maintains a litigation and appellate practice. He has tried cases in the family court, federal district 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.

+ The Honorable Perry H. Gravely

Judge Perry H. Gravely was born in Pickens, South Carolina. He is married to Kathryn Coleman Gravely who is the Director of Community Relations for Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens and they have 4 children.

Judge Gravely, the son of David and Louise Gravely, grew up in Pickens and attended Wofford College where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree as a History Major. He then attended the University of South Carolina School of Law where he graduated in 1986 and was a member of the Order of Wig and Robe.

After law school, Judge Gravely worked as an associate for Leatherwood, Walker, Todd and Mann, in Greenville, South Carolina before moving back to Pickens in 1992 where he worked for Acker, Acker, Welmaker and Johnson and later became a partner at the firm. In 1995, Judge Gravely went into solo practice and started The Gravely Law Firm, P.A. where he worked until he was elected as Resident Judge for the Thirteenth Circuit (Seat 1) on February 4, 2015 and took the bench on April 13, 2015.

Judge Gravely also served as Municipal Judge for the City of Pickens from 2003 to 2015. He served 2 terms on the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates, was named as a finalist for Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year (1989) and received the Bronze Compleat Lawyer Award from the University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association in 1995. He has been very active in many civic and charitable groups in Pickens and Greenville through the years, including serving as Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 51 in Pickens since 2004.

+ The Honorable Letitia H. Verdin

Judge Verdin graduated from Furman University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 1997. While in law school, she was a member of the National Moot Court team and was named the outstanding student volunteer at the University of South Carolina.

After graduation from law school, she became an Assistant Solicitor with the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor, and later, the Office of the 8th Circuit Solicitor. It was during this time that she headed the Family Court unit for juvenile prosecution in both circuits. In 2000, she accepted a position as an Associate Attorney with the firm of Clarkson, Walsh, Rheney, & Turner, P.A. in Greenville, SC, practicing in the areas of governmental and general civil liability defense, criminal defense, and family law. In 2005, she returned to the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor where she prosecuted cases in the areas of child abuse and neglect and domestic violence.

Judge Verdin was elected to the Family Court as a resident judge in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in 2008. In 2011, the South Carolina Legislature elected her to the Circuit Court, Seat 2, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.

+ The Honorable Edward W. Miller

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Judge Miller is the son of the late Robert Miller, former President of Cryovac Corp., and Mrs. Mary Lu Miller. After brief stays in Lockport, New York and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Judge Miller, his parents and four siblings moved to Spartanburg where his mother lives still.

Judge Miller attended high school at Spartanburg Day School and received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in 1974. He returned to South Carolina to attend law school and received his juris doctorate in 1978.

Judge Miller began his career as a staff attorney at Southern National Bank in Greenville. In 1980 he went to work in the Greenville County Public Defender office and in 1981 he began a private general practice with Pat Paschal. Miller & Paschal handled civil, criminal and family court matters until 2000 when Judge Miller opened his solo practice. He is a member of the Greenville County and South Carolina Bar Associations. He is been admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the South Carolina District and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Miller married his law school classmate, Martha Albrecht in 1978. Martha Miller is an attorney with the Social Security Administration in Greenville where the Millers live with their two children, Elizabeth and Walker. The Millers are members of Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville.

In May 2002 Judge Miller was elected to the bench and invested as Circuit Court Judge, At Large Seat 4 on August 29, 2002 in Greenville by Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal.

+ Moderator: Jeanmarie Tankersley

Jeanmarie attended the College of Charleston for her undergraduate studies where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in History and minors in both Psychology and Political Science. Jeanmarie then attended the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2012. While there, she served as the Student Bar Association President, the Executive Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law, and the President of the Public Interest Law Council.

Upon graduation, Jeanmarie served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Roger W. Dunaway, Jr. and Judge Harold A. Hinesley in the Superior Court of Georgia. Following her clerkship, Jeanmarie began her career as a civil defense litigator. Jeanmarie has spent a number of years working in general litigation, but focuses primarily on personal injury, premises liability, products liability, insurance coverage, and construction cases.

Outside of her legal practice, Jeanmarie spends time working with the Junior League of Greenville and the Young Lawyers Division of the South Carolina Bar. She also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog, Isabelle, traveling, and cheering on the Gamecocks.