Sumter County Lawyers

Michael A. Monastra joined the Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe, III, P.A. after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger M. Young, Sr., Circuit Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Michael focuses his practice on civil litigation including automobile, motorcycle, and tractor trailer collisions, products liability, insurance bad faith, premises liability, and wrongful death. Michael is admitted to practice law in South Carolina, the District Court of South Carolina, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and United States Supreme Court. During law school, Michael was an active Moot Court Board Member, competing in the Philip C. Jessup International...

Drew Brown founded this law firm in 2006. He believes strongly that his first and foremost role as an attorney is to advocate for his clients. At age 42, he is already an experienced trial lawyer who has appeared on behalf of clients in contested hearings in over 50 different courthouses throughout the Carolinas. In an era where cases often settle before litigation or at mediation, Drew Brown has repeatedly taken personal injury and business disputes to trial. Brown distastes wasted legal time in hourly matters as he believes reducing the attorney fee burden on the client can be as...

Michael Turner is the Managing Partner of Turner Family Law, LLC where Mr. Turner was recently named one of seven Power Lawyers in the Family Court in South Carolina. Mr. Turner graduated from the University of South Carolina and went on to earn his law degree from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Turner grew up in Laurens, South Carolina, and is a second-generation attorney. His father, J. Michael “Mike” Turner, Sr. recently retired after practicing law for nearly 50 years. Additionally, Mr. Turner’s brother, The Honorable Matthew P. Turner, is a Family Court Judge for the 8th...

Kelley Young grew up in the Lowcountry an after graduating magna cum laude from law school, she immediately moved back to the area because of her passion to help those in her community. During law school, Kelley clerked for the United States Attorney's Office as well as for two judges in the criminal arena. She also successfully argued cases as a Certified Legal Intern for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division. Kelley practiced as an Assistant Solicitor in Charleston for several years, where she was selected to focus primarily on litigating violent crimes and larger narcotics...

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....

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...

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,...

Jessica L. Cleary received her B.A. from Westfield State College in 1997 and received her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2000. She went before the court, for 8 years, representing disabled Veterans and their dependents in pursuit of VA compensation. Jessica is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court and is a member of the Rhode Island Bar. She has been accredited by the VA since May 2009. In 2014 Jessica was recognized in...

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.

Ralitsa François was born in Livingston, New Jersey but spent most of her life in Buford, Georgia. She is the daughter and descendant of Haitian immigrants and is very proud of her Haitian heritage. Ralitsa graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, cum laude, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with minors in Pre-Law and Psychology. There, she balanced being a student-athlete where she served as an executive member of the National Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, and was a co-captain and member of the Queens University of Charlotte Cheerleading Team. After college, Ralitsa worked in...

At Cyrus Corbett, Attorney at Law, LLC, Cyrus Corbett goes above and beyond, representing his clients in the Chester, South Carolina, region. His practice extends across a spectrum of legal areas, demonstrating proficiency in: Personal injury law Contract dispute Family court matters Business litigation Probate litigation and administration Originally hailing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Mr. Corbett's formative years were spent in Horry County. He pursued his undergraduate education at Wofford College, where he not only distinguished himself as a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity but also garnered accolades such as the "Heart of the Terrier" award and the "William Light Kinney III" award for...

Lara N. Browne is an attorney at the Steinberg Law Firm, focusing on workers’ compensation law. Before joining the firm, she served as Legal Counsel for a large self-insured healthcare organization in the Lowcountry, managing a workers’ compensation program for over 6,000 employees. Her background includes extensive defense-side experience, having represented employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators at a major defense firm. This insight allows her to navigate cases strategically on behalf of injured workers. After a decade on the defense side, Lara transitioned to representing injured workers, finding fulfillment in advocating for their rights and alleviating their stress. A graduate...

Attorney David Blackwell is dedicated to helping people whose lives have been affected by the negligence of others. Serving clients is a responsibility he takes seriously, and David is grateful that he is able to use his skills and knowledge to find positive legal solutions and rewarding outcomes for individuals and families. In 2003, David initiated his own law practice. David’s areas of focus include auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, slip and falls, unsafe premises, workplace injuries, and probate litigation. He has years of experience with the litigation process, including evidentiary hearings, trials, discovery, mediation, settlement negotiations,...

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, I have been helping people with financial problems, financial planning and creditor abuse matters for over 40 years. My goal is to have my clients in better shape when their legal matter is concluded than when it bagan.

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/

Trucking defense; professional liability defense; complex litigation

Graeham C. Gillin is a dedicated personal injury attorney at Roden Law’s Charleston, South Carolina office. Graeham is licensed to practice law in multiple jurisdictions throughout the United States and brings a multifaceted expertise to his role as both an attorney and the Chief Operating Officer at Roden Law. With a background spanning business management and commercial construction, Graeham’s diverse experience uniquely positions him to spearhead the management, growth, and success of Roden Law and its team members.

Zach is an associate at the Firm’s Charleston office, where he handles various personal injury cases on behalf of clients. Prior to joining Roden Law, he worked as a defense attorney, representing insurance companies for a number of years. This experience has given him valuable insight into the strategies and tactics used by insurance companies, which he now uses to help his clients succeed.

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...

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...

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.

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....

Dane is a native of North Augusta, South Carolina and attended Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia. He received his undergraduate degree from The Citadel where he was actively engaged in cadet leadership roles and a member of the football team. His pursuit of a legal career led him to the University of South Carolina School of Law. It was during Dane’s second year of law school that he began clerking for NMJ. Upon graduating and passing the bar exam, Dane joined the firm as an associate attorney. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing...

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/

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/

Johnny Gardner is a dedicated trial attorney with decades 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. Johnny is an Horry County native. He attended Socastee High School and Coastal Carolina University. He served as an Infantry...

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.