Ridgeway Lawyers

J.D., High Honors, George Washington University Law School.
Ph.D., Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University.
B.S., Chemistry, Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA) and Leeds University (England)

Thrive IP, Managing Member, since 2005.
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P., 1997-2005.

Dr. Stipkala serves clients in all aspects of intellectual property law, from evaluating freedom to operate to securing patents, trademarks, and copyrights, to providing strategic advice regarding trade secrets and managing intellectual property for strategic business advantage.

Cole Lawrimore was born and raised on his family’s tobacco farm in the rural, Pleasant Hill community of Georgetown County. As the son of a school administrator, Cole’s family moved frequently throughout the State of South Carolina with stops in Georgetown, Mt. Pleasant, Walhalla, and Newberry. Cole graduated from Newberry High School and attended Wofford College on an academic scholarship. In between attending social events, Cole was a Dean’s List student and the Vice Chairman of the Honor Council. After graduating from Wofford with a degree in accounting, Cole attended the Charleston School of Law. During his time there, Cole was...

Born in Charleston, Louis P. Herns is proud to represent clients from all over his hometown. He has been practicing law for 30 years, giving him a strong grasp on the laws surrounding personal injury and general negligence matters. Mr. Herns has been recognized with an AV Preeminent® rating, which is the highest rating a legal professional can be awarded from Martindale-Hubbell®. He focuses his practice on product liability, toxic torts, and general negligence matters. Over the decades he has been representing injury victims, he has secured countless positive case results. Mr. Herns is a passionate legal advocate for his...

Dorsey was raised in Bayboro, South Carolina, a small community just outside of Conway. He attended Coastal Carolina University on an academic and athletic scholarship as a pitcher for the Chanticleer baseball team. After graduating from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in Finance, he worked briefly as a loan analyst at Conway National Bank before enrolling in law school at the Charleston School of Law. After graduating law school in 2010, Dorsey returned to Conway and began practicing in the areas of Criminal Defense and Family Law. Dorsey represented individuals facing criminal charges ranging from misdemeanors to high-level felonies. In...

Andrew Copenhaver devotes his practice to the representation of individuals and families harmed by defective products, motor vehicle accidents, nursing home abuse and neglect, premises injuries and other incidents involving negligence in products liability, personal injury and wrongful death cases. Mr. Copenhaver currently serves as counsel in several catastrophic and fatal injury cases throughout Georgia and South Carolina and is responsible for all aspects of litigation from initial pleadings to trial. He is also involved in several class actions in Georgia and states throughout the country. Prior to joining Bell & Brigham, Mr. Copenhaver clerked for the Honorable Dudley H. Bowen,...

Reid, a Charleston real estate attorney, handles all of the firms real estate transactions. Reid assists individuals, families, and investors in navigating the complicated and detailed process of buying and selling real property. Reid is a licensed title insurance agent with Chicago Title Insurance Company and is experienced in handling all types of real estate litigation and real estate transactions involving real property including buying, selling, leasing, refinance and 1031 exchanges.

Reid also practices in the areas of estate planning and probate administration, probate and estate litigation, business succession planning, asset protection, commercial litigation, and other business law matters....

As a third-generation attorney with enthusiasm for representing victims in personal injury claims, Gedney M. Howe IV looks forward to carrying out his Father and Grandfather’s philosophy of “doing justice and healing the minds of his clients.” Gedney was admitted to practice law in South Carolina in 2020. Since becoming a member of the Bar he has obtained significant recoveries in many complex cases through both verdicts and settlements in a variety of cases. Participating in intense litigation against defendants such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and Dominion Energy. In his first year of practice Gedney has...

Trucking defense; professional liability defense; complex litigation

Prior to running her own firm, Beth Santilli practiced with Fleet Freeman for several years, eventually becoming his partner. She is an experienced advocate that has helped many clients facing legal challenges in the Lowcountry. She works diligently to draft corporate and estate documents that keep her clients out of court. When litigation is unavoidable, you can rely on her experience and knowledge in the courtroom. She has litigated several civil cases including business disputes, estate disputes and employer/employee matters. She regularly creates business entities and acts as outside corporate counsel. Beth has drafted numerous corporate documents and corporate processes,...

Family law attorney David Wells makes his home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with his wife, Annie.

After attending Camden Military Academy (Camden, SC), and Lyman Ward Military Academy (Camp Hill, AL), David attended Valdosta State University where he studied philosophy, applied ethics, and criminal justice.

David’s life-long dream was to become an attorney. He attended and graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law (Michigan). During this time, David interned for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Horry County, South Carolina.

Upon being admitted to the South Carolina bar, David worked with Coastal Law Firm, LLC, before launching Wells Law Firm....

Many different areas of experience including but not limited to personal injury, insurance, employment, homeowners associations, real estate litigation, construction/mechanic's liens, unfair trade practices, wrongful death, auto/motorcycle/truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, and criminal.

Located at 702 Sea Mountain Highway, No. 4, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582; Phone (843) 455-9069; Fax (843) 249-6446; Email: MarjorieSimerman@aol.com

Jeff Bogdan has been selected by South Carolina Super Lawyers to the Rising Stars list every year since 2015 and in 2016 was listed as a Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney. Charleston Business Magazine named him to the lowcountry Legal Elite list in the area of tax and estate law in 2018 and 2019. He holds a Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent rating (the highest, formerly called AV).

A full bio for Jeff Bogdan may be viewed at the firm website at
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/jeffrey-bogdan/

Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his handling of insurance law matters, Barnwell Whaley member attorney K. Michael Barfield concentrates his law practice in the areas of professional negligence, construction litigation, commercial litigation, property related litigation, personal injury and fractional ownership transactions .

A full bio for K. Michael Barfield may be viewed at the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/k-michael-barfield/

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...

D. Summers Clarke has been recognized as a South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, listed as a Top Rated Civil Litigation Attorney. She holds an AV preeminent Martindale-Hubbell rating, representing the highest level of professional excellence.

Summers Clarke concentrates her law practice in construction law, insurance defense and civil litigation.

Her full bio may be viewed on the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/d-summers-clarke-ii/

Mr. Mills practices personal injury law at the Trammell Law Firm, P.A. in Anderson, South Carolina. He graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and then went on to work several years with the American Red Cross, National MS Society, and Vancouver Language Centre in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Mr. Mills decided to return to the states and pursue graduate work in an effort to assist people who were less fortunate, misinformed, and injured as a result of someone else’s negligence. He graduated in 2005 from the Walter F. George School of Law...

Charleston business attorney Guy Dabbs concentrates his law practice in the areas of general business, corporate and transactional law, including matters related to commercial transactions, corporate management, commercial real estate, intellectual property and real property.

A full bio for Guy Dabbs may be viewed on the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/guy-dabbs/

John Paul is an associate in the Lovely Law Firm’s Goose Creek, South Carolina office. He received two separate B.S. degrees in Marketing and Finance from Clemson University in 2011. After graduating from Clemson University, Mr. Simkovich attended the University of South Carolina School of Law where he completed his Juris Doctor in 2014.

Patrick T. Napolski attended Clemson University where he was on the Dean’s List. Patrick then went to Charleston School of Law. While at Law school, he was a member of Student Trial Lawyers Association and American Bar Association Committee, among other activities. Outside of work, Patrick is a judge for various moot court and mock trial competitions, a member of the South Carolina Bar Association’s Professional Development Committee, and a mentor in Charleston School of Law’s Mentoring Program. Patrick is licensed to practice law in Illinois, South Carolina, and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Marissa Fish received her J.D. from the University of Massachusetts School of Law-Dartmouth, where she graduated magma cum laude. Before Law school, Marissa received her M.S in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. Having grown up in a military family and marrying into the military, Marissa has lived in many places. She was born in Maryland, but now calls South Carolina home, residing in the Aiken area with her husband.

Derek E. Brown graduated from Toccoa Falls College (B.A. History) where he was a starting pitcher and outfielder for the baseball team and interned for Congressman Paul Broun’s district office in Toccoa, Georgia. Derek went on to complete his legal education at Appalachian School of Law. There, he was elected Vice President of the Student Bar Association and served as the law school representative to the American Bar Association. Derek is passionate about the area of Personal Injury Law because it gives him the chance to be an advocate for those in critical times of need.