Darlington County Criminal Lawyers

John is a 1966 History graduate of The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina; earning his J.D. in 1969 from the University of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. In addition, John attended graduate school at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (1970). He is a member of the State Bar Associations of South Carolina, Florida, and Michigan. Currently, John has offices in Columbia and Edisto Beach, South Carolina handling primarily DUI, drug cases, and criminal matters. He often testifies as an expert witness in police procedures, high speed chases, and other law enforcement practices. John serves as Counsel for the South Carolina Trooper's Association,...

Chad Shelton is a graduate of Valparaiso University and the Charleston School of Law. After law school, he was soon admitted to the South Carolina Bar and to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. In 2007, Chad joined the Berkeley County Public Defender’s office. He worked for nine years at the public defender’s office. Chad worked thousands of cases ranging from drug offenses, traffic violations to armed robbery and murder. He is well seasoned at going to trial and fighting hard for his clients. He obtained numerous not guilty verdicts at...

Sheila Mims graduated from the Gonzaga University School of Law in 1998, and since has pursued her passion representing individuals and their needs in the courtroom. She has been a trial attorney for over 20 years both prosecuting and defending clients in circuit and magistrate court. She began her practice in the Richland County Public Defenders office representing clients in all criminal matters. She has also served as an Assistant Solicitor in both Richland and Dorchester Counties before entering private practice. Sheila is bringing her extensive experience to Templeton Mims & Ward where she will be practicing in the...

Sara was born and raised in historic Charleston, SC and obtained her Bachelors of Science in Psychology at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. She attended law school on a full scholarship at the University of South Carolina School of Law graduating Cum Laude. During her time at USC Law she was awarded five CALI Awards in Evidence, Legal Research and Writing I, Commercial Speech Seminar, Criminal Adjudication, and Electronic Discovery. The CALI Award is given to a student for obtaining the highest grade in a class. Sara relocated to Georgetown, SC after law school where she practiced family law...

Attorney B. Alex Hyman completed his undergraduate education in his home state of South Carolina, graduating from the University of South Carolina in 2002.While at the University of South Carolina, he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and worked for Governor Jim Hodges as a staff intern.

After completing law school, Alex began working for the Honorable Edward B. Cottingham, Circuit Court Judge for the Fourth Judicial Circuit as a law clerk. After completing his clerkship, Alex began working for his father at the Law Office of Larry B. Hyman Jr. In 2008 Alex took over his father's law...

Arthur K. Aiken gives his clients quality representation at a fair price

Adam Russo was born in Connecticut and moved to South Carolina as a child. Growing up in the low country, he gained a deep appreciation for the culture and ways of Charleston's society. After attending the College of Charleston, Mr. Russo completed his legal education at St. Thomas University and Florida State. While in law school he clerked for the Florida Supreme Court. Most recently, Mr. Russo was a DUI prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit, and a private defense attorney.

Hall & Hall Attorneys at Law is dedicated to providing clients with the knowledgeable counsel needed for their unique legal needs. The West Columbia attorneys have served the community for more than 45 years and can assist you with cases involving criminal defense, family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, real estate, and probate law. The firm has a long history of obtaining successful results for their clients, and their lawyers are ready to help with your legal matter. Contact Hall & Hall Attorneys at Law to learn how they can advocate for your rights and best interests!

Admitted to the bar of:
The State of South Carolina
U.S. Federal District Court for the District of South Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Memberships:
American Bar Association
South Carolina Bar
South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Horry County Bar Association
American Association for Justice
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National College for DUI Defense
Myrtle Beach Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – Founding Member
National Rifle Association – Life Member
South Carolina State Constable Alliance
Southern States Police Benevolent Association
S.C. Concealed Weapons Instructors Association
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
South Carolina State Constable’s Alliance
American Radio Relay League (ARRL)

Activities:
Former Adjunct Professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College
South Carolina Concealable Weapons Course Instructor
NRA...

Steve joined Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC, in 2019. Before joining Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC, Steve worked for over five years with the Fifth Circuit Public Defender in Columbia, South Carolina. At the public defender, Steve focused on defending individuals charged with serious and most serious violent crimes. During the past five years, Steve has defended nearly every type of crime on the books, including Murder and Felony DUI involving Death. Steve has successfully tried many criminal cases to verdict and is licensed to provide first-chair defense representation in death penalty cases.

During Steve’s tenure as a public defender, he was...

For nearly 20 years, J. Bradley Baker has been representing clients throughout South Carolina. As a Lexington attorney, he handles cases involving personal injury, criminal defense, and workers’ compensation. Attorney Baker is driven to advocate for the rights of his clients, going above and beyond to protect their futures. He regularly handles cases before the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission and is skilled at defending those accused of DUI thanks to his prosecutorial background. Mr. Baker believes in working hard for his clients and treating them the way he would want to be treated. He prides himself on delivering personal...

Mr. Milling is a litigator in both federal and state court handling civil litigation, corporate litigation, criminal defense, and white collar criminal defense.

Dan Kienker is from Hendersonville North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Asheville with a major in political science. Upon his graduation he entered the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant serving 26 years, and retiring with the rank of Full Colonel. His military career includes assignments to Germany, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Honduras, and Warsaw, Poland where he led a military contact team shortly after the fall of the former Soviet Union.
During his military career he was selected for Command of three combat rated Tactical Control...

EDUCATION The John Marshall School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
AND LICENSES: Juris Doctorate, 1991

Honors: Elected to 1989 American Leadership Conference, Washington, D.C.
The James Madison Distinguished Service Award, The Federalist Society of America

Activities: President, The Federation of Federalist Societies of Chicago Law Schools
President, The Federalist Society of The John Marshall School of Law
Contributing Writer - Editor, The Decisive Utterance

Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, 1984

Honors: Member of the National Philosophy Honor Society, Phi Sigma Tau

Attorney:
May, 2002 - Admitted to practice law in South Carolina
Present

November, 1991 - Admitted to practice law...

Fierce advocate that will fight for you and your rights! Not afraid to take a case to trial. Attorneys at MLB Law have over 60 years of combined experience. Joshua Brown was born in Virginia, but moved to Fort Mill, SC with his family when he was in the first grade. He graduated from Nation Ford High School in 2010. He graduated Cum Laude from Newberry College in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He then received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2017 and was sworn in to the...

Former prosecutor A. Randolph "Randy" Hough has a strong background in criminal law. Before entering private practice, he served as a prosecutor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina, handling numerous crimes ranging from drug trafficking to white-collar crimes to murder.

He also handled complex federal drug charges as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. Few other local defense lawyers can claim this extensive background in prosecuting crimes at both the state and federal level. Mr. Hough has defended cases in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and is a member of the South Carolina Bar, United States District Court for...

For over 30 years, I've been helping South Carolinians that have been accused of criminal and traffic offenses get their day in court. I graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law, then clerked for Pike County (Kentucky) Circuit Judges Baird Colleton and Charles Lowe in Kentucky. I was a public defender in Orangeburg, SC. - fighting for clients that otherwise would have been worked through the system and jailed due to plea bargaining. My reputation for getting my clients in front of a jury of their peers rather than letting the prosecutors pressure them into a plea helped me build my...

Johnny Gardner is a dedicated trial attorney with years of courtroom experience. He began his legal career in 1992 as a Solicitor for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. This background provides Johnny with a unique perspective of the legal system that greatly assists in the preparation of criminal cases for trial. Three years later, he entered private practice and founded his own law firm. Johnny concentrates his practice primarily on DUI and Criminal Defense, and has tried many difficult, complex cases. He also is a seasoned Family Court lawyer and handles child custody, divorce, and juvenile offender cases on a regular...

** What is it like working with me? ** When working with me, what you see is what you get. I’ve been told that I have a strong personality. I am brutally honest, and I won’t sugar coat the facts. That means I’m not afraid to ask and answer the hard questions when working on your case. With that said, you should know that I’m still very approachable, non-judgmental and down to earth. In whatever situation my clients have found themselves in, I’m not here to judge or make them feel bad about themselves. My job is to...

It is my goal to give each case the attention to detail it needs. I will not take on new cases at the expense of existing clients. The reality is there are only so many hours in a week. If I take on hundreds cases, I have less time to spend on each case than if I take on 25. If you want an attorney that will give you the attention you deserve, that can speak to you without a lot of legal jargon, that’s down-to-earth, and enjoys helping people, then please call 843-970-2929.

My name is Elizabeth Franklin-Best and I am an attorney who focuses on criminal appellate law and federal criminal law. I started at the Richland County Public Defender’s office where I worked alongside some of the most passionate lawyers in this profession. Later, I worked at the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense, Appellate Division where I studied and analyzed hundreds of different cases, and gained valuable experience arguing in the South Carolina Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. I spent 7 years as a partner in the law firm of Blume Franklin-Best & Young, LLC focused on capital...