Irmo Lawyers

Dewana grew up in Great Falls, South Carolina. She comes from a long line of textile workers and blue collar workers. If you ask anyone who knew her as a child, they will tell you that as far back as they can remember, Dewana wanted to be a lawyer and she worked hard to make that dream come true. In 2000, Dewana graduated Valedictorian from Great Falls High School. She then moved to the “big city” of Columbia and attended the University of South Carolina Honors College. A lifelong Gamecocks fan, Dewana fell in love...

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...

Jane Downey is has been certified specialist in bankruptcy and debtor creditor law with the South Carolina Supreme Court since 1996. She is a member of the ABI, NACBA, SC Bar, SC Womens' Law Association and the SC Bankruptcy Law Association. She accepts creditor and debtor cases, both in consumer and business bankruptcies and has been practicing bankruptcy law since 1990. She is a frequent speaker, particuarly on bankruptcy and domestic law. Visit her website at www.downeylaw.com or email her at jane@mttlaw.com.

** 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...

Paula Howker Amick attended Erskine College where she received a B.A. in English and graduated summa cum laude in 1989. For her J.D. Degree, She attended University of South Carolina School of Law and graduated in 1992. Since 1996, Paula has practiced primarily in the fields of personal injury and workers’ compensation. She began on the team at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers in 1999 in the Columbia office.

In 2018, Matthew graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law, ranking fourth in his law school class. During his time in law school, Matthew served as an Associate Editor-in-Chief for the South Carolina Law Review, where he authored a published article entitled State of Fear: Domestic Violence in South Carolina. Matthew was also inducted into the Order of the Coif and received the 2018 John O. MacDougall Family Law Award. After graduating law school, Matthew spent two years serving as a law clerk to the Honorable John D. Geathers at the South Carolina Court of Appeals. Matthew joined Strom...

Amy has worked with Strom Law Firm since 2006 and practices primarily from the firm’s Spartanburg, SC office. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina in Spartanburg in 1995 and a Juris Doctor degree from University of South Carolina School of Law in 2001. While at USC Law, Amy served as vice president of the Student Bar Association and wrote for the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal. As a member of the Moot Court Bar, she was captain of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition Team, trained against Assistant United States Attorneys at...

Carl was born and raised in the upstate of South Carolina, but he has called Columbia home for the last 14 years. Born into a family of lawyers, Carl knew from a young age that he wanted to be a trial attorney and prides himself in helping others. After high school, Carl matriculated to the University of South Carolina where he graduated magna cum laude from The University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business in 2010 with a B.S. in Accounting. He graduated cum laude from The University of South Carolina School of Law in 2013. He received membership...

I am a veteran of the U.S. Army, retiring with about 30 years of service in both the active Army and the Texas National Guard as a Combat Engineer and Judge Advocate. My military experience makes me uniquely qualified to provide legal services to military members, veterans, and retirees in all areas of law.

H. Ronald Stanley is a native of Conway, South Carolina and an accomplished graduate of Virginia State College and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Stanley is licensed to practice in both State and Federal Courts of South Carolina and before the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

An accomplished Trial Lawyer, Mr. Stanley has been engaged in the practice of law in Columbia, South Carolina since 1977. He has handled numerous wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases resulting in significant jury verdicts and settlements for his clients. Mr. Stanley has served by special appointment as...

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...

Amy Cofield has practiced in the areas of Workers' Compensation, Probate and Estate Planning and Real Estate for 32 years. After teaching 5th grade in Anderson, SC, Amy attended the University of SC School of Law. After graduation Amy went into practice with her father, C. Thomas Cofield, III.

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...

Bankruptcy counsel and representation. Wills, powers of attorney and probate filings or administration of estates.

Christy Kellerhals graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College with BA’s in Political Science and Spanish. She then attended Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. She was involved in community outreach programs such as small claims clinic and teen court. She was also involved in Estate planning and real estate law. She enjoyed her time in those fields but her hearts desire was to use her legal knowledge to help other which is what led her to George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers.

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...

Alexandra “Ally” Benevento focuses her practice on state and federal criminal defense, civil rights and civil litigation. She has successfully represented thousands of individuals in state and federal courts. Alexandra is admitted to the South Carolina Bar, as well as the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. She has previously been admitted pro hac vice to, and successfully represented clients in numerous federal district courts across the country. She is a member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (SCACDL), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ),...

Kennedy was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. She attended the University of South Carolina and graduated in 2018. After college Kennedy moved to Birmingham, Alabama where she attended Cumberland School of Law. While there, she wrote for the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, interned for the Honorable Karon O. Bowdre for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and received the Scholar of Merit for Mass Tort litigation. During her time at Cumberland, Kennedy served as the Public Interest Chair, an exec member for the South Carolina Student Bar Association and volunteered for Legal Services...

Shannon Polvi’s legal career focuses on advocating for employees. Shannon is an experienced trial attorney in state, federal, and administrative courts. Shannon focuses on client needs throughout the litigation process. Although prepared to successfully present her client's case to a jury, Shannon is very aware of the high cost and risks of employment litigation. Shannon likes to explore the possibility of an early, cost-effective resolution of the dispute on terms favorable to the client. As such, she has earned a reputation as a pro-active litigator who provides high quality, responsive, and conscientious representation for her clients. Shannon's practice focuses on the employee/...