2024 “Year-End” CLE
Civil Litigation Afternoon Session- Ballroom
1:15 - 1:45
Allocation
(30 Minute CLE)
Mr. Pruitt will discuss strategies for allocating damages in the civil litigation arena, including the recovery of damages in actions for wrongful death and survival, property damage, and personal injury. Mr. Pruitt will also provide helpful insight on recovering loss of consortium and punitive damages.
+ Dan Pruitt
Dan Pruitt has been practicing at his firm, the Dan Pruitt Law Firm since 1993. The Dan Pruitt Law Firm handles cases of serious personal injury and wrongful death in a variety of practice areas including tractor trailer crashes, nursing home abuse and neglect, brain and spinal cord injuries, and job injuries.
Mr. Pruitt graded from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1989 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1993. Mr. Pruitt is admitted to practice in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, as well as the Federal District of South Carolina and Western District of North Carolina.
Mr. Pruitt is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville and is a member of the Board of Directors for South Carolina Children’s Theatre.
1:45 - 2:15
Mobile Device forensics in litigation and investigations
(30 minute CLE)
During this session, Mr. Walton, a former practicing attorney who manages a digital forensics firm in Charlotte, NC focusing on internal investigations, expert witness services, and forensic harvesting of electronic data in complex state and federal litigation, will highlight issues for attorneys on using digital evidence in litigation and investigations, as well as digital forensics processes and practices.
+ Clark C. Walton
Clark Walton is the principal forensics and cybersecurity expert for Reliance Forensics. He is a
licensed North Carolina attorney, an EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), and a Cellebrite
Certified Mobile Examiner (CCME).
Clark holds a Mathematical Sciences (Computer Science Option) degree from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Walton is a former cyber threat analyst and technical project manager for the Central Intelligence
Agency, having served there from 2000 to 2005. In that role, he has briefed at the White House
and provided written intelligence analysis to high-level consumers including the Director of the
FBI, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Clark is a former adjunct law professor at the Charlotte School of Law in Charlotte, NC, where
he has taught courses in Evidence and Cyber Crime and has served as an Adjunct Graduate
Thesis Advisor in the UNC Charlotte Department of Criminology, primarily in the area of search
and seizure of mobile cellular devices.
From 2011 to 2014, Clark sat on the American Bar Association Advisory Committee on Law and
National Security, where he was published several times in recent years on issues dealing with
the intersection of technology and national security law and data security. He has taught CLE
courses on federal criminal computer laws and government authority for digital surveillance and
has been featured on local NPR and CBS affiliates discussing issues ranging from Facebook
privacy to recent government “leak” cases. Clark frequently speaks to bar associations and other
legal affinity groups, as well as technical trade groups such as local affiliates of the ISSA and the
North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA).
Clark is also an accomplished attorney, having been named the American Bar Association’s
National Outstanding Young Lawyer for 2012-2013. He previously worked as an associate for
the international law firm of Mayer Brown LLP and has served as both an assistant district
attorney in Mecklenburg County, NC and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District
of North Carolina. As a prosecutor, Clark took well over 150 matters to trial. Walton has
provided legal testimony in approximately 20 cases and submitted affidavits in dozens of others.
As Reliance’s principal, he has overseen over 650 forensic investigations.
He is also a contracted
forensic instructor at the National Computer Forensic Institute, a state/federal partnership located
in Hoover, Alabama.
2:15 - 2:45
Tips for Non-Jury Practice
(30 Minute CLE)
In South Carolina, a Master-in-Equity is a judge who has the power to decide certain cases without a jury. A Master-in-Equity typically handles cases involving real estate; however, a Master-in-Equity may hear any matter referred to him or her by the Circuit Court. During this session, Judge Simmons will provide helpful tips for practicing in a non-jury environment.
+ The Honorable Charles B. Simmons
Judge Simmons was born and lives in Greenville, SC.
Judge Simmons graduated from East Tennessee State University, magna cum laude. He then graduated University of South Carolina School of Law. While in law school, he served as Chairman of the Honor Council.
Upon his graduation from law school, he served as law clerk to the Honorable C. Victor Pyle, Jr. He then joined the Carter, Smith Law Firm and later became a partner in the Wilkins Law Firm.
Judge Simmons became Master in Equity for Greenville County in 1989. He also serves by designation of the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Special Circuit Court Judge. He presides over the 13th Circuit Adult Drug Court and the 13th Circuit Veteran’s Treatment Court.
Judge Simmons has served as President of the South Carolina Equity Court Association, President of the South Carolina Treatment Courts Association, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Drug Court Association in Washington, DC.
Judge Simmons is a Recipient of the South Carolina “Order of the Palmetto.” He has also been named to Who’s Who in American Law, the South Carolina Bar Association “Young Lawyer of the Year”, recipient of the Sertoma Club’s “Service to Mankind Award” and the Jaycee’s “Distinguished Service Award.” He has also been named to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals “National Hall of Fame.”
2:45 - 3:00
BReak with Refreshments
Judges Panel - Appellate practice in South Carolina
(60 Minute CLE)
During this hour-long panel, three well-respected local judges – one from each level of our state’s judicial system – will provide insight on preparing for and engaging in the South Carolina appellate process. The judges will bring you up to speed on recent and upcoming changes in practice, procedure, and technology in the courts. They will also discuss common questions about application of South Carolina rules to issues affecting the appellate process, and will discuss tips for effective advocacy.
3:00-4:00
+ The Honorable John 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.
+ 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
JJudge 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.
In 2023, the South Carolina Legislature elected her to the Court of Appeals, Seat 2.
+moderator: Kirsten Small
Kirsten Small is Of Counsel in the Maynard Nexsen’s Greenville, South Carolina office. A member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Kirsten came to the field of privacy law through her work as a litigator and appellate lawyer, a background that gives her a unique insight on how a company’s policies and actions before a data breach can help mitigate—or avoid—liability if a breach occurs. Kirsten
takes a proactive approach to information management, working with
businesses of all sizes to develop tailored, cost-effective solutions for
managing information and meeting data privacy challenges.
Kirsten also maintains an active litigation practice, focusing on appeals
and complex federal matters, including antitrust and False Claims Act
cases. Her work at the trial and appellate levels has involved her in
cases at the leading edge of computer fraud litigation, theft of
proprietary information by employees, and the use of social media
evidence in civil proceedings and criminal trials.
Before joining the firm in 2007, Kirsten began her legal career serving as
senior law clerk to the Honorable William W. “Billy” Wilkins, whom she is now proud to call “partner,” as well as “Judge.”