2025 “YEAR-END” CLE
Probate/Elder LAW AFTERNOON SESSION- ROOM 203
1:15 - 2:00
Act # H4234: Make the Guardianship and conservatorship Process More Efficient and Effective for Citizens and the Courts
(45 Minute CLE)
Jessica S. Ferguson
Jessica is the first person in her family to go to law
school. After being home schooled through high school,
she attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
where she served as a Processor for the Forensic
Anthropology Center ("The Body Farm") and graduated
with a degree in Honors Psychology. Jessica then moved
to South Carolina to pursue her law degree at the
University of South Carolina School of Law.
Upon graduating from the UofSC, Jessica served as a
judicial law clerk to the Honorable Amy W. McCulloch,
Richland County Probate Court Judge. During this
clerkship, Jessica collaborated with Judge McCulloch
and Associate Probate Judge Jaqueline Belton to solve
complex probate issues, instilling an understanding of
and passion for probate law as the foundation of
Jessica’s legal career.
Prior to joining Turner Padget, Jessica worked for South
Carolina Legal Services, a non-profit law firm with a
mission of providing equal access to justice for all. She
was quickly promoted from Staff Attorney to
Administration of Estates, Lead Attorney, and provided
holistic legal services for indigent clients throughout the
upstate, ranging from counsel and advice to extended
services, with a focus in probate and elder law, including
estate planning, administration, and litigation.
2:00 - 2:45
Removal of the rights of the A.I.I.: How to decide?
(45 minute CLE)
When drafting a Petition for Appointment of Guardian and/or Conservator, you make the decision regarding which rights the alleged incapacitated individual should retain, be modified, or have removed. Many factors within the A.I.I.’s life must be considered, which we will discuss.
+ Senator Tameika I. Devine
Growing up in a family dedicated to public service, Tameika
Isaac Devine has made it her life’s work to protect people,
neighborhoods and our rights.
Tameika has been recognized as one of the 50 Most
Influential People of the Midlands by Columbia
Business Monthly magazine for multiple years and has been
elected 3 times by the readers of the Free Times as the Best
City/County Council person.
A graduate of Spring Valley High School. Tameika Isaac
Devine earned her bachelor’s degree from Hampton
University and her law degree from USC School of Law. She
is a founding partner of the Jabber & Isaac law firm and the
founder of the Possibilities Institute, a peak performance
public speaking and consulting firm specializing in women’s
leadership. A member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
she has also donated her time and talents to help countless
boards, non-profit organizations and charitable causes.
A member of Brookland Baptist Church, Tameika is married
to Jamie L. Devine, a member of the Richland One Board of
School Commissioners and they are the parents of Tamia,
Jade, and Jameson. Their son, James Henry, was born into
heaven in August 2014.
Break with refreshments
2:45-3:00
Judges panel Discussion
(60 Minute CLE)
An introduction to the use of mediation and negotiation in probate litigation cases from will disputes to guardianship disagreements, acknowledging the family dynamics of each case.
3:00-4:00
+ The honorable Chad Groover
Judge Chad Groover was born in Florence SC to Roy and Diane Groover. Because his father was active duty with the U.S. Air Force, the family traveled all over the world. Judge Groover came back to South Carolina for college earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC in 1994. He then obtained a Juris Doctorate from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, GA in 1998. Judge Groover is a member of the South Carolina Bar and the Virginia State Bar.
Prior to his election as Greenville County Probate Judge in 2022, Judge Groover spent over 14 years in private practice, first in his own firm and then as the managing partner at Upstate Elder Law, P.A. In private practice, he primarily assisted clients with estate planning, probate and trust administration, guardianship/conservatorship cases, special needs planning, and Medicaid qualification.
Before private practice Judge Groover served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa where he served on an Organized Crime and Drug
Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) prosecuting federal narcotics and gun crimes.
Prior to serving as a federal prosecutor, Judge Groover was Senator Charles Grassley’s (R-IA) staff Counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Crime Subcommittee from 2001 to 2006. In that
position, he drafted and vetted legislation, planned hearings, wrote committee and floor statements, worked on federal judicial nominations (including the nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court), and conducted oversight of the Department of Justice
(USDOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security (USDHS).
Judge Groover is a member of several professional organizations including: the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the SC Bar Elder Law Committee, the Greenville Estate Planning Study Group, the Greenville Estate Planning Council, and the Greenville County Bar Association.
Chad is married to Gwen Groover and they have two children, Ava and Willes, and a miniature Bernedoodle puppy named Fergie. The Groovers are active members at Cornerstone Baptist Church
were Chad serves as Deacon and small group leader.
+ The honorable Caroline Horlbeck
Caroline graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and Kappa Alpha Theta
Sorority. She obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and was admitted to the practice of law in South Carolina. She
moved to Greenville, South Carolina and began practicing law as an Assistant
Public Defender in Greenville County. In 2003, she served as law clerk for Circuit
Judge Edward W. Miller. She entered private practice in 2004 and practiced
criminal, family and probate law. In 2014, Judge Horlbeck was sworn in as
Associate Probate Judge with the Greenville County Probate Court. She presides
over guardianship, conservatorship, commitment, and estate cases as well as the
Greenville County Mental Health Court. She enjoys cycling, running, and skiing
with her husband, Dean, family, and friends. She has a passion for homeless
animals and enjoys spending time with their rescue dogs, Ava and Minnie, and
teaching new tricks to Flossie, their beloved cockatiel.
+ The honorable Elizabeth Wiygul
Elizabeth Wiygul has been an Associate Probate Judge with the Greenville County Probate Court since 2016. She maintains a private criminal defense practice representing both adults and juveniles. She received her associate’s degree from Greenville Technical College and her BS and JD degree from the University of South Carolina. She also clerked for the Honorable G. Ross Anderson prior to beginning the practice of law.
+ Moderator: Jessica S. Ferguson
Jessica is the first person in her family to go to law
school. After being home schooled through high school,
she attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
where she served as a Processor for the Forensic
Anthropology Center ("The Body Farm") and graduated
with a degree in Honors Psychology. Jessica then moved
to South Carolina to pursue her law degree at the
University of South Carolina School of Law.
Upon graduating from the UofSC, Jessica served as a
judicial law clerk to the Honorable Amy W. McCulloch,
Richland County Probate Court Judge. During this
clerkship, Jessica collaborated with Judge McCulloch
and Associate Probate Judge Jaqueline Belton to solve
complex probate issues, instilling an understanding of
and passion for probate law as the foundation of
Jessica’s legal career.
Prior to joining Turner Padget, Jessica worked for South
Carolina Legal Services, a non-profit law firm with a
mission of providing equal access to justice for all. She
was quickly promoted from Staff Attorney to
Administration of Estates, Lead Attorney, and provided
holistic legal services for indigent clients throughout the
upstate, ranging from counsel and advice to extended
services, with a focus in probate and elder law, including
estate planning, administration, and litigation.