Hamer 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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

Trucking defense; professional liability defense; complex litigation

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/

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/

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/

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/

For Tyler B. O'Shields, Attorney & Counselor at Law, P.A., providing personalized legal representation is the only way to serve clients. Tyler is a proud native of Upstate South Carolina, and he places great value in providing affordable services to clients in an efficient and timely manner with the utmost professionalism. This means that your phone call or online legal inquiry to this law firm will be responded to by Tyler. This also means that voice messages and e-mails are responded to timely, if not immediately. Tyler B. O'Shields, Attorney & Counselor at Law, P.A., is conveniently located just seconds...

I am Attorney Carl L. Virkus, and my practice focuses on personal injury, primarily dealing with automobile accidents, Social Security Disability, and Workers’ Compensation claims. If you have suffered an injury due to someone else's negligence, experienced an injury on the job, or have been denied Social Security disability, I am committed to fighting for the outcome you deserve. Having lived in South Carolina my entire life, I pursued my academic journey at the University of South Carolina, where I obtained both my undergraduate and law degrees.

Attorney John Alfieris dedicates his practice to assisting clients with workers’ compensation, automobile accidents, personal injury cases, and Social Security Disability claims. Before joining Smith and Jordan, PA, John was a partner at a prominent insurance defense law firm, where he handled complex workers’ compensation cases before the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, managing both legal and business aspects for his clients. Earlier in his career, John served as a law clerk to the late Honorable John C. Hayes, III, of South Carolina’s Sixteenth Judicial Circuit, and remains deeply grateful for Judge Hayes’ mentorship. In his personal life, John cherishes time with...

Brock Medley earned his Bachelor Degree in Political Science from Coastal Carolina University in 2006 and received his J.D. from Appalachian School of Law in 2009. When Brock graduated, he was a sole practitioner serving the folks he grew up with. After four years of helping the people of the Golden Strip, Brock is now using his experience to help the clients of George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers.

Stephen Yacobi graduated from Wofford College with honors and received his juris doctor from the University of South Carolina, School of Law. He was admitted as a member of the South Carolina Bar in 1980. He is a fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and has been since 1993. He has assisted in the adoptive placement of more than eight hundred children.
In more recent years he has enjoyed an expanding practice in the areas of estate planning and estate administration often serving as personal representative for estates or conservator for legally incapacitated persons.
He...

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...

Chase moved to Greenville in 2001 after graduating from USC School of Law and began work as a prosecutor for the Thirteenth Circuit in Pickens, and later in Greenville County. After working for two years as a prosecutor, Chase started his own firm, The Law Office of H. Chase Harbin, P.A. Since 2003 Chase has defended clients in Federal Court, State Circuit Court, Magistrate/Municipal, and Family Court. He has successfully defended clients and won acquittals at trials ranging from Driving Under the Influence, to Armed Robbery (State was seeking Life without the Possibility of Parole).

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...

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.

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...

In 2012 Dennis Pash joined the team at George Sink P.A. Injury Lawyers. Since, Dennis has helped well over 1,000 individuals to successfully appeal denials of disability benefits by Social Security and/or the Veterans Administration. Dennis was named an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. He went on to earn his J.D. at Washington and Lee University School of Law, graduating cum laude. After graduating from law school, he began representing disability claimants at all administrative levels and also participated in representation before the U.S. District Court while he was admitted...

Nick is a native Carolinian, having spent his youth in Charleston, South Carolina. His professional career began in ColumbIa, South Carolina, at Allstate as a Claims Adjuster after earning his Bachelor of Science from Winthrop University. During his ten years at Allstate, Nick received claims training in Chicago, worked catastrophe claims and achieved multiple promotions, including working in the Charlotte Regional Office. Additionally, Nick gained licensure in all lines of casualty, property, surety, and marine in both South Carolina and North Carolina. Nick resigned from Allstate after having achieved a 10 year vested status. During the period following...