+ William Maxey

+ Caroline Hopkins Newton

Caroline Hopkins Newton is an Assistant Public Defender representing indigent adult and juvenile citizens charged with criminal offenses within Greenville and Pickens Counties. Prior to joining the PD’s office, she prosecuted matters in the Thirteenth Circuit General Sessions and Family Courts, including crimes of murder, drug trafficking, criminal sexual conduct, burglary, armed robbery, domestic violence, and white collar.

Caroline is a summa cum laude graduate of Presbyterian College, where she served as a member of the Honor Council, President of the Mathematics Association of America, and Director of Standards and Ethics for Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the Charleston School of Law, where she served as Symposium Editor of the Charleston Law Review, Chairperson of the Peer Mentoring Program, and student member of the James L. Pettigru Inn of Court. While in law school, Caroline earned CALI Awards in Advanced Legal Writing, Advanced Federal Income Taxation, Antitrust Law, Evidence, Legal Research & Writing II, Partnership Taxation, and Professional Responsibility. Caroline began her legal career as law clerk to the late Honorable G. Ross Anderson, Jr., United States District Judge, and is admitted to practice in South Carolina, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

She and her husband, Andy, are proud parents to a vivacious little girl, Bridges, who is currently the eighth consecutive generation to live on Caroline’s family farm in the Upstate.

+ Katie Grove

Katie Grove has more than 10 years of experience defending clients in workers’ compensation matters, striving to help employers and carriers obtain cost-effective and efficient resolutions to their claims. She presents on hot topics related to workers’ compensation on a regular basis to both clients and industry associations.

Katie spends her time with her daughters Mary Mac and Maggie, and son Tommy, as well as hiking with her husband and their dog Andie. She is also an avid Broadway musical fan, and can often be found attending a show at the Peace Center.

+ The Honorable John W. Kittredge

John W. Kittredge was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1956 and is the son of Elwyn Herbert, Jr. (deceased) and Marian Jeffries Kittredge. John married Lila Graham Hewell on June 20, 1981. John and Lila have three children, Lila Marian, Will and Zay. The Kittredges are members of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. Justice 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.

+ D. Nichole Davis

Nichole is a seasoned and innovative business professional with extensive legal and administrative knowledge spanning a variety of sectors. Recognized for motivating teams and building strong professional relationships, she has a verifiable history of contributing directly to organizational success throughout her career. As such, she has consistently exceeded budgetary and performance goals and she is adept at achieving maximum operational impact with minimum resource expenditure. Professional focal points include educational instruction, program leadership, strategic planning, policies and compliance, risk management, stakeholder communications, organizational relations, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Delivering superior administration on the above areas requires utilization of strong communication and negotiation skills, as well as effective team management, relationship management, and a focus on continuous improvement.

She currently serves as an adjunct professor with the University of South Carolina School of Law. In this role, she utilizes a variety of teaching methods to improve students’ legal acumen and aid them in developing core lawyering skills. In addition, she serves as the Risk Management Director for the South Carolina Bar, where she instructs Bar members in professional responsibility issues and function as the statewide Administrator for the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Lawyer Mentoring Program.

Colleagues describe her as a progressive, driven, down-to-earth, legal and managerial resource who can be relied on to consistently deliver solutions to complex legal and ethical issues.

+ Jane H. Merrill

Jane describes herself as: Mom. Lawyer. Complexity Explainer. Wife. Strategic Thinker. Mandolin Player. Problem Solution Seeker. Daughter. Book Reader. Aunt to Delightful Nieces and Nephews. Theatre Go-er and (sometimes) Performer. Little Sister. Hand Talker. Grateful American.

Her brother is only six months older than her. Through the miracle of adoption, they grew up much like twins. They were in the same grade in school and shared the same group of friends. Growing up they celebrated her brother’s “A” day, which marked the day her parents brought him home. She’s grateful for her brother, and is grateful her parents didn’t give up on their dream of having children.

Her own children teach her incredible lessons about life and bring her more joy and hope than she ever imagined. Her first child was born during the summer between her second and third years of law school. Her daughter’s strong and independent spirit motivated Jane to show her daughter that she could be anything she wanted to be. So she pressed on through her last year of law school, including a three-hour daily commute, so she could become a lawyer.

She attended the University of South Carolina School of Law. Describing law school as challenging is an understatement and she is proud of her accomplishments there. She served as the Student Works Editor of the prestigious South Carolina Law Review and was a member of the Mock Trial Team. As a second year law student, she authored a scholarly article that was selected for publication in the South Carolina Law Review. Since law school, she clerked for a Circuit Court Judge, prosecuted criminal cases as an assistant solicitor, litigated civil and family cases as a law firm associate, and represented those accused of a crime at pleas and trials.

Her second daughter was born on the same date as her brother’s “A” day. Her sweet Mama-loving spirit made Jane evaluate the balance between work and family. Another attorney once told her it’s impossible to be a mother and a lawyer at the same time. Jane disagrees. She opened Hawthorne Merrill Law to serve clients that appreciate and understand her desire for both career and family. She works inside and outside the courtroom, and helps a variety of clients along the way.

+ Jordan Roberts

Originally from Greenville, SC, Jordan attended Clemson University (2008) and the Charleston School of Law (2014). He began his career in finance in 2015 as General Counsel for Black Cypress Capital Management, an investment firm based in Charleston, SC and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. During his time at the firm, Jordan enjoyed building relationships with clients and seeing them successfully retire. So, in 2019, he changed roles and became licensed as a financial advisor. He currently works for Parallel Financial, an independent financial firm with offices in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Seneca. His work focuses on establishing and managing retirement plans such as 401(k)s and SIMPLE IRAs for law firms, dental practices, and other small businesses.

+ Mayor knox white

Knox White has served as Mayor of Greenville, South Carolina since December 1995. As Mayor he has the goal of making the City of Greenville, South Carolina “the most beautiful, livable, and welcoming city in America.

His tenure as mayor has been defined by neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and transformational projects for downtown. Over the past two decades, Greenville has earned national acclaim for its livability and has become an award-winning destination. If you ask Mayor White what makes Greenville so unique, he’ll tell you that it’s due in large part to good planning and even greater partnerships.

Under the mayor’s leadership, the city maintains a “Triple A” (AAA) bond rating and enjoys a reputation for solving problems on an innovative and bipartisan basis.

In 2018, Mayor White was profiled in Time Magazine as one of “31 People Who Are Changing the South.” Key strategic projects implemented during his terms include removal of a four-lane highway bridge allowing for the subsequent creation of the iconic Falls Park, recruitment of new retail to downtown, Fluor Field - a downtown minor league baseball stadium, initiation of the Swamp Rabbit Trail - a bike and walking trail system throughout the city, development along the downtown Reedy River riverfront, and public art initiatives along Main Street.

The City of Greenville has also invested in its neighborhood initiatives that include traffic calming, the creation of neighborhood associations, investment in neighborhood parks and commercial corridors, as well as the creation of an Affordable Housing Fund.

The latest project is Unity Park where a partially abandoned and once segregated part of the city has been transformed into a beautiful 60-acre park to be enjoyed by all. Adjacent to the park will be 9 acres of workforce and affordable housing which will be one of the largest footprints of affordable housing in the city of Greenville.

A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of South Carolina Law School, Knox White is a Partner with the law firm of Haynsworth, Sinkler & Boyd. Mayor White is an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is a frequent speaker on the importance of thoughtful and collaborative urban planning.

Mayor Knox White is native of Greenville where he and his wife Marsha continue to reside and are grateful to have their two adult children and their families in town as well.

+ Meliah Bowers Jefferson

Meliah Bowers Jefferson is a non-profit executive, accomplished attorney, and motivational speaker whose story has been featured in Women’s Day, Ebony, and USA Today. After suffering a heart attack at 33, she became a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Since then, she has been on a mission to teach others by example that we can ALL thrive in the face of adversity. She learned to use her experiences with tragedy as the very foundation on which she has built a life of purpose and is quickly establishing herself as an authority on resilience by using the power of her own story as a platform for empowering people to build the lives they want for themselves regardless of the cards they were dealt.

Meliah graduated from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business in 2002 and the School of Law in 2005. After graduation, she accepted a clerkship with South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice, Jean H. Toal (retired). She then joined the Wyche, P.A. in Greenville, SC, focusing on complex civil litigation and intellectual property law. In 2010, she joined Judge J. Michelle Childs’ chambers as lead clerk after Judge Childs was confirmed to the federal bench. Meliah returned to Wyche in 2013, where she became a partner and served on the firm’s executive leadership team. Meliah is currently the executive director of the Jolley Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting community initiatives that seek to address systemic poverty and discrimination. She also maintains an active (but reduced) practice with Wyche in the areas of appellate litigation and mediation.

+ Natalie Ecker

Natalie R. Ecker is an associate with Gallivan White & Boyd. Natalie’s practice focuses on insurance coverage, ERISA litigation, professional negligence, and business and commercial litigation.

Natalie graduated from Washington and Lee University School of Law in May 2018. At Washington and Lee, Natalie served as a student attorney in the Community Legal Practice Center. In that role, Natalie assisted clients with estate planning, family law, property disputes, and the formation of non-profits. Additionally, Natalie interned with The Honorable Wanda G. Bryant on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and in the Civil Labor Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice.

At Washington and Lee, Natalie also served as an admissions ambassador,chair of the Tax Law Society, co-chair of The Lewis F. Powell Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series, and a mentor in the Women’s Law Student Organization. Natalie believes in giving back to her local community and is involved with the Junior League of Greenville, the United Way of Greenville County, and the Goodwill Good Guides mentor program.

+ Genevieve Weaver

Genevieve is originally from Florence, South Carolina. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Clemson University’s Calhoun Honors College and Cum Laude from the University of Miami School of Law. At the University of Miami, Genevieve participated in the school’s Litigation Skills Program where she was awarded two of the highest honors: The Thomas Ewald Memorial “Top Litigator” Award and The John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship Award. Genevieve began practicing in Miami, Florida at a personal injury firm which focused on catastrophic plaintiffs’ injuries and wrongful death cases. She has experience in texting and driving cases, automobile negligence, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, dog-bites, products liability, and premises liability. Genevieve joined the Clardy Law Firm team in April of 2014.

Genevieve lives in Greenville with her husband and their two daughters.. In her spare time, Genevieve enjoys singing with the Westminster Presbyterian Church’s Chancel Choir, painting, and rooting for the Clemson Tigers.

+ Anne Culbreath

Anne Ross Culbreath practices in the Greenville, South Carolina office of Willson Jones Carter & Baxley. She graduated from Emory University in 1994 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1998. Anne is a litigator and Certified SC Circuit Court Mediator who regularly serves as a mediator in a variety of disputes. She also serves as a Special Referee in the Circuit Courts. During the course of her legal career, Anne has defended clients in construction, products liability, premises liability and personal injury litigation. She has extensive experience in defending professionals in negligence actions. She has represented individuals, hospitals, clinics, physician and dental practices, and long-term care facilities against claims of malpractice involving personal injury and wrongful death. Anne also practices in the area of governmental liability, defending governmental entities and employees in professional negligence and civil rights litigation.

She has tried cases in courts of all jurisdictions across the state of South Carolina. Anne is admitted to the South Carolina Bar, the United States District Court, District of South Carolina, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Judicial Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court of South Carolina appointed Anne to the South Carolina Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution in July of 2010. She was named to Greenville Business Magazine Legal Elite for Liability Litigation in 2017, 2020 and 2021, South Carolina Super Lawyers for Litigation Defense in 2020 and 2021 and U.S. News Best Lawyers for Litigation in 2020-2023 and Mediation in 2021-2022.

Anne has lived in Greenville for most of her life. She and her husband have two delightful daughters and two spoiled dogs. Anne enjoys peddling on her Peloton, rooting for the Clemson Tigers, and feeding God’s sheep. She appreciates good food and trash TV. Most of all, Anne loves cheering loudly for her children and spending time with her People.

+ Eric Englebardt

Eric became a lawyer with one goal in mind – to try cases. After spending the first 15 years of his career doing just that, with 75+ jury trials in the courts of South and North Carolina, he feels more than comfortable in a courtroom. Having tried personal injury cases, railroad crossing accidents, employment cases, real estate disputes, zoning issues, etc., Eric’s diversity of case handling led him to listings by his peers in both the Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers publications for his litigation skills, as well as receiving the coveted Martindale Hubbell AV rating for his skills and ethics.

After establishing himself as a litigator, Eric and the rest of the legal world saw a great deal of change in case-handling at the end of the twentieth century. Litigants were searching for alternative, cost-efficient ways to resolve their disputes. Eric found himself spending more of his time at the mediation table than in the courtroom. Other lawyers suggested that combining his litigation experience with his personality would make him an effective mediator. Since becoming a certified mediator in 1999, Eric has mediated 2300+ cases of all types of civil and probate disputes, and been listed in those same publications as both a mediator and an arbitrator, with multiple selections as the local mediator or arbitrator “of the year”, including his recent selection as Greenville’s “Arbitration Lawyer of the Year" for 2018.

Eric has spent time as a partner in both large and medium-sized firms and on all sides of civil litigation. This unique combination of legal background, as well as his mediation and litigation skills and experience, make Eric a great resource in helping evaluate cases, settling them, or litigating them, with the focus always on the best interests of the firm’s clients.

Eric K. Englebardt graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1986, and the UNC School of Law in 1989 where he served on the Moot Court Board. He has practiced his entire career in Greenville, SC, and been a partner at Haynsworth, Marion, McKay & Guerard (now Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd), the Clarkson Walsh firm, and Turner Padget before joining David A. Wilson and forming Wilson & Englebardt, LLC in 2016. Eric is a member of the bars of both North Carolina and South Carolina

+ Rob Hassold

Before deciding to limit his practice primarily to mediation and neutral services in 2000, Rob's prior legal practice focused on contracts and mediation, arbitration, and litigation of civil disputes in all forums. Extensive prior experience as arbitrator, American Arbitration Association Blue Ribbon Panel, in commercial and construction disputes including large, complex and international disputes. He is a former chair of the South Carolina Supreme Court's Board of Arbitrator and Mediator Certification, former chair of the Rules Committee of the Supreme Court's Joint Commission on ADR, former chair of the South Carolina Bar's Dispute Resolution Section and former chair of the Bar's Construction Law Section. Rob received the Dean's Award from Clemson University's College of Architecture for his role as a lecturer on "Team Approach:Reducing Adversarial Relationships in Construction" and received the C.C. "Cotton" Harness III Peace Award from the S.C. Bar Dispute Resolution Section and was named The Best Lawyers in America 2018 Greenville Mediation "Lawyer of the Year".

Rob has conducted thousands of mediations in his state-wide mediation practice focusing on the mediation of State Court, Federal Court, pre-lawsuit, complex and multi-party disputes involving a wide range of issues. Rob also offers mediation services for contract negotiations, arbitration and other neutral services.

+ Raymond Wooten

Raymond T. Wooten focuses his practice on Automobile Accidents, Personal Injury Cases, and Nursing Home Abuse cases. Raymond is a member of both the South Carolina and Georgia Bar Associations. Raymond received a BS in Economics from Clemson University and the JD from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Aside from law school, Raymond has lived his entire life in the Upstate of South Carolina. Raymond is an avid golfer, and football fan.

+ Andrew Mathias

Andrew Mathias is a high-stakes litigator with experience in diverse disciplines. He often represents government contractors, healthcare providers, and high-net-worth individuals in litigation. Andrew’s litigation practice spans the east coast having practiced in all South Carolina courts, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Andrew has been admitted to practice pro hac vice in other courts including the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Southern District of New York, the Southern District of Texas, and the District of New Hampshire.

Much of Andrew’s practice involves:

• negotiating with private civil lawyers and government prosecutor
• Interacting with civil and criminal investigators at all levels of the state and federal justice system
• High-profile, white-collar criminal matters
• Internal investigations
• Investigations by government agencies
• Criminal prosecutions
• Shareholder disputes, tort claims, and contract disputes
• Political and redistricting litigation
  
  
  Andrew’s internal investigations and white-collar criminal defense practice has garnered clients in the financial industry from various states across the country-- representing banks, independent advisor representatives, registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, and independent insurance advisors. With Andrew’s rapport in both state and federal courts, he was recently appointed Receiver. He was responsible for all financial matters of a company during a pending litigation to determine who had ultimate decision-making authority. When his clients are indicted, Andrew and a team of white-collar defense lawyers at Nexsen Pruet aggressively handle the case through trial.

+ THe Honorable Kevin McDonold

Judge McDonald serves in Greenville as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of South Carolina. Prior to his appointment to the bench in June 2010, he worked at the United States Attorney’s Office for ten years, with the last six years as a supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney, including two terms in 2008 and 2010 when he was appointed by the Department of Justice to serve as the Acting United States Attorney for South Carolina. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was in private practice in Columbia for seven years, handling a variety of cases that included banking and insurance litigation, workers compensation, real estate, 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 G.D. Morgan, Jr.

Judge Morgan was born in Greenville, South Carolina and attended the public schools in Greenville. After high school, he went to The Citadel and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Following graduation from The Citadel, he attended and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

After graduation from law school, he worked for McCutchen, Blanton, Rhodes and Johnson for 16 years and then went to work for McAngus, Goudelock and Courie, where he worked for 20 years. He was a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Greenville County Bar Association, South Carolina Bar Association, South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. He was admitted to practice in all South Carolina state courts, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Morgan was elected to the Circuit Court, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Seat 3 in February 2021.

+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. In 2005, she returned to the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor where she prosecuted cases in the areas of child abuse 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.

She is married to Chuck Verdin, an attorney with Nelson, Mullins, Riley, and Scarborough, LLP in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the proud parents of twin sons, and they also have three dogs, a cat, and a frog.

+moderator: Ashley Parr

Ashley Parr focuses her practice on employment and labor law by representing employers in litigation, as well as providing daily proactive advice and counseling on employee and business-related matters. She also supports clients with a wide range of business disputes and legal compliance issues, as well as complex litigation matters in health care, education, and manufacturing, among other arenas. Ashley is dedicated to understanding her clients' needs and has established a great rapport of trust, accountability, and attention to detail.

Ashley provides strategic guidance and represents clients in litigation on a wide range of issues including:

• Claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
• Wage and hour disputes
• Development and implementation of employment policies and employee handbooks
• Drafting and enforcement of restrictive covenants, such as covenants not to compete, non-solicitation agreements, and confidentiality obligations
• Employment and executive agreements
• Counseling regarding termination, discipline, and disability-related accommodations
• Claims such as breach of contract, unlawful disclosure of trade secrets, wrongful termination, and workers’ compensation retaliation
• Internal investigation and compliance
  
  Before joining Nexsen Pruet, Ashley clerked for the Honorable Jean Toal, Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court in Columbia, South Carolina. She also interned for the Honorable Joseph Anderson, United States District Court Judge in Columbia.