Board of Advisors
The Board of Advisors of the Charleston School of Law includes founders of the school and some of South Carolina's most prominent judges, lawyers and scholars. The members share a commitment to establishing a student oriented law school premised upon ideals of service to the community, professionalism, and excellence in legal education.
Honorable P. Michael Duffy, chairman
United States District Judge, District of South Carolina
The Citadel, B.A., 1965
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1968
From 1969 until 1972, Judge Duffy served on active duty with the U.S. Army in Germany and from 1973 to 1974, was the Assistant County Attorney for Charleston County, S.C. Judge Duffy was a partner in the law firm of Hollings & Hawkins and later a principal in the McNair Law Firm until his appointment to the federal bench on December 27, 1995. Judge Duffy's area of practice was civil litigation, including admiralty, aviation, commercial, environmental, and construction litigation, and appellate practice. He was admitted to practice in all courts in South Carolina, the U.S. District Court for the District of S.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. Claims Court, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Duffy was a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. He maintained memberships in the Charleston County, S.C., and American Bar Associations and served on the Executive Committee of the S.C. Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline from 1986 to 1989. He serves on the Information Technology Committee of the Judicial Conference of the federal courts. Judge Duffy was an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates where he served as chapter representative to the National Board from 1988 to 1991, and he was elected President of the Charleston Chapter in 1991. Judge Duffy is a past president of the Charleston YMCA, The Optimist Club of Charleston, and was the charter president of the S.C. Irish Historial Society in 1979. He is a member of the Board of Directors of charitable foundations in the U.S. and Ireland. He is a senior bencher of The Citadel Inn of Court, and he has also served on the board of numerous civic organizations. Judge Duffy has written and lectured widely on various litigation topics, and teaches at the National Advocacy Center on a recurring basis. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from The Citadel at the 2000 commencement and is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Charleston School of Law. Judge Duffy is married to the former Katherine Hostetter, and they have three children, Katie, Patrick and Brian, and seven grandchildren.
T. Patton Adams, IV
Executive Director, South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense
Washington & Lee University, B.A., 1965
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1968
Mr. Adams has been the Executive Director of the Commission since January 2005, and was instrumental in securing passage of legislation in 2007 creating a unified, statewide indigent defense system for the state. A native of Columbia, S.C., he maintained an active private law practice there for over 28 years. Prior to joining the agency, Mr. Adams served as the vice president for government relations and general counsel for a major hospital industry trade association. A Vietnam veteran, Mr. Adams was Mayor of Columbia from 1986-1990 and an at-large member of its city council from 1976-1986. Since 1986, he has served as the Civilan Aide to the Secretary of the Army for S.C., an appointment which in 2001, was extended for his lifetime. He is a recipient of the state's Order of the Palmetto. More.
Steven R. Anderson
Attorney: Law Office of S. R. Anderson, Columbia, South Carolina
The Citadel, B.A.
University of South Carolina, M.A.
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D.
Mr. Anderson was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1973. He is a sole practitioner who resides in Columbia, S.C.
Honorable Sol Blatt, Jr.
Senior United States District Judge
University of South Carolina, A.B., 1941
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1946
Sol Blatt, Jr., Senior U.S. District Judge, was born on August 20, 1921, and is a native of Barnwell, S.C. From 1946 until 1971, Judge Blatt practiced law in the firm of Blatt and Fales in Barnwell, S.C. He was appointed to the District Court in 1971 and was elevated to Chief Judge in 1986. Judge Blatt took Senior Status in 1990. In December 2006, he became the longest serving district judge in the 200-plus year history of the District of South Carolina. Judge Blatt was married to the former Carolyn Gayden from 1942 until her death in 2004. They have three children. He is an avid golfer, fisherman, and a life-long supporter of the athletic teams of his alma mater.
Charles J. Boykin
Attorney: Boykin & Davis, LLC, Columbia, South Carolina
Benedict College, B.A., 1974
University of South Carolina, M.P.A., 1977
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1992
Mr. Boykin is a labor and employment lawyer, a certified Circuit Court mediator and arbitrator and he is active in many professional legal groups. Mr. Boykin is a shareholder with the law firm of Boykin & Davis, LLC, which is listed in the 2009 Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Boykin worked in public administration with the City of Anderson and with Clemson University. Mr. Boykin practices in all areas of employment, higher education, public education and local government law, with a particular emphasis in personnel, school board-superintendent matters, inter-governmental affairs, land use, zoning and litigation. He has recently devoted time to the issue of liability of elected officials in South Carolina. Mr. Boykin is currently the Chairman of the Board of S.C. Legal Services. In November 2006, he was invited by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission to submit a brief to the Commission on the practical effects of desegregation orders on K-12 schools. In 2002, Mr. Boykin received the Compleat Lawyer Award from the University of South Carolina in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession. Mr. Boykin holds memberships in the S.C. Bar, Richland County Bar, American Bar Association, the S.C. Defense Trial Lawyers Association and the Council of School Attorneys. More.
Thomas C. Brittain
Attorney: The Brittain Law Firm, PA, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Wofford College, B.S., 1975
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1978
Thomas C. "Tommy" Brittain was born in Swansea, S.C. in 1952. He attended Wofford College on a football scholarship, graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Betta Kappa. He worked as a clerk for the McNair Law Firm through law school and entered the U.S. Army as a Captain in the Third Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, where he tried courts-martial, both prosecuting and defending for four years. Tommy Brittain has been involved in significant civil and criminal trials in recent history. He has received Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating and has been selected as a memer of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is also a member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Brittain is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and former Chairman of the Wofford College Board of Trustees. More.
Honorable Richard E. Fields
Retired Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Circuit Courts of South Carolina
West Virginia State College, B.S., 1944
Howard University, LL.B., 1947
Judge Fields was admitted to practice before both the Bar of the District of Columbia and South Carolina in 1948, and in 1949, returned to Charleston to begin his law practice. In 1969, he was appointed Associate Municipal Court Judge for the City of Charleston and in 1971 became the Court's Presiding Judge. Thereafter in 1974, Judge Fields was elected by the S.C. General Assembly to the position of Judge of the Family Court in Charleston County and served in this capacity until 1980 when he was elected by the General Assembly to serve as a Judge of the Circuit Court of South Carolina where he served with distinction until he retired in 1992. Throughout his illustrious career, Judge Fields has served on numerous boards and agencies in Charleston County and throughout South Carolina, and has maintained active membership in the United Methodist Church. He has served as a delegate to numerous Methodist conferences, as a member of the General Board of Finance and Administration of the United Methodist Church, the corporate body of the Church, and as a member of its executive committee for a period of eight years. Before taking the bench, Judge Fields was active in the Democratic Party, and in 1968 and 1972 was a Delegate to the National Democratic Conventions respectively held in Chicago, Illinois, and Miami.
Honorable Paul W. Garfinkel
South Carolina Family Court Judge
University of South Carolina, B.S., 1967
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1970
Judge Garfinkel was born in Charleston in 1944. He began private practice after receiving his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1970. In 1989, Judge Garfinkel joined a firm then known as Riesen, Gardner and Felder, later known as Riesen Law Offices. He was elected to serve as a state Family Court Judge for the 9th Judicial Circuit in May 1995 and has served continuously in that position. In 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Medical University of South Carolina. He has held various leadership positions in legal and community organizations. More.
Michael D. Glenn
Attorney: Glenn, Haigler, McClain & Stathakis, LLP, Anderson, South Carolina
Furman University, B.A., 1962
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1965
Mr. Glenn is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S.Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Armed Services, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the S.C. Supreme Court. Mr. Glenn served as city judge, City of Anderson (1969-72), county judge for Anderson County (1972-78), S.C. Family Court Judge (1977-78). He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the S.C. Bar. Mr. Glenn has served as a member of the S.C. Bar Board of Governors (1999-2002), the Judicial Qualifications Committee (1992-1995), the S.C. Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievance and Discipline (1985-88), the S.C. Supreme Court Board of Bar Examiners (1990-93), and presently serves on the S.C. Supreme Court ADR Commission. More.
John A. Hagins, Jr.
Attorney: Covington, Patrick, Hagins, Stern, & Lewis, P.A., Greenville, South Carolina
University of South Carolina, B.S., 1960
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1963
Past President of the Greenville Bar Association, S.C. Trial Lawyers Association and S.C., member of the American Bar Association and past member of the S.C. House of Representatives, Mr. Hagins is well known throughout the state for his contributions to South Carolina and the legal society. In addition to his position of President, Mr. Hagins also served the S.C. Bar through his positions of Chairman of the Division on Continuing Legal Education, House of Delegates, Secretary and President-Elect. Mr. Hagins is also a member of The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National Conference of Bar Presidents, Southern Conference of Bar Presidents and a Fellow of the S.C. Bar Foundation.
Honorable Kaye G. Hearn
South Carolina Supreme Court Justice
Bethany College, B.A., cum laude, 1972
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1977
University of Virginia, L.L.M., 1998
Justice Kaye G. Hearn, a native Pennsylvanian, began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Julius B. Ness, Associate Justice of the S.C. Supreme Court. She then practiced law with the firm of Stevens, Stevens, Thomas, Hearn, & Hearn in Loris, S.C. In 1986, Justice Hearn was elected as Family Court Judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit, comprising Horry and Georgetown Counties. During her tenure as a family court judge, she served as Treasurer, Vice-president, and President of the S.C. Conference of Family Court Judges. In 1995, Justice Hearn was elected to the S.C. Court of Appeals. In 1999, she was elected as Chief Judge of the S.C. Court of Appeals. From 2005-2006, Justice Hearn served as President of the Council of Chief Judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Justice Hearn was elected to the S.C. Supreme Court in May 2009. Justice Hearn is a past member of the S.C. Board of Bar Examiners, the CLE Commission, the Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough Professionalism Committee, the Chief Justice's Commission on the Profession, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission. Currently, she is a member of the University of South Carolina Law School's Partnership Board. Since 2006, she has been a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Charleston School of Law, teaching a class on appellate advocacy. Justice Hearn is married to George M. Hearn, Jr., a Conway attorney and member of the S.C. House of Representatives. They have one daughter, Kathleen. More.
Honorable Ernest F. Hollings
The Citadel, B.A.
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D.
Former Senator Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings, a World War II veteran, has enjoyed a remarkable career in public service as a S.C. legislator (1949-1954), Lieutenant Governor (1955-1959), Governor (1959-1963) and a former U.S. Senator (1966-2004). He was a United States presidential candidate in 1983-84. A visionary workhorse, Senator Hollings has focused throughout his career on putting government on a sound financial basis and promoting economic development to create opportunities. Recognized as a policy expert on the budget, telecommunication, the environment, defense, trade and space, he is the author of the Coastal Zone Management Act (1972), the Ocean Dumping Act (1972) and the Automobile Fuel Economy Act (1975) and coauthor of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Act (1985). Senator Hollings led in the creation of the Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children in 1972 and passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. For thirty years, as Chairman or ranking member of the State-Justice Commerce Subcommittee of Appropriations, he oversaw the needs of the Supreme Court, the Circuit Courts of Appeal, the District Courts, Bankruptcy Court, United States Attorneys, legal services, Federal Bureau of Investigation, etc. He wrote the book "The Case Against Hunger" and recently authored the book "Making Government Work." Senator Hollings is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Charleston School of Law.
Gedney M. Howe, III
Attorney: Gedney M. Howe, III, P.A.
University of South Carolina, B.A., 1969
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1973
Gedney Howe is a native of Charleston, S.C. He began practice with his father, Gedney M. Howe, Jr. in 1973. He has received Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating and is listed in the publication Best Lawyers in America. Additionally, he is a member of the International Society of Barristers, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National College of Criminal Defense Attorneys, American Board of Criminal Lawyers and he has lectured to the bars of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington and Florida on the subject of trial practices. Mr. Howe represented the S.C. State Senate in reapportionment litigation and he has participated in many significant civil and criminal trials, with particular emphasis on personal injury and products liability. He recently obtained a judgment against the U.S. Government in a Federal Tort Claim case arising out of medical malpractice for six million dollars, as well as a maritime case involving the U.S. Coast Guard in the amount of nineteen million dollars, plus interest. Mr. Howe is a member of the Charleston County Bar Association, S.C. Bar, American Bar Association, S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, S.C. Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Association of Trial Lawyers of America. More.
Edward M. Hughes
Attorney: Nexsen Pruet, LLC, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Clemson University, B.A., 1971
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1974
In 2000, Mr. Hughes merged his Hilton Head Island law firm with Nexsen Pruet, LLC. He currently serves as the Real Estate Practice Group Leader overseeing twenty-seven attorneys and eleven paralegals. Mr. Hughes specializes in business law, land use law, real estate development, interstate land sales, banking and creditor's rights and commercial and residential transactions. Mr. Hughes has been involved in several large real estate developments in the Beaufort County and Jasper County areas, including Hilton Head Plantation, Indigo Run Plantation, Wexford Plantation, Port Royal Plantation and Shipyard Plantation. Most recently, Mr. Hughes was involved in the acquisition and development of Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000 acre development in southern Beaufort County, S.C. and the 5,500 acre Hardeeville Tract, in Jasper County, S.C. In addition to local developments, Mr. Hughes has been involved in the acquisition and development of properties in Colorado, Utah, Texas, Indiana and Georgia. He is currently a member of the Hilton Head Island Bar Association, Beaufort County Bar Association and the S.C. Bar Association. He served in the House of Delegates of the S.C. Bar for 10 years representing the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. Mr. Hughes was born in Columbia, S.C. on December 17, 1949. More.
Honorable Deadra L. Jefferson
Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge, Circuit Courts of South Carolina
Converse College, B.A., 1985
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1989
Judge Jefferson is a lifelong resident of Charleston, S.C. She received a B.A. in English and Politics from Converse College and was admitted to pratice law in South Carolina in 1989. She is also admitted to practice before the Federal Bar and the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jefferson was elected Family Court Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit for the Family Courts of S.C. on February 14, 1996. She was elected Circuit Court Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit for the Circuit Courts of South Carolina on May 30, 2001. She has served continuously in this position since that time. She is a member of many professional associations and commissions. Judge Jefferson is active in her community and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Converse College. She is a member of the Liberty Fellowship Class of 2009. She has received numerous community and professional honors. She is also a faithful member of The Life Center Cathedral of Charleston. More.
Honorable Charles W. Jones
Magistrate Judge, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Wofford College, B.A., 1973
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1976
Spartanburg Magistrate Charles W. Jones practiced law with Whiteside, Smith, Jones and Duncan with trial experience in all South Carolina courts for 30 years before becoming a full-time magistrate in 2006. In addition to attending Wofford College and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Mr. Jones attended the University of Vienna, Austria. He is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and the 2008 recipient of the Chief Justice Claude A. Taylor Distinguished Service Award given by the Spartanburg County Bar Association.
C. Roland Jones, Jr.
Attorney: Jones & Hendrix, P.A., Spartanburg, South Carolina
Wofford College, B.A., 1967
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1972
Mr. Jones' firm in Spartanburg, S.C. emphasizes the practice of insurance litigation defense and workers' compensation defense. Prior to starting his own practice in 1998, Jones worked as an attorney with the Ward Law Firm, P.A., from 1983 to 1998. Mr. Jones was a teaching associate in the Clinics Program of the University of South Carolina School of Law from 1972 to 1974. In the four years starting in 1979, he was chief judge of the Spartanburg Magistrate Court, and served as associate judge of Spartanburg County Civil and Criminal Court from 1977 to 1979. Mr. Jones, who was an assistant circuit solicitor for the 7th Judicial Circuit from 1975 to 1977, also was a law clerk for U.S. District Chief Judge J. Robert Martin, Jr. for the District of South Carolina from 1974 to 1975. In 1993, after 24 years of service, Mr. Jones retired as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.
J. René Josey
Attorney: Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, PA, Florence, South Carolina
Clemson University, 1982
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1985
Mr. Josey, a former U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina, has extensive trial experience focusing on trial and appellate litigation, primarily in the federal courts. More.
William Edward Lawson
Attorney: Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, PA, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Spartanburg Methodist College, A.A., magna cum laude, 1977
East Tennessee State University, B.S., magna cum laude, 1979
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1982
Myrtle Beach attorney Ed Lawson, concentrates on construction, products liability, trucking and transportation, and insurance-related matters in his practice with Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, P.A. In addition, he serves as both a mediator and arbitrator in a wide variety of disputes. Mr. Lawon has been in private practice since 1982. More.
Honorable J. C. Nicholson, Jr.
Tenth Judicial Circuit Court Judge
The Citadel, 1964
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1973
South Carolina Circuit Judge J.C. (Buddy) Nicholson Jr. of Anderson, has been serving on the bench since being elected by the legislature in 1999. Prior to being selected to be a judge, he served as an Air Force pilot, assistant solicitor and an attorney in private practice in Anderson with Epps & Krause. More.
Honorable David C. Norton
Chief United States District Court Judge
The University of the South, B.A., 1968
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1975
David C. Norton was sworn in on July 13, 1990, as a U.S. District Judge in Charleston, S.C. Judge Norton was born in Washington, D.C. and has two daughters. From 1969 to 1972, he served in the U.S. Navy. Prior to becoming a federal judge, Judge Norton was a partner at the law firm of Holmes & Thomson, served in the Solicitors Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and was City Attorney for the City of Isle of Palms, S.C. He was the Fourth Circuit District Court Judges Representative to the Judicial Conference of the United States from 2002-2007, is President of the Fourth Circuit District Judge's Association, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Judges Association. He became Chief Judge for the District of South Carolina on October 1, 2007. Judge Norton is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Charleston School of Law. He and his wife, Dr. Kim Collins, who is a forensic pathologist, reside with their four dogs on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina.
James W. Peterson, Jr.
Attorney: Clarke, Johnson, Peterson & McLean, P.A., Florence, South Carolina
Presbyterian College, B.S., 1972
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1975
Mr. Peterson is a shareholder in the law firm of Clarke, Johnson, Peterson & McLean, P.A. He was admitted to practice in South Carolina in 1975 and in the U.S. Court of Military Appeals in 1976. After three years on active duty as a Captain with the U.S. Army, JAGC, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable C. Weston Houck, U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina. Mr. Peterson continued his military service in the U.S. Army Reserves until retiring as a Colonel in 2002. He joined his present firm in 1981, and is involved in a general practice with emphasis on civil litigation, mediation, and municipal law. He has served as City Attorney for the City of Florence since 1994, and was President of the S.C. Municipal Attorneys Association in 2006. He was appointed by the S.C. Supreme Court as a member of the initial Board for Certification of Mediators and Arbitrators and presently serves as Chair of that Board and as a member of the ADR Commission for South Carolina. More.
Honorable Daniel F. Pieper
South Carolina Court of Appeals Judge
College of Charleston, B.A., 1982
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1984
New York University Law School, LL.M.
In 1993, Judge Pieper was elected by the General Assembly to the position of Master-in-Equity in the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Soon after his appointment, the Chief Justice designated Judge Pieper as a Special Circuit Judge whereby he regularly presided over additional civil and criminal cases and proceedings, all appeals from lower courts and administrative agencies, as well as grand jury matters. He continued serving as Master-in-Equity and Special Circuit Judge until May 22, 1996; on that date, he was elected Resident Circuit Judge of the Ninth Circuit and continued in that role until Fall 2007. On May 23, 2007, Judge Pieper was elected as S.C. Court of Appeals Judge and fully assumed the duties of that office in November 2007. Judge Pieper is greatly interested in legal education and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Charleston School of Law teaching courses in criminal law, advanced criminal law and equitable remedies. In this same regard, he was appointed by the S.C. Supreme Court to the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization which approves courses for continuing legal education credit and which also recommends the certification of lawyers in specialty practice areas of the law. More.
Gary W. Poliakoff
Attorney: Poliakoff & Associates, P.A., Spartanburg, South Carolina
Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, B.A., 1973
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1977
Spartanburg litigator Gary Poliakoff, is a trial attorney with 31 years of experience and is board certified in civil trial advocacy with the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). Mr. Poliakoff is the winner of numerous awards for legal and public service. More.
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr.
Mayor, Charleston, South Carolina, 1975-present
The Citadel, 1964
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1967
Currently serving an unprecedented seventh term as Charleston mayor, Mayor Riley has been named as one of the twenty-five most dynamic mayors in America by Newsweek magazine. Because of his outstanding leadership, Charleston has been named as one of the most progressive and livable cities in the United States. In June of 2000, he was awarded the first President's Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for outstanding leadership. Other leadership roles include past President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Chairman of the Cities Task Force of the Southern Growth Policies Board and President of the National Association of Democratic Mayors. Currently Mayor Riley serves on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Executive Committee. More.
John C. Stewart, Jr.
Attorney: Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
The Citadel, B.S., 1967
Tulane University Law School, J.D., 1970
Myrtle Beach attorney John Stewart is a partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP where he practices real estate, commercial and banking law. Former vice chairman of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority, he is active in civic affairs. More.
Honorable John H. Waller, Jr.
Retired Justice, South Carolina Supreme Court
Active for recall and sits periodically with the South Carolina Supreme Court
Qualified South Carolina Circuit Court Mediator
Qualified South Carolina Family Court Mediator
Qualified South Carolina Arbitrator
Wofford College, A.B., 1959
University of South Carolina School of Law, LL.B., J.D., 1963
Retired S.C. Supreme Court Justice John H. Waller, Jr. is a Mullins, S.C. native who has spent his life performing public service. Before becoming a Legislator, Senator, or Judge, he was active in his community as an attorney, Mason, Shriner, Jaycees, charter member and first President of the Mullins Rotary Club as well as charter member and member of the first Board of Directors of Pineland Country Club. While a single practitioner in Mullins, he was elected five times to serve in the S.C. House of Representatives where he held the positions of Assistant Majority Leader and House Majority Leader. His service in the House of Representatives was replaced by his election to the state Senate in 1976. After serving one term in the Senate, he was elected by his peers in 1980 to be a State Circuit Judge. He was active in the Circuit Judges Association serving as Chairman of the Circuit Court Advisory Committee and as Chairman of the Judicial Standards Committee. He held the position of Circuit Judge until 1994, when he was elected to the State Supreme Court. He was an active member of the Supreme Court from 1994 until December 31, 2009, at which time he reached South Carolina's mandatory judicial retirement age.
Thomas Waring
Attorney: Moore & Van Allen, PLLC, Charleston, South Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, A.B., 1966
Harvard University, M.B.A., 1972
University of South Carolina, Master of Accounting, 1977
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1978
Before joining Moore & Van Allen in 1999, Mr. Waring served as managing partner at the Charleston law firm of Holmes & Thomson. Previously, he worked in resort real estate development in South Carolina, first as a project manager and financial officer with the Sea Pines Company on Hilton Head Island and then as the vice president of finance and administration with the Kiawah Island Company in Charleston. More.
Daniel B. White
Attorney: Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A., Greenville, South Carolina
Davidson College, B.A., 1970
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1976
Daniel B. White is the senior litigation partner at the eighth largest firm in South Carolina where he specializes in commercial, products liability and pharmaceutical litigation. He is listed in Chambers USA: Leading Lawyers for Business in the field of commercial litigation, has been listed since its inception in South Carolina SuperLawyers in the field of products liability and is recognized by Best Lawyers in America in five litigation fields (products liability, commercial litigation, personal injury law, railroad and mass torts). Mr. White served as President of the S.C. Bar from 2005-2006 and was Chairman of the S.C. Bar House of Delegates from 2000-2002. He is a charter fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and currently serves as State Co-Chair. He was lead counsel for a national rail carrier in the In re: Graniteville Train Derailment litigation, the largest non-natural disaster in South Carolina history. He currently serves as national coordinating counsel for an international product manufacturer in numerous national class actions and MDL 2047. More.
Honorable William W. Wilkins
Attorney: Nexsen Pruett, LLC, Greenville, South Carolina
Former Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Davidson College, B.A., 1964
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1967
Described by Senator Strom Thurmond as "a man of character and unquestionable integrity", Judge Wilkins has devoted much of his life to public service. Judge Wilkins first served as law clerk to Judge Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr., after which he entered private practice in Greenville, S.C. Shortly thereafter, Judge Wilkins was elected as Solicitor for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and served in that capacity until 1981 when he was appointed to the U.S. District Court by President Reagan. In 1985, President Reagan appointed Judge Wilkins as the first Chairman of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in charge of establishing guidelines for the sentencing of federal defendants. In 1986, Judge Wilkins was further appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals responsible for hearing appeals from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. He served as Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit from 2003-2007. He returned to private practice in October of 2008 and now leads Nexsen Pruet's White-Collar Crime, Appellate Advocacy, and Corporate Compliance/Crisis Management practice groups and actively participates in the firm's Business Litigation Group. Since joining Nexsen Pruet, Wilkins has been named as one of the "50 Most Influential" people in Greenville and his peers have voted him to the 2010 list of "Best Lawyers in America." Judge Wilkins is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Charleston School of Law. More.