+ Thomas Kilpatrick

+ Senator Tameika I. Devine

+ 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.