Charleston County Lawyers

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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/

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/

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/

Attorney Gary Heisterkamp received his both his A.A. and B.S. degrees in Criminal Justice from Clayton State University in 1994 and 2010, respectively. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Gary relocated to South Carolina to complete his Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law, where he graduated in 2014 with honors. While in law school, Attorney Heisterkamp was an active member of the Student Bar Association, where he served as senator and President Pro Tempore, and also maintained membership in international legal society Phi Delta Phi. Additionally, Gary has worked as an Academic Success Fellow and a Teaching Fellow. He has...

Trucking defense; professional liability defense; complex litigation

Based out of Charleston, Carl E. Pierce II offers compassionate and caring representation to clients. Carl takes on a wide range of cases, including product liability claims, professional negligence cases, legal malpractice defense, toxic torts, construction claims, and personal injury cases. With nearly 30 years of experience, he knows how to craft strong and compelling cases on behalf of his clients. Carl has been recognized for his legal skill with an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, inclusion in the Super Lawyers® list, and selection to Best Lawyers in America in the Defense of Mass Torts since 2010. If you are...

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/

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...

Micah Gunn, MS, JD, is a patent and trademark attorney with extensive experience handling domestic and international patent and trademark matters. Micah’s interdisciplinary background and command of both patents and trademarks at the highest level helps him to develop broad strategies for his clients that are aligned with their business objectives. Micah’s patent practice is primarily concentrated on the innovation that occurs in the intersection between chemistry and other fields. Micah has worked on genetically modified organisms, pharmaceutical products, nutraceuticals, therapeutic methods, chemical dyes, 3D printed and chemical signature anti-counterfeit technology, biochemistry, chemistry and material science, as well as machines with...

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,...

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.

Brian Mickelsen is a founding partner and dynamic trial lawyer whose practice includes high-stakes catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and bad faith litigation. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America as “Ones to Watch” and has been featured in national and local media outlets across the country, including the New York Times, Reuters, ABC, Seattle Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Post and Courier. Prior to forming Mickelsen Dalton LLC, Brian practiced in Atlanta, GA at a personal injury firm during which time he obtained multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients. He is experienced in handling all types of...

Anna Strandberg concentrates her law practice in the areas of civil litigation, immigration, employment law and probate.

Her full bio may be viewed on the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/anna-strandberg/

Charleston Divorce Lawyer. The Law Offices of J. Scott Falls, LLC seek to provide outstanding services to clients facing legal problems or questions by creating legal solutions that make a great difference in those clients' lives. Our clients include homeowners associations, individuals who have had the misfortune of purchasing a defective home, individuals who have been wrongfully terminated from their employment, and those who need help with child custody matters, to name a few. We serve clients in the Charleston, South Carolina area and may be able to assist you with your legal questions. Whether you are an...